After watching the latest KathNiel teen romantic comedy flick titled ‘She’s Dating the Gangster’, which is a film adaptation from the pop fiction of Bianca Bernardino of the same title—I was convinced that this is perhaps the best project that Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla as a love team has in their career so far.
Star Cinema has not just succeeded in living life to the Bernardino novel, but it has made it more appealing, consistent, more relatable to the Filipino moviegoers, and made it more sensible as well.
Bernardino’s flaws in her novel are no longer magnified in the said film version. Carmina Raymundo did a humungous job in refining and fine-tuning the ‘blunders’ of the novel (I suggest you get a copy of the book via print version or via wattpad for you to understand what I’m saying).
The Movie is Worth Watching!
Despite the inconsistencies created by the book author, we have to give credit to her since the film material was still based on the best-selling novel that sold 70,000 paperback copies and an online hit of 60,000 readership on wattpad.
Other than that, the rest should be credited to Star Cinema for re-creating a material from a morbid and trying to be profound to pass the critical Filipino mature movie audience. The film outfit which celebrates its 20th anniversary came up with a more solid and believable love story between Kenji and Athena played by Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, respectively.
When I say it’s worth watching—it really is; not just for its ‘kilig’ factors, but for the premise of the movie version. The book may have its strength but a plot that’s too Shakespearean in nature; too Romeo and Juliet formula. The book bored me at times. Not the typical read for voracious intelligent readers since it lacked elements the book readers would be looking for as a whole.
Cathy Garcia Molina is of no doubt a blockbuster director. Her track records such as ‘One More Chance’ (2007), ‘It Takes a Man and a Woman’ (2013), ‘Four Sisters and a Wedding’ (2013)—are just some of her blockbuster flicks.
Daniel Padilla shines in his Film.
I have to admit that I am not either a KathNiel or Daniel Padilla fan. I don’t subscribe to the kind of ‘kilig’ or ‘cutesy’ acting they do in films and on TV. However, with this film, I’ve seen how the two have transformed and of course with the guidance of Cathy Garcia Molina.
Even if I am not a fan of Bernardo, I have not doubted her capacity to act, but with Daniel—I had reservations not until I saw ‘She’s Dating the Gangster’. With both sensitive portrayal of the young Kenji and the son of Kenji—Kenneth—he has convinced me that given the right material and role—he could shine.
Daniel Padilla is not Daniel Padilla because he’s just one of the Padillas, but this film has catapulted him a separate status and proved that he’s got something to offer other than the ‘inherited’ surname he got. If the award-giving bodies next year won’t recognize for what he did in his film, a nomination is the best confirmation that the lad is an effective and affective actor at the same time.
Padilla also done scenes that he hasn’t done since he started in showbiz and that’s something for the fans to look forward to in watching the flick.
It Leaves a Powerful Impression about Love.
For the younger audience, this film is such a powerful treat. Love is not just all about dark, tragic, and too emotional stuff; but it can create situations that are uplifting and inspiring altogether.
What simply makes this film version astounding is the handling of its ending; when Athena finally gets reunited with Kenji after long years of waiting. The scene overlooking the almost symmetric conical shape of Mayon Volcano in Albay is not just breathtaking, but spell-binding, too.
It was good that Star Cinema opted to Filipinized that particular scene rather than choosing to be loyal to the book that mentioned Jeju Island in South Korea. Perhaps, if this was forced into the film—the audience may have not appreciated fully the importance of the said scene.
The grandeur of Mayon Volcano was enough to seal and reconcile the lost love of Kenji and Athena and then spark the love story of Kenneth and Kelay.
‘She’s Dating the Gangster’ may not be perfect in all its aspects, but it is still something that one can go and watch with someone special. It easily qualifies to be a perfect movie date for couples.
This is a flick that doesn’t ambitiously claim but fail just after its first day of opening even if it’s threatened by haters, bashers, and even cult followers of the book for bastardizing the so-called ‘gangster’ look and attained a ‘quack doctor’ kind of styling on Daniel Padilla’s character named Kenji. And when it opened, a typhoon was also on its way to hit the Metro at the time. Star Cinema knows exactly what sells and what is likely to fail on the big screen.
Still showing on theaters nationwide and continues to rake money in the box-office.
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