hannahb-56182

Once upon a time..Disney's titular force driving every story was, "True love will conquer all." And yet, it seems they've forgotten the very essence that drove so many to watch their stories over and over again.

Their stories were moving, inspiring, and truly life-changing. They made you believe that anything was possible - but most ardently - they made you believe that true love was possible.

And yet...it could not be more apparent that they have forgotten that crucial piece to their success. And even more, why Walt Disney even started this company in the first place...

This remake was missing the whole heart of the story that made the original so special: "Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

Without that key ingredient, there was no glue holding together the special bond between Nani and Lilo. There was no true love. And thus, it felt completely and painfully soulless.

After Wish, when Disney said they were going to take a good hard look in the mirror and return to their roots --- this wasn't the comeback I was envisioning they would make. Sadly, I don't think anything can save them now.

Just continuously disappointed.

This movie wanted to be better than it was - desperately.

The two protagonists - Eros and Reese - are the archetypal "Bad Boy and Good Girl." However, their depictions could not have been more lackluster if they tried.

Eros is the furthest from a bad boy I've seen in a long while. Even trying to make the actor ride a motorcycle and go to jail still did not help this man make Eros the bad boy he was intended to be.

I think the largest issue with his character is that we only know pieces of him. We are never given the whole story. Even when Reese tries to ask him questions, he completely dismisses her. Which ultimately made him more aloof and standoffish than a bad boy.

As for Reese, while the good girl act was portrayed fair enough, she was completely lacking in depth. Other than knowing she dances ballet, we are given nothing else about what she loves to do or what she aspires to be when she's older. While they do show us her performing ballet, there's never a part in the movie where she says, "dancing is my passion." Thus, resulting in her being completely one-dimensional.

Due to these character choices, when they eventually "love" one another, to me, it is completely unfathomable. It is genuinely nothing more than infatuation.

This is proven further during intense scenes where Reese's life is put at risk, and Eros doesn't even react, much less show he cares. Even her father is completely emotionless throughout her stalking and bullying harassment.

So, how are we to believe that they love her when they don't show it during her hardships?

Lastly, aside from the uninspired love interests, the plot itself is severely flawed. Though some things are "resolved," like her stalker, the reasoning behind why it happened doesn't make any real sense. It seriously could not have been less thought-out. In addition, her bullying was completely unresolved...we never find out why it happened in the first place, much less get the satisfying retribution to those who had been harassing her. Resulting in the end being completely unsatisfying.

And, that's what this movie was in one word: unsatisfying. I hate to say it, but I cannot imagine anyone liking this. I cannot truly find ONE redeemable facet about it. It was simply bad.

This movie garners A LOT of recommendations on TikTok, and, after watching My Fault: London (which is SO GOOD), I was on the hunt for something that could satisfy my appetite like it had.

But after finally giving it a try, I cannot help but be extremely perplexed and ask this question: What do people enjoy about it? Genuinely?

For starters, there is no plot. There isn't even any buildup of the characters getting together or sexual tension remotely. And I know some people do like stories like that - where it's more smut than plot. So, if that's your thing, then sure...give this a try.

But, as I get into it with my second problem, there is no chemistry between these characters. Everything felt uncoordinated and clunky when it came to them being intimate, and just so incredibly awkward! So even if you're here for just the smut, it's not satisfying in the least bit.

Now, last but certainly not least, I could not tell you one thing these characters saw in each other that made them want to be with the other. NOT ONE. Why the infatuation? Why the attraction? Ares did MULTIPLE horrific things to Raquel...and Raquel is a horrible fangirl/stalker...so....? Please explain to me how this even happened - and even more than that - how it lasted?

Sometimes I have to remind myself that these characters are teenagers, and teenagers do illogical things all the time. That's what it means to be a teen - you're making mistakes and learning from them. But, even with that in mind, I still cannot justify their inevitable feelings for one another...they never have ANY emotionally intimate moments together where it's only talking. Where they're getting deeper than surface level. Every scene they spend together, all they do is have sex.

So again: what do people see in this that I'm missing?

That said, unlike the majority of people on social media, I do not recommend.