i heard of a man... who saw a beautiful women walking to church every day. nobody knew where she was from... but, the man fell in love with her. matha e. chawalla was his name, and he loved to sing. finally, one day, he followed her. and he sang a song to her, as she walked. and he was never seen again. ... what happened to him? well, i think he followed her into the sea. ... so, she was a mermaid. maybe i'll drag you down into the water!
Over all opinion: It felt...half-baked, but I liked it. And I got to see Sophie and Kit make good use of their chemistry and that's all that really matters, lbr here, folks!
Spoilers for here on out:
•Very pretty movie. I kind of wished it had that 90s movie softness to it from film camera because this seemed like a very 90s period film script. Anne and Jago almost matched each other in blue-green colors. The red cloak was Little Red Riding Hood-coded (like they made this just for me)!
•I like that this version of "Onibaba" was more from the daughter-in- law's POV, but I think they diminished the potential of the story by writing the daughter-in-law as being innocent in killing people at first. If she (like in the original) was numb to the process but still conflicted when we met her, it would have added a layer of complexity to the fears of being damned that she developed early on in the movie anyway, and it would contributed logic to why she kept having bad dreams from the start (she's got a troubled conscience). It would mean she would already wary of Morwen, and upped her desperation to leave her and go with Jago. And yes, I know that would change the ending some, but well, I didn't really like the ending so...more on that later.
•Not enough horror for me: we needed a scene where the knight stalked & killed somebody or something.
• The reviewers that said the movie leaned too hard on Kit & Sophie's chemistry and prior relationship to help us buy into this relationship, were not wrong imo: there needed to be a least one more conversation between the two that was heavier on the will-they/won't-they energy before it makes sense that Jago is saying confidently "I want you, and you want me". The church walk stalking wasn't enough lol. But hey, once they got the ball rolling...
•... Oh Sophie & Kit were FANTASTIC together! I loved that Anne & Jago's relationship was full of laughter, and they geniunely seemed to like each other. Somehow, these two doing "mutual affection melting into romance" felt as sensual as well-done "hot & bothered yearning sparks in romance". Honestly, they made their relationship too good for where the story was gonna go. I know Jago was a little persistent and a lot cynical but, Idk...based on the information we have, he's still a solid dude to me? I mean: wtf was he supposed to do for Seamus?! I see no evidence that we are meant to believe it's possible that Jago is lying and that he made Seamus put on the helmet somehow, so I believe his story, and I believe he did nothing wrong, ok?! 😤
• I just cannot believe that they chose for Anna a strawberry blonde hair shade that looks ginger in some light "by accident". And if they really did: Sophie's subconscious is a Jonsa, idc, idc
•Speaking of: I guess Sophie really read "bastard boy-turned-man yearned for girl he grew up with and now seizes the opportunity to get close to her after her husband/family member(s) dies and he's (almost) all she has left" and said "Why does this make me think of Kit?... I just think he'd work SO WELL in this type of role for SOME reason..." I'M ON TO YOU, TURNER.
•Marcis Gay Harden did her thing! No notes.
•Sophie looked particularly gorgeous once Anne started wearing her hair unbound, (which probably was on purpose). Kit looked a whole meal, himself! They cut away from the sexy times a bit too early to my tastes, but every kiss we got was 🔥! That's chemistry, baby!
•I liked that Seamus turned out to have mirrored his mother in fully embracing bloodlust once the opportunity to indulge in it for survival presented itself. That's Morwen's little boy!
•If I'm reading the ending right...Anne was NOT swept away by the power of the helmet because she's purer at heart than Seamus or Morwen (I guess that's why they change it so that she wasn't aware of what Morwen was doing at the start), BUT she IS still being influenced by it to push Jago away and take care of Morwen (in a more dominant position), despite her asserting that she was her own woman. That's...unsatisfying to me. Like, if we're gonna have a downer ending where she loses, go all out! Have her kill Morwen, take on the cursed mantle and kill Jago, too! Or, if we want a more empowering story where she's strong enough now to stare down the power of a demon, commit to her being free: either Anne returns to Jago, with forgiveness in her heart, and a wish to start over and start the family she's desired with him...or have her reject Jago but this time, she takes off on her own (Morwen would die in this version). This is what I mean about it being half-baked: it was nearly there to something narratively satisfying, but fell short. Shame, but I've seen more disappointing movies.
•Kit and Sophie need to be in something else together! Even if they played (platonic) siblings, it would be worth it to see more of their easeful chemistry on screen togther. And now that everyone has gotten a first taste of them together out of a GOT-context, so we can move on from the "so weird" narrative, yes? Just two unrelated actors, acting; what a concept!
•I have a great need for a fix-it epilogue fic where Jago helps free Anne from the helmet's pull, once and for all, and they have a happy ending with babies!
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Flaws and all, I'm just so glad it exists! Cheers, Jonsa fam!
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