Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 89

July 10, 2024

Happiness Vol 8 Review: Flashbacks and Face-Offs

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Sudo-san Comes to the Rescue!

Shuzo Oshimi’s Happiness Vol. 7 ended with yet another dark cliffhanger—Sudo sneaking into the premises of Sakurane’s cult to save Shouko from his clutches. Volume 8 immediately begins with violent action, following up on Sudo’s fate as he faces off against the psychotic Sakurane after finding a battered and bruised Shouko in captivity.

Also Read: Happiness Vol 7 Review: Cult Crazies & A Reunion

I didn’t expect Shuzo Oshimi to give readers a flashback to Sakurane, who, by the way, was just as creepy when he was younger and probably needed some sort of medical attention because his brain is wired weird. Anyway, the Sakurane origin story is pretty basic—a sadistic, mean older child who was desperate for attention. We’re also shown how he murdered some innocent kids, a fact that he’d proudly announced to Shouko in Happiness Vol. 5 before slashing her neck. It doesn’t do much to add to Sakurane’s twisted personality, except to cement the fact that he is devil incarnate. I would’ve preferred to see more of the drama unfolding in the present than get insights into his past.

The artwork for the flashback pages changes; instead of the usual bold, dark, black-and-white panels, Shuzo Oshimi shows the past in what looks like light pencil sketches. The slight change in style helps readers understand the sudden change in the timeline in the middle of the volume. Although Sakurane looks visibly younger and the surroundings are clearly different from “Blood of Happiness”—the name of his cult, in case you forgot.

A lot happens in this volume story-wise, making it an engrossing edition that gets over in a blink, with three distinct sections—the first follows Sudo’s mission to save Shouko, the second focuses on Sakurane’s past, and the last few pages shift back to the present, where we see the consequences of Sudo’s daringly impulsive intervention. The intruder causes a stir at the cult, and well, nothing good can possibly happen in a vampiric cult, can it? Volume 8 ends with panic, chaos, tension, and fans are left hanging with yet another intriguing cliffhanger.

Rating: 3.5 on 5.

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Also Read: Mother-Daughter Murder Night Book Review (Audio version below)

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Published on July 10, 2024 14:20

Wild Wild Punjab Review – Desi Hangover? Thoda Bahut

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“This is not Hangover, these things only happen in the movies, this cannot be happening to us!”

Daddy’s boy Gaurav Jain (Jassie Gill) is mortified when he and his friends wake up after a wild night of drinking and crashing a wedding. He wakes up to bizarre new developments that are a result of his intoxicated actions the previous night. The creators give a direct nod to one of their inspirations for “Wild Wild Punjab,” a buddy comedy that follows four friends on a crazy road trip from Patiala to Pathankot.

Director Simarpreet Singh, along with writers Sandeep Jain, Luv Ranjan, and Harman Wadala, serve a screwball comedy that is a mash-up of “The Hangover” and several Bollywood titles like “Fukrey” and the more recent “Madgaon Express.” It’s probably impossible for most film buffs not to think of “Fukrey” while watching this, since two of its primary cast members – Varun Sharma and Manjot Singh – are also part of the main friend group in “Wild Wild Punjab.” And just like any buddy flick, expect booze, brawls, drugs, drunken mistakes, mishaps, chaos, and cops.

Varun Sharma plays Rajesh Khaana, AKA Khanne, who is heartbroken after his girlfriend cheats on him and gets engaged to his colleague. As Khanne contemplates suicide at a roadside dhaba, his friends Maan Arora (Sunny Singh) and Honey Singh (Manjot Singh) convince him he’ll feel better if he goes to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding and tells her “I am over you” to her face. The men decide to take him on a road-trip to Pathankot for the wedding, dragging along Gaurav, who is scheduled to get married the next week.

Poster for Wild Wild Punjab.

Sunny Singh as Maan Arora is a template womanizer who loves to drink it up and is constantly wooing different women with false declarations of love. His character is the most boringly familiar personality in the friend group. Varun Sharma looks appropriately washed-out as Khanne and provides some of the funniest moments in the film as the drunk ‘Devdas’ of the group. Although Khanne also reminded me of Geet from “Jab We Met,” a bubbly, chatty, happy-go-lucky person reduced to a weepy mess due to heartbreak. But unlike Geet, Khanne doesn’t get to find new love in “Wild Wild Punjab.” But at least he gets to give his ex a piece of his mind. Or does he? Shh… let’s keep this spoiler-free.

