SoumikBanerjee1996

An ambitious blend of slice-of-life, road trip, and science fiction, infused with some genuine intents at its core, which I wholeheartedly admire.

While it might not be the most sophisticated or high-concept feature, the messaging resonates well. The chemistry between the lead characters, Thalia and Kai, portrayed by Ashly Burch and Jordan Rodrigues, is commendable as they effectively strikes the right emotional chords.

If only the comedic moments had landed more effectively and the balance between the contrasting tones been nicer, I would have been more generous with my rating.

Nevertheless, I liked it for what it wanted to convey and would definitely recommend it to anyone in search of a 'comfort' feature, this might soothe your mind.

The film is structured more like excerpts borrowed from a book than a traditional cinematic interpretation, likely due to the involvement of the original author of the novel, David Benioff, in the screenplay writing process.

As a result, '25th Hour' presents itself as a collage of extended conversations rather than a series of sequential events. Now this approach could have easily faltered if the dialogues had been uninspired; fortunately, they are anything but banal.

Discourses explore a broad spectrum of themes, providing a profound examination of the characters' morals, guilt, and frustrations with life, with some mindful sprinkles of political statements, which does seem to offer significant insights into the psyche of main characters, though it occasionally risks feeling like blatant exposition dumps.

While the emotional depth is palpable and the intentions behind the dialogues are sincere, there is a concern that audiences unaccustomed to dialogue-heavy scripts, who seek a certain level of "entertainment" or "engagement" in their movies, may find the final product somewhat incomplete, unsatisfying.

The work effectively functions as a socio-political drama, as it thoughtfully addresses various historical scandals happened in South Korea, involving major corporations, prominent politicians, and influential media outlets. I commend the creators for illuminating these significant issues and for intricately crafting the narrative with great attention to detail.

However, this staunch focus on realism seems to have come at the expense of the characteristic flair often associated with "Korean Cinema," which I found somewhat disappointing.

While I understand their commitment to maintaining fidelity to the central theme of the storyline, I personally would have preferred a more dynamic screenplay that could have harmonised the realistic elements with traditional cinematic liberties.

It would have definitely made the movie more palatable and thereby my experience, much better.