One would right away fall in love with “Stars Versus Me’s” intriguing and relatable premise, but it is also highly possible to immediately fall out, once the movie’s vapid and unfocused proceedings, begin.
Unlike its contemporaries, “Stars Versus Me” mines its ideas on a less utilized, but interesting subject: horoscopes. Such idea has an immediate relatable appeal, given how most Filipinos are too adherent to superstitions and traditional beliefs.
But the film’s storytelling isn’t just capable to realize the subject’s full capacity. The real problem is a string of unbearable narrative flaws that keeps the film stumbling as it attempts to deliver its message. It lacks focus, and some fatal editing defects, keep sending everything beautiful it constructs, to wreckage.
There are many sequences that don’t only feel bleak and unpolished, but also unnecessary and badly misplaced. The first few sequences alone are suspiciously uninviting, hinting straightaway about the deteriorating progression that the movie is set to take.
It doesn’t get any better from there, and it goes through a series blandly executed and un-affecting moments. Those moments would have been effective, had they got placed in proper spots and delivered with credibility, but the weird sequence of events, makes it feel as if everything is a piece of puzzle forcefully inserted in wrong places just so it can create a final assembled piece.
These unwise, not to mention stupid, choices, make caring about the characters, difficult and pointless. The truth is, it’s easy to sympathize with the leads, and relate with their both funny and tragic experiences, but the odd choices in many aspects of the narrative and camerawork, makes the immediate charm, barely sustained. I’m not giving any more elaborate assessments on the actors’ performances, aside from they’re actually okay.
I’d say they certainly could have done much better, but I’m not sure, what good can that do, to push the overall quality of the film.
“Stars Versus Me”, isn’t really as terrible as many past wattpad/online novels that have made their way to the big screen. Most strikingly about this film, a girl who defies her horoscope to make a point that violates fate and destiny, is a powerful and interesting subject to tackle.
But like any other ideas taken to create a screenplay, it needs a set of effectively utilized elements, for it to actually work.
“Stars Versus Me” has some: it has a curious subject, and endearing new actors as its leads, but it lacks the capable script it needs, to realize its full potential.
RATING: 5/10 (JE)