Manjot Singh plays a variation of his many cheery-buddy type characters, the flamboyant yaaro-ka-yaar Honey Singh, who runs a 50-truck business. Patralekhaa Paul is Radha, a potential romantic interest for Gaurav Jain, while Ishita Raj plays Meera, a random college girl the boys meet. She embodies the stereotypical “cool girl” in “Wild Wild Punjab.” Why is Meera cool? Because she is hot, fit, can beat up grown men, and vapes without a care in the world. LOL. The film, of course, thrives on stereotypes, familiar jokes, vilifying women (like in “Tu Jhooti Main Makkar”, “Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety”), but a decent number of the jokes manage to land and make the viewer chuckle.

It’s Jassie Gill’s Gaurav who gets the most hilarious albeit ludicrous subplot in the tale, but he doesn’t add any zing to Gaurav – a ‘nice’ boy who is constantly bullied by a foul-mouthed, overbearing father played by Gopal Datt. Gaurav’s dad says nasty comical things like “sun bey chutiye, agar is shaadi main kuch bhi gudbud hui na, toh main 26 saal pehele jaake condom pehen lunga” (Listen fool, if anything goes wrong with the wedding, I will go back 26 years in time and wear a condom) to his son.

The screenplay for “Wild Wild Punjab” is amusingly chaotic, with the settings vibrantly desi in nature. However, the background music and the song-dance numbers fail to impress. Even though the runtime isn’t too long – 1 hour 49 minutes – the movie would’ve been fine with just one catchy Punjabi track. The climax is a circus of un-funny events, with a cliched ending that brings Khanne’s journey to a full-circle. At least the road-trip is successful.

If you enjoy comedies like “Madgaon Express,” you’ll most likely have a laugh watching “Wild Wild Punjab” too.

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Published on July 10, 2024 07:53

“We Live in Time” Trailer: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh Make A Striking Pair

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After playing Princess Irulan, the daughter and heir of the intergalactic emperor in “Dune 2,” Florence Pugh is set to play a chef and romance Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man/Tick Tick… Boom!) in the romantic drama “We Live in Time.”

A24 Films dropped the official trailer for the film, which opens with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh sitting across from an adorable little girl, bracing themselves to discuss “something serious.” Directed by John Crowley, “We Live in Time” follows Almut (Florence) and Tobias’ (Andrew) romance through the years and their relationship taking a challenging turn when Almut is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.

Florence Pugh, known for her intense and versatile performances, looks completely at ease in the new character’s skin, while Andrew Garfield, acclaimed for his roles in “The Social Network” and “Hacksaw Ridge,” is at his charming best. The fresh pairing dominates the 2-minute 27-second long trailer, which charts their love story from an unusual chance meeting to falling in love and raising a daughter together. Their chemistry is crackling, and the emotional twists in their romance promise to deliver a classic tear-jerker.

You can watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

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Published on July 10, 2024 07:08

July 9, 2024

She’s Running on Fumes Issues #5 & #6 Review

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Story so far: Jeannie is sick of letting her husband Jodie ruin their lives with his impromptu criminal activities – like stealing a police car while carrying stolen cocaine. A lot of bad people are after Jeannie for the missing cocaine and money. She needs to figure out a way to get herself and her children out of the constant chaos Jodie’s rash behavior lands them in.

“My dad would do almost any stupid thing to prove there’s nobody better than him. In this case, grand theft auto on a Tuesday afternoon… because he heard Mom might be good at stealing cars.”

Issue 5 of the comic book series “She Is Running on Fumes” by Dennis Hopeless, Hilary Jenkins, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou starts with a cop trying to catch Jodie in his stolen car. Which might not be such a tough ask in broad daylight, especially when the stolen vehicle is running on flashy red wheels. Thanks to her idiotic husband, not only is Jeannie in danger of being killed off by a biker gang, she also faces a threat from an armed Patti. (Patti is a hooligan woman duping and extorting Jeannie for money).

