01-18-2018, 01:11 PM
I just rewatched The Villainess, this time with subtitles -- which helped a bit, but also made clear that this is one very complicated story, made even more confusing by a multitude of flashbacks.
To my mind, this is almost a great movie. It's certainly an inspired bit of direction and cinematography, with lots of fights that alone are worth the price of admission. But where it falls short is in its weak depictions of love. There are two great loves in the Villainess's life, and the earliest and strongest of them isn't presented convincingly. I don't know whether there were problems between the two actors or whether the director just didn't know how to depict it effectively. But it is key for the story to work, and this shortcoming sorely hurts in the later stages.
At this point I'm venturing into what might be minor spoiler territory. I don't think it would hurt your viewing, but be forewarned.
...
DM puzzled over the plastic surgery and other confusing blurrings of character, and think I've got a better understanding of what was going on. The Villainess gets plastic surgery after she's captured by the assassin school, and this happens after the death of her first great love. But of course he isn't really dead, and for some reason he henceforth drops his mop of a hairdo and is later seen with a stylish hairdo that makes his look much younger (that in itself is jarring). The reason it was necessary for both to dramatically change their looks was so that when they encounter each other later on, they don't immediately recognize each other.
One more bit of a possible spoiler. A crucial question that arises is, "Did you ever really love me?" and when eventually the answer is given, it is predicated on something else, which sort of muddies the whole issue. In other words, perhaps the most important exchange in the movie is muddled, and the action that immediately follows doesn't really seem to fit what was said. So the movie lost any kind of powerful impact at the end, making it somewhat forgettable -- and yes, I had forgotten some of the later stuff from my first viewing because of this lack of emotional punch.
There are emotions throughout, especially in the Villainess, who does a great job, but not the most important emotions and at the right time.
Still very much worth watching.
To my mind, this is almost a great movie. It's certainly an inspired bit of direction and cinematography, with lots of fights that alone are worth the price of admission. But where it falls short is in its weak depictions of love. There are two great loves in the Villainess's life, and the earliest and strongest of them isn't presented convincingly. I don't know whether there were problems between the two actors or whether the director just didn't know how to depict it effectively. But it is key for the story to work, and this shortcoming sorely hurts in the later stages.
At this point I'm venturing into what might be minor spoiler territory. I don't think it would hurt your viewing, but be forewarned.
...
DM puzzled over the plastic surgery and other confusing blurrings of character, and think I've got a better understanding of what was going on. The Villainess gets plastic surgery after she's captured by the assassin school, and this happens after the death of her first great love. But of course he isn't really dead, and for some reason he henceforth drops his mop of a hairdo and is later seen with a stylish hairdo that makes his look much younger (that in itself is jarring). The reason it was necessary for both to dramatically change their looks was so that when they encounter each other later on, they don't immediately recognize each other.
One more bit of a possible spoiler. A crucial question that arises is, "Did you ever really love me?" and when eventually the answer is given, it is predicated on something else, which sort of muddies the whole issue. In other words, perhaps the most important exchange in the movie is muddled, and the action that immediately follows doesn't really seem to fit what was said. So the movie lost any kind of powerful impact at the end, making it somewhat forgettable -- and yes, I had forgotten some of the later stuff from my first viewing because of this lack of emotional punch.
There are emotions throughout, especially in the Villainess, who does a great job, but not the most important emotions and at the right time.
Still very much worth watching.
I'm nobody's pony.