Review of Spring (2014) by Kevin D — 23 Apr 2016

These days, movie makers are always looking to attract moviegoers by throwing a twist into the plot line. The romance genre is by no means immune to this trend; Twilight comes to mind. Duo-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead make their second entry into cinema with this unique blend.

I had watched their previous film; Resolution (a better acted film in every way), and was expecting the same quality of story telling. The opening of the film exceptionally strong, and I was touched by the level of emotion that flooded into the first 10 to 15 minutes or so. Don't expect much after that, as the film's pace slows down significantly after the opening. The protagonist decides to travel, meets a girl, and romance ensues.

The were some decent moments from the leads. Nadia Hilker comes off as a strong, intelligent, and slightly forceful woman. She was very confident in this role, and I was surprised at how well she acted out her 'problem'. Yet, it did kind of feel forced at times. My main problem was with the male lead. Lou Taylor Pucci seems rather childish next to her, and to be honest... kind of an ass He meets a beautiful girl in a bar in Italy, calls her a prostitute to her face, and genuinely treats her like a high school crush for the majority of the film. He opened the film very strongly, but his character falls flat after the first 25 minutes of the film, and you realize he's not maturing as a person at all.

There were some very cheesy lines, and poor argumentation. There is a scene (without ruining the plot here), where he's having an argument with his girlfriend, and he just doesn't seem as... upset as he should be. He saw an exceptionally traumatic event, probably the first man in history to witness this kind of thing, and he kind of treats the situation as though he had caught her looking at another man, instead of how serious the situation was. I don't want to say anything bad about the ending either, but it felt like it ended 5 minutes to early. It was a bit abrupt and that left an unsatisfied taste in my mouth.

The digital effects weren't half bad. I liked what they did with Nadia Hilker's body during her transitions. Some VFX shots to introduce the scenes, and drone footage overlapping each other for longer scenery shots. They are easy to notice, but not to the point where it looks like a couple of university students are playing with after effects. Very well put together shots.

All in all, it was an interesting take on romance blended with science fiction.. I hope to see more of these two directors in the future!

3/5.