r96 s
I found this unconvincing.
Gotta respect those associated with getting 'Better Luck Tomorrow' off the ground, reportedly with big help from one MC Hammer - I didn't expect to read that! However, I didn't like it sadly. You can tell if has a competent director in charge with Justin Lin, though everything to do with the plot and characters just didn't do it for me.
I found the story too far-fetched, personally. I have no issue watching stuff that is nonsensical, but when it is along those lines then it has to be very entertaining and this wasn't, for me. The actors didn't quite work either, not even Sung Kang as Han - who was the sole reason why I wanted to watch this, given the (loose) 'The Fast and the Furious' connection.
Parry Shen is underwhelming, his voice-overs are particularly dull - he is fairly likeable, I'm just not sure Shen (or his character) were a wise choice for lead. Jason Tobin as Virgil is also a tad irritating (as intended?), while Kang is actually quite forgettable; this Han is barely anything like the F&F version, quite the large reach for them to connect the two, if I'm honest.
A quick look at the Wikipedia article for this, which also talks about some other interesting production events (Macaulay Culkin?! Big props to Lin for rejecting that, despite the £££), notes that apparently Sung Kang wanted to play Ben - now that could've been something! Obviously it worked out best for him that he didn't, but still... what could have been.
Many others love this - who am I to object, really. All the same, I'm glad this was a success otherwise we most likely would not have got Justin Lin atop the F&F franchise; 'Fast & Furious' and 'Fast Five' are my favourites, behind the original of course. Happy that I've now belatedly seen a movie from him away from that world, though.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
09/18/24
Full Review
Arnold D
This story subtly reflected so many feelings and experiences of minority youth in North America all tied together with a progressively engaging story.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
04/28/24
Full Review
Yash B
"Better Luck Tomorrow" is a bold film early in Justin Lin's career. Before he became the guy who revamped the "Fast & Furious" franchise, he made this fascinating character-focused movie. I enjoyed this movie and think even when it starts to take a dark turn, it is always thought-provoking with its themes and ideas. I think the movie moves at a good pace and even when not a lot is happening to push the plot forward, the filmmaking style is energetic and done well. Overall, it is a fascinating early 2000s high school movie that is much more of a drama and thriller than a comedy or coming-of-age story, and I think it is a refreshing entry from that era in that regard.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
09/25/23
Full Review
victor o
In 2001-2002 I was driving by my old high school in Cypress, CA, and saw the big trucks and massive lighting displays and I wondered what was going on. Many years later I saw the Fast and the Furious movies directed by Justin Lin and vaguely saw this movie listed with no idea what it was about. It was only via movie trivia did I learn that Justin Lin retroactively created the character of Han Seoul-Oh from the Fast and the Furious franchise that had originated in this movie. I had no idea how it was done until I took the time to watch it. And I was pleasantly surprised.
Cypress, CA. A dead body has been buried and becomes the focus of Ben Manibag and his friend Virgil Hu. Ben is your typical high school kid looking to get the best out of life attempting to juggle academics, athletics, and social life by getting the attention of a Stephanie, a pretty cheerleader. But peer pressure from Stephanie's callous boyfriend Steve, and, Daric, a sociopathic high school student on the same academic decathlon team as Ben bring him to grips with reality. Still, he has a good relationship with Virgil and his cousin Han who is older, drives, and gets his cousin and friend booze and cigarettes. As they live day by day, finding fun, and striving for popularity get themselves into trouble with alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. Then one day they get into real trouble.
I got to say, I was more interested in the fact that this included a character from the Fast and the Furious franchise than the story itself, but the acting was superb, real, and deep. I can see how something like this would become the basis for the character of Han, after all, Cypress isn't that far from East Los Angeles where a certain racer/thief would reign alongside an undercover cop from Barstow. But Ben's viewpoint does make for a great story and I'm glad to have seen this.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Entertaining. A really unhappy ending brings the movie down for me.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
kyle c
I love how this movie blended teen drama with crime and suspense. It manages to make the stakes of even the simple high school crush feel as high as the life-and-death schemes the kids are enacting. The whole cast does a great job at acting younger than they really are, especially Jason Tobin, who plays Virgil. He is accurately annoying enough to really capture the spirit of a high schooler. I did feel that the movie expected us to take the characters a little more seriously than was really warranted at times, but once things really go off the rails at the end, it's easy to forgive. I love how dark the ending is - you can almost see the main character have the internal debate on whether he can live with what he's done. The ambiguity of the ending drives it over the top, making this a film I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a dark slow burn.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
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