As I write this review, I progressively add more and more to the rating. It started out really low because I was very disappointed but I think I'm bringing it up to 6/10 as I continue to rewrite this review.
The plot, the characters, the story, the acting, the writing -- all FANTASTIC! I'm really in love with the story.
But I also really like musicals and that is NOT this. I thought I wouldn't mind the lip synching but it's really easy to hear the original artist's Studio Recorded performance of the song and that is one of the many things that derail the concept of the show.
The second thing is how each time a song shows up, the first few seconds (a scene or two) can be a pretty enjoyable scene, but quickly the song jumps to different settings and breaks physics to get the point across. To go into that more, this can be applied to the very first song. SLIGHT SPOILERS.
The main actress starts singing about the situation at hand (and by that I mean she lip synchs to a pop song about that situation). The song is initiated with a SWEET dance number from her and the other extras where she is, and they fill in the first 30ish seconds of the song. But then it immediately goes to her running down an elementary school grounds; and then a highschool hallway; and throughout other memories she has. At the end of her song, she's supposedly climbing up a tower of men she has dated before? Like, what is this?
I'm not saying that is a *bad* thing, but that's not something for TV. Storytelling through this visual surrealism is fine. Storytelling through music is amazing. And combined, they make this awesome thing called a Music Video. But Music Videos are 2 minutes, maybe 3 or 4 if the song is stretched out on purpose for that love story.
But, seriously, we've all been there. We've all pretended to see a love song but played out with our own memories with our own desires. Musical songs in movies should NOT simply copy and paste elementary quality Music Videos.
That Music Video formula didn't work out, but it actually could have if they didn't lip synch the songs. Moulin Rouge pulled a middle-ground approach to that visual storytelling; while a lot of the songs started within the setting, they stayed in that setting for a while. But they also left that setting by breaking basic physics (when Ewan McGregor swings on the Eiffel Tower, on top of clouds, for example). But because they had their original covers, it didn't feel like a Music Video.
I would say it is because of all of those things combined which really hurt the music in this show. Because they went for a lip synched Music Video approach, I'm finding myself just fastfowarding through all the songs so I can enjoy the plot normally. Which is a real shame.
Please, anyone, everyone, if you're going to make a "Musical" like this (because this isn't really a musical) then please either write your own songs or have your own actors sing the songs. Yea, it's tough, but making your own Music Video to a popular song is what highschoolers do for school projects these days. Please...
The plot, the characters, the story, the acting, the writing -- all FANTASTIC! I'm really in love with the story.
But I also really like musicals and that is NOT this. I thought I wouldn't mind the lip synching but it's really easy to hear the original artist's Studio Recorded performance of the song and that is one of the many things that derail the concept of the show.
The second thing is how each time a song shows up, the first few seconds (a scene or two) can be a pretty enjoyable scene, but quickly the song jumps to different settings and breaks physics to get the point across. To go into that more, this can be applied to the very first song. SLIGHT SPOILERS.
The main actress starts singing about the situation at hand (and by that I mean she lip synchs to a pop song about that situation). The song is initiated with a SWEET dance number from her and the other extras where she is, and they fill in the first 30ish seconds of the song. But then it immediately goes to her running down an elementary school grounds; and then a highschool hallway; and throughout other memories she has. At the end of her song, she's supposedly climbing up a tower of men she has dated before? Like, what is this?
I'm not saying that is a *bad* thing, but that's not something for TV. Storytelling through this visual surrealism is fine. Storytelling through music is amazing. And combined, they make this awesome thing called a Music Video. But Music Videos are 2 minutes, maybe 3 or 4 if the song is stretched out on purpose for that love story.
But, seriously, we've all been there. We've all pretended to see a love song but played out with our own memories with our own desires. Musical songs in movies should NOT simply copy and paste elementary quality Music Videos.
That Music Video formula didn't work out, but it actually could have if they didn't lip synch the songs. Moulin Rouge pulled a middle-ground approach to that visual storytelling; while a lot of the songs started within the setting, they stayed in that setting for a while. But they also left that setting by breaking basic physics (when Ewan McGregor swings on the Eiffel Tower, on top of clouds, for example). But because they had their original covers, it didn't feel like a Music Video.
I would say it is because of all of those things combined which really hurt the music in this show. Because they went for a lip synched Music Video approach, I'm finding myself just fastfowarding through all the songs so I can enjoy the plot normally. Which is a real shame.
Please, anyone, everyone, if you're going to make a "Musical" like this (because this isn't really a musical) then please either write your own songs or have your own actors sing the songs. Yea, it's tough, but making your own Music Video to a popular song is what highschoolers do for school projects these days. Please...