Publisher: Kamurai June 23, 2021
Good watch, might watch again, and can recommend if you're considering it. The "feel" of the movie reminds me a lot of "Booksmart", but almost more "versus" than "cooperative", if that makes sense to you. I'm a big fan of Hannah Marks, and less so of Liana Liberato, and while the focus is typically on April, it really felt like they should have been cast in each others's roles, and it's not like Liberato can't carry a lead role. The roles just didn't feel intuitive, and the movie does one of those things where I feel like it's trying to tell me who's hotter, and (for me) Hannah Marks makes more sense as the "hot new thing", and she's the stronger personality. But that's probably why she has the lead here. It was also frustrating to watch the characters do "stupid high schoolers with too many options" mistakes over and over, letting such a jerk control any level of validation in their lives, and I suppose that's the point that I'm missing is how to relate to it as a young woman that can't control what her wants are, even if they are bad for her. I have similar stupid things I did when I was younger as a guy, and I think that's what frustrated me. The point in saying any of that is that that "frustration" is what takes this movie from potentially great to a more average viewing experience. While it's a fine movie, with good characters, acting, and writing, it doesn't feel uplifting or hopeful, the "intensity in battle" is social in nature and not what I'm looking for in a movie, but that doesn't mean that others won't like this much more than me.