SPELLBOUND

SpellBound (2023) 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦 Directed by: Jalz Zarate

A magician and his assistant, who both can see ghosts, fall in love with each other.

Magaling magpa-cute at magpa-kilig si Bela Padilla. Nakakatuwa kapag natatakot at nag-aalala si Marco Gumabao. Si Rhen Escaño ang bahala sa katatakutan. Matinding katatawanan ang dulot nila Sarah Pagcaliwagan Brakensiek at Moi Bien.

Maganda ang special effects at nakatulong ito upang maipakita ang kababalaghan ng istorya.

Everyone did their assignment, ticking the various genres of this movie. There’s the right amount of horror + comedy + romance + fantasy.

But when they are mixed all together, it doesn’t form a cohesive story. The storytelling is not smooth—with a couple of missing details, disconnecting the scenes from each other.

No story about the magician, his gift and his partner. No planning and discussions about the magic shows that they will create. The “magician” aspect of the male lead character was not told. It’s just for show.

The female lead being an “assistant” was not tackled. You won’t know how she maintains her life and her big house alone.

When they are together, their roles are almost insignificant because their topic usually revolves on giddy punchlines. Mate poaching is romanticized and committed relationships are downplayed.

Magaling mag-maldita si Cindy Miranda, pero pinag-mukha siyang kontrabida sa istorya para mag-mukhang bida ang iba. Magaling manakot si Rhen Escaño, pero hindi magaling ang pagkakasulat kung bakit hindi matahimik ang kanyang karakter at paano ito nalutas.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.

The original script needs to be untangled to bring out the beauty of its characters. The actors, the actresses and the special effects team did most of the work to make things work. But if the problem is the source material, then it won’t suffice.

Philippine Cinema is often bounded by the spell of foreign films. It’s always better to have unique stories made by Filipinos for Filipinos. Till then we can experience a magic that will truly last.

SPELLBOUND

⭐️⭐️ Cast: Bela Padilla, Marco Gumabao, Rhen Escaño, Cindy Miranda, Moi Bien, Sarah Pagcaliwagan Brakensiek Presented by: Viva Films Date Released: February 1, 2023 in Philippine Cinemas nationwide A Movie Review by: Goldwin Reviews