#got invited to offer counterpoints to the points and I am long winded

[generalluxun]

As requested!

Adrien is a jerk? When we meet him it's literally a sad boy(with a dash of anger), grieving just as much as his father is. He blocks out the world with his headphones, being barely connected even to his friends. They're both curious about each other instead of the OMG UMBRELLA MOMENT (like, no shade on the umbrella scene, it's cute in it's corny melodrama way, it's a classic, but this is a more gentle approach) Maybe you mean as Chat? It's a dork! A goofball! He's bragging and posing and theatrical just like the kid of a theater mom :) they taunt each other, LB: 'With what, hairballs?' It's cute. Tune changes quickly though, by the end of their first encounter with Fu he is legitimately offering her support 'Failure is not your enemy, your fears are' Of course he plays it off with more bragging because emotional sincerity is hard when you're a teen.

During the second fight there's none of this though, they work together, then he follows her lead, and by the end he's calling himself her sidekick. that's a perfect little bow on that.

Adrien and Mari don't fall instantly in Romantic love in the movie and you know what? I think that's awesome. They're interested, exploring, they hang out together and communicate! (And not 5 seasons!)

How is he callous when he turns her down? He literally does the same thing LB does to him, and he looks every bit as in pain when he does as she did, maybe more since he's already been rejected. It's been less than 24 hours, give the boy a break!

He didn't know Paris was on fire. A minor sulk at the girl who ejected him, the day after she rejected him. It's not wildly mature but they ARE kids after all. He gets up as soon as Plagg draws his attention to the *on fire* and he's on the job. He didn't give up the ring in the movie eh? Not even once! :)

I don't think this movie even had a square. It's just two people, in two guises, learning each other. And I don't feel they were ever trying to throw big dramatic romantic L-O-V-E forever and ever at the screen like the show did. Marinette and Adrien(and LB/CN) feel more like actual kids exploring emotions. I would say they're in 'strong like' by the end of the film and I feel like it hit that. If someone was shipping these two as forever married at 14 I would be concerned, but I just don't think that's what the movie wanted us to take away.

The singing is fine, it's got a very theatrical vibe(which I mean, it's all throughout the movie) it's not Lin Manuel levels, but it's passable. Third time through the movie and it's starting to actually grow on us here. Yes Marinette's voice change is jarring, but it only hits hard for that first song. I think it kind of works Extremely well for 'Courage in me'

As for the plot line being undeveloped? I can't speak to this without more specifics. It follows a classic three act format and hits all the points. My bet is Gabe's in jail.

The butterfly seems to be more problematic than evil. it *can* make monsters from the anger in people's hearts, but Nooro says that's how it's meant to be used.

Fu was awesome :) He seems insane at first because Marinette's already freaked out by Chloé and almost dying (and Marinette saving Fu in the movie was so much better in the movie, she actually saves him, Marinette putting herself between him and that car was such a powerful moment) Then this little dude starts doing the standard 'You have to save the world!' line.

It was lamp shading that trope at its finest. They bring back Fu a couple times when it's not complete Chaos and he has more of a mentor vibe to him.

Overall the movie provides a lot more balanced approach(approo) to everything. People feel like people, they have multiple emotions at once, the narrative isn't beating you in the head.

To whit: The TV show had a single kiss played up with a runway chase, a plane leaving, dramatic panning camera, and two people literally pulling them apart. The Movie did the reveal, gentle, alone, tender and hesitant. Marinette's deep breath, Adrien's tears, a couple soft steps, then pause. Lean gentle, closer, nearer, heart beating, and we don't even get the kiss because it's not about the kiss. It's about the people.

Brilliant framing.

Last night I sat down with my 15 year old niece (also a ML fan) and finally watched the movie.

Friends, it's not good.

The Good:

The animation is really pretty

The background djwifi is cute

The akumatized villains are really cool

"Watermelon!" 😂

The Bad:

I hated Adrien. We don't see any of his series kindness and he's kind of a jerk actually??? And I really didn't appreciate his pity party after Ladybug's rejection or his making everything about that when PARIS IS LITERALLY ON FIRE. Also he was pretty callous in the way he rejected Marinette.

I could see the ladynoir angle at least but it wasn't clear at all why Marinette even liked Adrien. I didn't ship the square in this at all though.

The singing. I don't understand why they made it a musical, but it wasn't a good choice. And using different VAs for singing can work but for Marinette it was jarring. We go from soft English speaking voice to deep French-accented singing voice and just no.

The whole plot line just felt really underdeveloped??? Like what even happened with Gabriel after his reveal at the end??

The ???:

So we're just making the butterfly the evil miraculous, eh?

Fu was just...weird

I think I need to go rewatch Origins as a palette cleanser.

Have you watched the movie? What did you think?