At least "Love Me Again (Land Down Under)" isn't a movie of two lovers set during wartime Australia or you'd think the reason the filmmakers didn't simply name it "Land Down Under" is because it would be eerily similar to, well, a movie of two lovers set during wartime Australia.
Rory B. Quintos yet again directs a film of a couple marked by forlornness in a foreign land, but hightailing the Middle Eastern desert for the outback in this supposedly mature romance produces neither a smart nor a moving melodrama. The story hasn't even properly started yet before Quintos' manipulation begins, using the majestic topography of Bukidnon as the starting point for Migo (Piolo Pascual) and Arah's (Angel Locsin) fledgling relationship with all the cloying furnishings highlighted by an unrestrained score. An accident which sends Arah's dad (Ricky Davao) to the hospital leaves Arah with no choice but to work as a rancher's cook in Australia to pay for the bills, against Migo's wishes for her to stay put. When Migo and Arah finally meet again after months of a hushed relationship, he's ready to own up to his mistakes, only she's set to marry her boss, hinting of issues that are more blistering than a cattle brand.
But alas, this being a love team-driven film, this setup eventually contents itself to be a slushy treacle for the leads' fans that's made mildly tolerable by its gorgeous locations and Locsin's charm although, sadly, is largely ruined by Pascual's irritating and bathetic performance. Quintos' attempts in conveying a serious motivation for Pascual's character greatly falls short that the film's decision to take the easy way out can't prove anything but either sheer laziness of the filmmakers - as exemplified by Arah's Aussie fiancé nonchalantly understating the importance of a meaningful relationship in front of her and Migo - or mere pandering to the crowd it caters to which reduces it to yet another entry from the assembly line.
Rory B. Quintos yet again directs a film of a couple marked by forlornness in a foreign land, but hightailing the Middle Eastern desert for the outback in this supposedly mature romance produces neither a smart nor a moving melodrama. The story hasn't even properly started yet before Quintos' manipulation begins, using the majestic topography of Bukidnon as the starting point for Migo (Piolo Pascual) and Arah's (Angel Locsin) fledgling relationship with all the cloying furnishings highlighted by an unrestrained score. An accident which sends Arah's dad (Ricky Davao) to the hospital leaves Arah with no choice but to work as a rancher's cook in Australia to pay for the bills, against Migo's wishes for her to stay put. When Migo and Arah finally meet again after months of a hushed relationship, he's ready to own up to his mistakes, only she's set to marry her boss, hinting of issues that are more blistering than a cattle brand.
But alas, this being a love team-driven film, this setup eventually contents itself to be a slushy treacle for the leads' fans that's made mildly tolerable by its gorgeous locations and Locsin's charm although, sadly, is largely ruined by Pascual's irritating and bathetic performance. Quintos' attempts in conveying a serious motivation for Pascual's character greatly falls short that the film's decision to take the easy way out can't prove anything but either sheer laziness of the filmmakers - as exemplified by Arah's Aussie fiancé nonchalantly understating the importance of a meaningful relationship in front of her and Migo - or mere pandering to the crowd it caters to which reduces it to yet another entry from the assembly line.