Also Read: She’s Running on Fumes Issues #3 & #4 Review

I’ve been pretty ambivalent about this crime series so far, and Issue #5 was pure chaos. Although Jodie’s stupidity can be chuckle-worthy, it’s mostly infuriating. It’s a miracle the guy isn’t dead yet. The best aspect of “She Is Running on Fumes” is the narration by Jeannie’s kid, who too can’t grasp why their mother is attracted to a jerk like their father. For example, the narrator had this to say about Jodie-Jeannie at the beginning of issue #6 – “Surely the boss-ass bitch who raised me could look around at this shit here and see Dad for what he was. Why did she put up with this? Before us? Before kids?”

Creator Dennis Hopeless does his best to explain why a street-smart woman like Jeannie endures a douche-bag like her husband. Hint: it’s young love. Nothing traps people like the allure of easy affection, and few things attract the attention of a teenage girl like the charms of a ‘big bad boy’ who is popular with his friends, no matter how impulsively dumb.

The retro colorful art style still hasn’t grown on me, but it manages to capture the noir-like mood of Jeannie’s messed up life. Issue #6, the finale, gives her the ending she deserves, especially after all the shit she goes through, and it was my favorite installment in the comic book series. The climax, of course, feels “too good to be true,” but well, it’s a good closing chapter. Now that “She Is Running on Fumes” is over, I’d say it’s a decent one-time read for those looking for an old-school American crime caper, sort of like “Bonny and Clyde” gone wrong!

Rating: 3.5 on 5. The series is also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Published on July 09, 2024 14:02

The Boyfriend Episodes 1-3 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Japan may not yet be on par with some of its fellow first-world countries when it comes to marriage equality for the LGBT+ community, but thankfully that hasn’t stopped creatives from launching a groundbreaking gay dating reality show in the country. The 2024 Netflix reality series “The Boyfriend” (original title: Bôifurendo) brings together nine men in a beach house to find love over the course of a few days and dates.

The format is quite like the Netflix show “Terrace House,” where six men and women live under one roof and go on dates to see if they click, while a group of commentators give their opinions on the developments. “The Boyfriend” features nine contestants and five commentators, one of whom is a fabulous drag queen, even though we don’t get to see the drag dresses in the first three episodes.

Episode 1 starts off with the men slowly arriving with their bags at the beautiful beach house where the series unfolds. What was kind of funny is how only five men gather at the house first, and there are five guest commentators discussing them. I feel like just three guest commentators would have been enough, like in the Netflix reality show “Super Rich in Korea,” where cameras tracked the lives of five super-rich individuals, while three celebrity guests commented on their lifestyle and behavior.

“The Boyfriend” is a ten-episode show, and as far as the first three episodes go, there’s significant focus on a select few men, while the others are completely sidelined. This despite the fact that all of them have their own charm. And only one pair gets an opportunity to go on a proper date; that’s only one date in over three days and three episodes. The Korean dating reality show “His Man” has a cleaner format, where the men get to go on dates right from day one and also directly get to call each other at the end of each day, which gives them a chance to clearly express their interest in their crushes.

So far, in “The Boyfriend,” contestants only got to write anonymous letters to each other and go on work dates to run a coffee truck together, which leads to quite some confusion. Although the confusion definitely adds some comedy and drama to the events. A ninth person is yet to show up, however the current participants in “The Boyfriend” have very diverse personalities; some of them are pleasantly forward and relaxed in their demeanor, although the majority of them still have their guard up.

One curious difference between “The Boyfriend” and some of the other popular gay dating reality shows is the fact that the men are allowed to leave the beach house for their work or personal reasons. Although, this also means that everybody doesn’t get the same amount of time with the others. For instance, one of the contestants is a chef, and he says he will be going away for three days, which puts him at a big disadvantage. I like how nobody is making any fuss over age differences (yet) and are instead focusing on getting to know each other through games and activities. And in case you’re wondering – the age range of the men is between 23-36.

“Do you think they are being their true selves?”; “Nobody can be that nice!”; “Oh, their true colors will come out soon” – these are some of the fun remarks by the commentators about the men in “The Boyfriend.” And with one man still left to join the beach house, and seven episodes left to boot, it’s going to be interesting to see how this dating reality show pans out. All the pretty beach locations and complicated interactions between the men, that range from pure awkwardness to subtle comedy, make it an entertaining watch.

You can stream “The Boyfriend” on Netflix.

