Movies
Pretty decent, all things considering. For one, it's not tied in to any other Marvel (sub-)franchises (yet), which is an incredible relief. No doubt this is meant to be the start of something new, but for now, it can be seen as a stand-alone film. After almost 20 years of MCU, it's a blessing. It's also just over 90 minutes long, which is more than enough to tell the rather basic story. No comic interludes, no random drama, no action filler, just a slick and stripped down plot that offers more than enough juicy bits. Again, after seeing so many Marvel film needlessly breaking through the 120-minute barrier, this feel truly refreshing. The attempts at making this a bit darker are a little half-arsed though and the characters are a bit bland, still it's all pretty entertaining. Performances are decent, the mystery is sufficient and the finale is quite spectacular. One of the better Marvel films I've seen, that's not saying a lot, but at least it's something.Read all
I went in with low expectations and got exactly what I imagined upfront. This is a cheesy, overly sentimental, illness-driven teen romance. It tried so hard to make me feel and care, that it ended up making me indifferent to the plight of the two lead characters. Not what you want from this type of film. Hazel is diagnosed with terminal cancer, but an experimental treatment is giving her family some hope. Hazel herself fears committing to something pointless, until she meets Gus. He's a cancer survivor, and the two hit it off. While Gus is clear about his intentions, Hazel still tries to keep her distance. It's been a staple of Japanese romance for almost two decades now, this US take on the genre isn't adding anything new to it. There's a dumb twist, lots of cringy dialogue, and two leads who lack chemistry. And while the film is also way too long, it's still an easy watch. Not the worst of its kind, but I didn't care for it.Read all