deltaop

The trailer of the film was a breath of fresh air among the usual rom-coms during Eid season. However, I was disappointed by the actual movie due to it not being scary at all. The audience was laughing through most of the film's horror sequences which is a testament to poor buildup and atmosphere development. Both elements essential to a good horror flick.

To make matters worse, the CGI was shockingly BAD. They could have done better through working with extras in makeup or they could have used the black mist they used at the end if they wanted to go down the CGI route. The 3D models they used for most of the film were laughably non-scary.

Meanwhile, the script wanted to use all the usual horror tropes from the The Conjuring (2013), Poltergeist (1982), with a bit of Siccin thrown in instead of actually trying to work on originality, pacing, character development, and overall atmosphere. All the while, leaving a lot unanswered until the final 5 minutes of the film. The audience just wasn't able to relate to anything beyond the usual Sas-Bahu tropes.

That said, I won't take anything away from the excellent performances of Samina Peerzada, Faisal Qureshi, and Sonya Husayn. They literally carried a weak film through their acting prowess, otherwise I would have left the theater after the first 3D Jinn.

First, let me get this out the way, the movie is aesthetically a masterpiece. Would have never believed that such a beautiful, hand-drawn animation could come out of Pak. The Urdu voice actors were fantastic too, especially the person who voiced Vincent's Dad.

Beyond that I felt the film severely lacked in storyboarding, character development, and overall character arcs. It got tedious and boring at times in between the usual Ghibli tropes. They could have definitely perfected the script in the 10 years the film spent in development. But, in the end they drew stunning animation for a very weak story. Despite that, I was totally on-board with the pacifist message that formed the crux of the story.

Also, they market the film as made-in Pak, but the characters and setting look ostensibly western. I mean, I get it that they wanted to appeal to a global audience, but they could have incorporated more of the local culture apart from token mentions. After all, the film's core viewership and theatre-going base was to be in Pak.

Despite the weak story, I would commend the score of the film. It was hauntingly beautiful and executed masterfully within scenes.

In conclusion, despite it's obvious flaws, The Glassworker is a film to watch for art lovers & Ghibli fans. You might be bored by the story and characters, but the the visuals and music score will keep you there till the end.

P. S: I have heard that the English voiceover is not as good. I watched it in Urdu, so can't comment on that opinion. The Urdu version was quite well done.

5 episodes in, and this is one of the most immersive seasons I have seen in a long time. Not since early episodes of GoT have I been so truly and fully immersed in the story of a season due to exceptional world-building.

The creative staff of this season has gone to great lengths to stay true to the Japanese culture of the time - be it customs, costumes, and even language. The majority of the dialogue of this show is in Japanese and it adds to the richness of the whole setting. Additionally, the Japanese cast bring in much needed native flair to the screen with powerful performances.

Experiencing this season as a labor of love that stays true to the source material is a breath of fresh air in the banality that is current TV.