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Published on July 09, 2024 09:33

Bible Wichapas Sees 4 Minutes Into The Future in New Series

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After winning over fans for playing the bad boy villain Vegas in “KinnPorsche,” Bible Wichapas Sumettikul is all set to lead his own series alongside Jespipat Tilapornputt. Production company Be On Cloud unveiled the official trailer for “4 Minutes,” a romantic thriller whose protagonist has the supernatural power to see four minutes into the future. How this ability complicates his life seems to be the crux of the tale.

The trailer cleverly opens with an elevator screen, where viewers can see the numbers going from the first floor to the fourth and immediately switching back to the first floor. “I can see the future four minutes in advance,” announces protagonist Great (Bible Wichapas Sumettikul), a university student who gets into a car crash in the intro. Jespipat Tilapornputt plays Tyme, a surgeon who gets acquainted with Great. The two start a relationship, but there seem to be complications and trust issues between them.

Brownie points to the creators for not giving much of the story away, so there’s no clarity on what the primary conflict will be in “4 Minutes.” However, Bible Wichapas Sumettikul and Jespipat Tilapornputt, who were seen in the short film “Spaceless” together, have plenty of onscreen chemistry in brief cryptic teaser. While this will be Bible’s first leading role in a series, Jespipat Tilapornputt was last seen playing the protagonist in the Thai remake of the hit Korean show “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.”

“4 Minutes” is set to premier on Channel one31 on July 26, 2024, and the creators say a “sultrier” uncut version will be available to stream on Viu.

You can watch the trailer on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

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Published on July 09, 2024 07:10

Kathryn Hahn Assembles Her Coven in “Agatha All Along”

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What witch in her right mind would want to join Agatha Harkness’ coven?”

“I’m not looking for right-minded witches, as it happens”

Viewers were introduced to Agatha Harkness in WandaVision, a villainous witch from Salem determined to harness Wanda Maximoff’s magical powers. After being defeated and stripped of her powers, she was forced to live as an ordinary human in WestView. Now, Kathryn Hahn reprises her role in Marvel’s new show “Agatha All Along,” where Agatha seeks to regain her magical abilities and end the spell cast by the Scarlet Witch.

The official teaser trailer for “Agatha All Along” has unveiled a stellar cast, including Aubrey Plaza, Debra Jo Rupp, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, and Ali Ahn. The trailer reignites speculation over Wanda’s fate, and while it appears she is likely dead, who knows? This series follows Agatha Harkness and a mysterious teen (Joe Locke) as they embark on a perilous journey to the fabled “Witches’ Road,” an alternate plane for magic users filled with dangers and rich rewards for those who survive its trials. They must form a coven before heading down the legendary road to increase their chances of success.

Even though the teaser gives away the basic premise of the series, there are loads of new characters to look forward to, most of whose motivations, intentions aren’t clear. So it will be fun to see who plays villain to the villain’s tale! A lot of fans hope Agatha Harkness will continue to be on the dark side and that the series will be a dark comedy about the witch’s quest to become her evil best.

The first two episodes of “Agatha All Along” will be available to stream on Disney+ on September 18. You can watch the teaser on YouTube, it’s also embedded below.

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Published on July 09, 2024 04:28

Happiness Vol 7 Review: Cult Crazies & A Reunion

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Like expected, volume 7 of Shuzo Oshimi’s “Happiness” is back to being discomforting. Yukiko Gosho heads out to find Sakurane after reading about him in a magazine that claims he is the leader of a cult called “Blood of Happiness.”

Recap of Happiness Volume 6: Gosho lives an ordinary life as an office worker and is pursued by a kind colleague, Sudo. However, she’s haunted by her failure to help her friends Makoto and Yuki, who became victims of vampire attacks. While walking with Sudo in her old neighborhood, she meets Makoto’s mother, who invites them for tea and is pleased Gosho is living a normal life. Emotional, Gosho becomes determined to find out what happened to her friends and sets out to search for Sakurane – the last person seen with Yuki.

Considering how Sakurane is wanted for murdering a bunch of children and has even made it to magazine headlines, it’s strange how easily Gosho manages to find the location of his reclusive cult. So now the main focus of the story is on whether Gosho will successfully infiltrate the cult and find the truth about what happened to her classmates.

