Phi ha Ayothaya (2015) Reviews

• Zombies And Thailand's History

  j-penkair2015-06-20

  We heard about Ayothya or as presently called Ayuthya of Thailand or Siam. We knew that it was a bloody period, where violent games of throne were common. What we did not know was that the massive deaths, in wars and epidemics, had lively turned into an army of flesh-eating, fast zombies. Even George A. Romero himself wouldn't have dreamed of it. It is how popularized the genre of the living dead has been to the world of entertainment. Now, is it a good match? I must say that the film is exciting and quite grabbing. Zombie effects and makeups are not inferior to any other films. But the weakness of the story, back stories, and general acting can't be ignored. It is not a well thought out script, compared to the likes of "28 Days Later", "Shaun of The Dead", or even "Evil Dead". This failure prevents us from falling harder for the characters, whom we do not really care. It is a regret. The script writer as well as the director initially provide quite a few characters which can be much developed and made the film memorable, and yet left them dried out there, almost unused. For instance, the characters of the deaf and mute service girl or the warrior who turned into a drunk, and even the forbidden love of the main couple. Introduced to us and left to die senselessly. Thai filmmakers must take a serious observation to the artistic progress of some Korean films: how they achieve the so-called commercialized art-house works by developing stories, storytelling, and the overall sophistication. Of course, notable ones like Apichatpong Weerasethakul or Pen-ake Rattanarueng need no such advice. But they are not of the mainstream of Thai movie-making. Such mainstream needs to rid itself of self-depreciation and graduate in a hurry.

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