Despite the familiar plot, the movie “Back in time to love you” still has many attractive elements to entice audiences to go to theaters.
Premiering in July in Thailand, Going Back in Time to Love You was released in Vietnamese cinemas after two months, right on the occasion of the 2/9 holiday. The film was quickly received by the audience in our country, surpassing rivals to reach a revenue of VND 62 billion as of September 22. The number helps the project become the most popular Thai film at the Vietnamese box office this year, and also ranks 2nd in the list of the most popular Thai movies of all time in our country – just behind Loving the Wrong Friend (Friend Zone) in 2019 .
The work is the movie version of the series aired in 2018, which caused a fever in his hometown of Thailand, becoming a national series with a record high viewership rate (18.6%). At the same time, the project brings the names of the two main actors Thanavat Vatthanaputi and Ranee Campen to new heights, attracting a large number of fans. That success made the producers decide to invest in making the movie version, which is said to be a spin-off of the TV version, keeping the two main actors.
Going back in time to love you is the movie version of a TV series released 4 years ago.
Basically, the movie Back in Time to Love You – directed by Adisorn Tresirikasem – still adheres to the familiar plot from the original. The content recounts the fateful meeting between the two main characters: Lady Bhop (Thanavat Vatthanaputi) and the official Gaysorn (Ranee Campen). Both are originally descendants of Dej and Karaket – the two main characters in the series. In this life or another, they always meet each other and love each other passionately. Since then, filmmakers have planted the message of fateful love, transcending all time and space.
The motif of the couple with opposite personalities is preserved. Bhop was originally a great mandarin of the court, having made many merits. He is handsome but in love, because he loves a pink ball in his dream and delays the marriage from time to time. Gaysorn was a minister’s daughter, an open-minded woman. She is not afraid to go against many feudal rules, preferring to be independent and live alone rather than living in peace. After accidentally meeting Gaysorn at the troupe, Bhop fell in love and decided to pursue her. Unfortunately, the lady was not attracted to the handsome man of the official, but also constantly avoided him, considering Bhop as a “fake to stop the nose”.
To create drama for the Bhop – Gaysorn love story, the script incorporates cultural and historical elements, typically the war when Thailand was about to be attacked by Western invaders. This factor helps the film to change its style in the second half, shifting from the lightness of the rom-com genre (comedy, romantic) to a more dramatic, attractive circuit. In addition, the script also incorporates many humorous details, maintaining a pleasant atmosphere, which is in the first half of the film.
The script incorporates many elements to refresh the love story of the two main characters compared to the original.
Compared to the TV version, the scale of the movie version is much more spectacular. Many beautiful scenes in Thailand are used to embellish the love story. From costumes to makeup are invested, helping each frame appear impressive, achieving high aesthetics.
The acting of the two main actors makes the film charming. Not only has a beautiful appearance, Thanavat Vatthanaputi also conquers the audience with a natural, unflinching performance. He recalled the image of the character in the TV version, and at the same time came up with some unique gestures to make a difference. Co-star Ranee Campen is no less competitive. She incarnated a proud and strong lady, not depending on anyone but deciding her own life. The fact that the duo worked together in the TV version helped the duo coordinate better. They did not have much difficulty when standing in the same frame, fully expressing the feelings between the two main characters to create a beautiful love story on the big screen.
The supporting cast also performed well, keeping the audience’s feet through each frame. Prominent is Chanon Santinatornkul – the star of Bad Genius (Bad Genius), playing a supporting role but still retaining his own charm. Actors Paris Intarakomalyasu, Suwatjanee Chaimusik or Paweenut Pangnakorn appeared less but also contributed to bringing laughter to the film. Sometimes, they choose a slightly exaggerated acting style but still ensure a certain ingenuity, not too much.
The acting of the cast is the factor that helps the film maintain a certain attraction.
However, the work also suffers from some minus points such as its long duration, up to nearly 3 hours (166 minutes). This makes the film content somewhat lengthy, some segments can be completely cut off to create a more concise work. Besides, the film’s content is a bit “cheesy” compared to many audiences. The director abuses many slow motion techniques (slow motion) that easily reminds viewers of the 8-year-old Bride – Indian TV series.
In general, the content Going Back in Time to Love You is familiar, but the project has many attractive elements. Ignoring the minus points, this is still a rom-com (comedy, emotional) work worth watching. The film’s success at the Vietnamese box office reaffirms the attraction of Thai films to home audiences. It also shows that the producers of the Golden Temple always know new ways to create popular movie projects, not only in Thailand but also in your country like Vietnam.