“Happiness” volume 7 is dominated by dark, bold black panels, and it opens with Gosho sneaking into the premises of a private property. Shuzo Oshimi accurately creates an atmosphere of mystery, darkness, and fear through the illustrations, and it reminded me of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel “Monica,” which wasn’t about vampires but had a weird cult as one of its primary themes. The cult stuff is pretty intriguing; like most groups, even “The Blood of Happiness” is isolated, reclusive, surrounded by ominous woods and its members blindly follow Sakurane as their leader.

Even though this volume shifts back to being pacy, mysterious, and brings back some of the violence that dominated the earlier leg of the story, I feel like Gosho should’ve been given some more time to deal with her trauma before she plunges headlong into a situation that will inevitably bring her face-to-face with the psychotic Sakurane. Readers do get to know about Yuki’s fate, but I would’ve preferred some more of the introspective, slow tone from the previous volume than the fast-creepy developments Shuzo Oshimi offers us.

Rating: 3.5 on 5.

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Published on July 09, 2024 03:20

July 8, 2024

OMG! Vampire Review – Tomfoolery in Thaiwilight City

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

O-M-G! There’s no way I can objectively rate the Thai series “OMG! Vampire” because it swings from inanely hilarious to quite cringe-y. I nearly died of laughter when the city of Vampires was introduced as “Thaiwilight City,” so whoever came up with that name, high-ten to them.

Directed by Phadej Onlahung, the 10-part series, also known as “Red Wine Vampire” (Thai Title: แวมไพร์ไวน์แดง), is a vampire-parody that stars Frank Thanatsaran Samthonglai as Poom, a human-turned vampire who longs to return to the land of humans with his group of friends, but the rules of “Thaiwilight City” forbid young vampires from leaving. So Poom and his friends find an illegal way out and must blend into the human world to avoid detection by the vampire police. Lee Long Shi plays Patrick, the handsome owner of an exclusive bar where Poom begins to work, and the two start dating.

The first episode of “OMG! Vampire” starts with Poom’s vampire friends—played by actors David Kittikawin Justice, Kan Tangruek, Dear Napat Lertwiram, and Mon Varakorn Varuncharoentham—waking him up from a century-long slumber in “Thaiwilight” City. Time works differently for vampires and humans, viewers are explained, and an oppressive regime rules the vampire city, where youngsters aren’t allowed to marry or copulate to keep the population under control. This is why Poom and his friends escape to the human world, and the next few episodes follow their comedic journey of trying to live like ordinary humans.

Frank Thanatsaran Samthonglai and Lee Long Shi were last seen together in another silly comedic series called “Crazy Handsome Rich,” which I tried watching but couldn’t; it was simply idiotic. But with “OMG! Vampire,” at least the vampire theme gives the show an added layer of exaggerated absurdity and theatrical touch that sort of works for those looking for something completely non-serious. However, there’s very little chemistry between the lead actors Frank and Lee, and I don’t see why they keep getting cast together. For instance, the Thai series “Secret Crush on You” relied on a lot of cringe-comedy too, but despite all its silliness, lead actors Seng Wichai Saefant and Billy Patchanon Ounsa-ard had crackling chemistry, even though they don’t look like a conventional visual pair.

Sugus Buntawit Tragulpanich and Bonus Tanadech Deeseesuk in OMG! Vampire.

With just ten episodes, “OMG! Vampire” squeezes in four different romantic pairs, one of them between Vampire police captain Joe (Sugus Buntawit Tragulpanich) and his colleague Nicky (Bonus Tanadech Deeseesuk), which was pretty unnecessary. But Sugus Buntawit Tragulpanich is dashing in the cop uniform and could’ve used more scenes because he exuded “main lead” energy in all of his scenes. Among the many couples in the show, Poom’s chubby-cute single friend Mix (Mon Varakorn Varuncharoentham) stands out, as he often feels left out but is always there rooting for his joker friends. Dear Napat Lertwiram, who plays Jolie, the only girl in the group, cracks viewers up with her attempts at playing the beautiful bimbo who is often overwhelmed by the male attention she gets, although it’s just two guys really. David Kittikawin Justice and Kan Tangruek looked mismatched as Sen and Run, Poom’s friends, who get to run a dessert cafe together in the human world, but they sort of do grow on viewers. The villains in the tale on the other hand are completely caricature-like and forgettable.

