Us Again: Movie Review

The first 30 minutes of "Us Again" showed clearly its problem - it was trying to force a story to conform to its twist. In doing so, the film was frustratingly slow and outlandish only relying on a handful of dramatic moments to keep it afloat but ultimately failing to do so.

It was love at first sight for both Mike (RK Bagatsing) and Marge (Jane Oineza) but they failed to introduce themselves to each other formally. After a few years, the two see each other again accidentally. But as luck would have it, Mike is already seeing Marge's best friend Ana (Sarah Edwards). Can they find a workaround for their undeniable attraction towards each other when the act itself is an act of betrayal?

"Us Again" was a film focusing on all the wrong things and another one that has extremely bad writing that made its great bits go to waste. The first 30 minutes was a convoluted mess as the film was forcibly setting up for its climactic twist without thinking if anything even made any sense. It had drug tests, swapped results, marijuana and a sudden road trip to Ilocos. A doozy of events that could have been made so much shorter and so much simpler. Worse, it took so much time in this first salvo that it had little time to develop its critical middle portion to a satisfying degree. The middle act was a look back and set up on the deep relationship between Marge and Mike but not only was the actual events fleeting, they also felt contrived and unnatural like everything else in this film. The twist itself was heavy-handed and quite obvious by the time it was revealed. It took so long to unveil that it became an emotional dud. We were not fans of the concept in the first place, if we're being honest, but besides that, it could have been executed a lot better. If we could choose one saving grace for the film it would be the acting. The performances were powerful especially from Jane Oineza. The last few scenes were dramatically-heavy but these were definitely not worth the wait.

Rating: 1 and a half reels







Why you should watch it:
Had a handful of dramatic moments especially with Jane Oineza

Why you shouldn't watch it:
The narrative falls flat as it becomes outlandish the longer it develops