(This is Looking Up film review, which is a Chinese movie about never giving up that is told from the father-son’s relationship)
The story between father and son has been a very common theme in many movies, and especially in Asian movies. Looking Up is the Chinese take on the genre with its own spin, as well as its own moral lesson.
It is directed by Deng Chao, who is famous for his role in other famous movies such as The Mermaid directed by Stephen Chow. And it features Deng Chao himself, Ren Suxi, Bai Yu and Sun Xi Lun. Without further ado, let’s delve into the Looking Up film review below to see how it fares!
Premise
When a Dad who is accused of designing a fallen bridge is sent to jail, he and his son live a separate lives until 5 years later. Seeing his son becoming a failure due to his absent in his upbringing, the Dad decides to help his son achieves his dream, as well as finding out the real perpetrator to the incident.
Looking Up Film Review
Premise
The story is a simple tale that has actually been rehashed by many movies before this. Thus, originality is not the strong point of the movie. And the film knows it, as it uses many cliché scenes that are either predictable or is just too obvious.
because some of the scenes are so cliché, it can make some audience cringe a bit
However, with that said, the execution is done pretty well. Though it does not apply to all of the scenes, some of them are shot with the right amount of drama. It’s not perfect, but it makes the film enjoyable regardless.
The impacts of some of the touching scenes can feel a bit diminished due to the length, but they are still impactful enough for you to feel for the characters. With that said, because some of the scenes are so cliché, it can make some audience cringe a bit, as those parts are the ones with the most drama that can be a bit exaggerated.
Pacing/Visual
Pacing is quite decent throughout the movie. Though there are some parts that feel draggy, especially in the middle, as they try to dramatise the scenes more than they should be. Also, the amount of challenges faced by the father son duo are quite a lot, but they are mostly paced well to avoid boredom. Except for the one scene in the middle which is cringey and dragged way more than it should.
The CGI at some of the scenes are pretty impressive for this non-high budget Chinese movie
The CGI at some of the scenes are pretty impressive for this non-high budget Chinese movie. They have been improving lately and I feel that the standard can catch up with Hollywood probably in a decade. Now some still look fakish but not as fake as before anymore.
Characters
he saves the movie from being absolute copy garbage
Characters take the center stage in this movie, and dare I say it – They save this film from being just another copy of other films of similar premise. All of these comes down to the acting, which I feel is quite well done considering that many of the stars are veterans. Deng Chao, who plays the Dad is the star here with his brilliant natural acting, that helps save many cringed moments and turn them into actual genuinely touching ones.
His acting is really good and better than I expected, and I can say he saves the movie from being absolute copy garbage. But with great actor comes paired with another less talented actor, and this applies to his son, who I think follows the formula of a useless weak kid a bit too much.
The son character is shown to be weak and useless, but his actions are a bit too cringed for us to really empathise with him. Many of his dialogues are predictable but not really necessary for the scenes, as enough drama has already been added from other actors. I just don’t really like the way its portrayed – cliché and unimaginative.
The relationship between father and son is alright, but not explored in a more imaginative way sadly. As for the other characters, they are also cliché but are acted pretty well.
Soundtrack
Soundtrack is decent, with many original tracks by famous singers such as Eason Chan playing in the right moments. Overall, they are good, but not as memorable as some other films.