For a vampire-based series, there’s very little violence in “OMG! Vampire,” although the last two episodes do pack in some conflict between the younger vampires and the old regime. The cinematography ranges between over-the-top and engaging, and the special effects for the gothic-looking “Thaiwilight” aren’t too bad, even though they’re evidently fake. What surprise me were the vampire fangs everybody has on the show, even though the characters rarely try to attack anybody with their sharp cuspids, the rare time they are on display, the special effects is pretty convincing. Oh, and the background music is a whole other story—the creators often use stock tunes that sound like familiar Christmas/Halloween jingles, which is very funny.

The last episode of the series gives all the primary characters an easy victory and “happy ending”, but with an interesting vampiric twist. If you’re up for a vampire parody that feels more like an amateur play with zany characters, give “OMG! Vampire” a shot.

You can watch “OMG! Vampire” on WeTV.

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Published on July 08, 2024 12:17

Space Cadet Review: Rockets with Fake Degrees & Silly Chuckles

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Space Cadet” is a silly comedy with an out-of-this-world, low-on-logic plot – a Florida bartender who didn’t attend college gets through NASA’s space program because her friend secretly embellishes her resume before sending it out. “Embellishes” is an understatement for adding in a fake doctorate or two, along with some international prizes! And the creators want us to believe that NASA does not do background checks on its candidates until they are already undergoing training. But hey, if you’re willing to roll with the silly, absurd plot, “Space Cadet” is kinda entertaining in bits and pieces.

Directed and written by Liz W. Garcia, “Space Cadet” stars Emma Roberts (We’re the Millers/Madame Web) as the hyperactive protagonist Rex Simpson, who dreamed of going to space as a girl, but her mother’s untimely demise confines her to her hometown in Florida. Attending her high school reunion after ten years makes Rex realize it’s still not too late for her to go to achieve her dreams, so she writes an emotional, soppy letter applying to NASA’s space program, which her friend Nadine (Poppy Liu) completely changes. Shockingly, Rex ends up getting a free ride to NASA, unaware that the folks at NASA think of her as an accomplished doctor, conservationist, and ace pilot. How long can the free-spirited bartender maintain her charade, and will her passion be enough to outshine the other candidates with actual relevant experience?

“Space Cadet” is supposed to be a ridiculously goofy comedy; however, even if you put logic aside, a lot of the writing is not as funny as it could be. There’s a very Disney/Nickelodeon energy to the plot, and it might’ve evoked more laughs if the creators aimed for a simpler, more high-school level story – maybe Rex getting into some exclusive space camp. Or something like the romantic comedy “Moonshot,” which is about a “loser” guy sneaking into a space shuttle to Mars to reunite with the girl of his dreams.

Tom Hooper and Gabrielle Union in Space Cadet

There are a few pop culture references throughout the runtime which are sort of amusing, like Tom Hopper playing Logan O’Leary, Rex’s supervisor at NASA, since Hopper is also known for playing Luther Hargreeves in “The Umbrella Academy,” who lives on the moon for months. Logan develops a crush on Rex; however, the chemistry between the actors is very awkward, which might’ve been deliberate, but it lacks a touch of romance. Gabrielle Union plays Logan’s colleague Pam Proctor, and there might’ve been more chemistry there, if the writers tried.

Poppy Liu as Rex’s pregnant BFF Nadine is quite funny as the supporting character, who constantly pretends to be fake references when NASA calls for background checks. Kuhoo Verma (she played the Maharajah’s sister in “Murder Mystery 2”) is cute as Violet Marie Vislawski, another NASA trainee and Rex’s nervous roommate with a million allergies and a flair for writing space fan fiction. All the good-looking actors, shiny sets, and some groovy background music manage to make “Space Cadet” watchable, and then comes the climax, which delivers a super cringe-y ending. Let’s say it involves Rex tackling a massive problem in a way that she would tackle an alligator, and suddenly the end scene makes one wonder if this film is basically an advertisement for Florida’s party folks – “we may look dumb, but we can outwit NASA scientists.”

If you are an Emma Roberts fan and keep your expectations low, “Space Cadet” isn’t all that bad a pick for a screwball comedy.

You can stream “Space Cadet” on Prime Video.

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Published on July 08, 2024 06:36