The movie version of "Kaleidoscope" (directed by Vo Thanh Hoa) has a new color with a Gen Z cast, but has a forced content about friendship.
The work was released 20 years after the TV series (directed by Nguyen Minh Chung) and caused a stir, becoming a childhood memory for many audiences. In the theatrical version, Vo Thanh Hoa chose slices from two volumes of stories. Catch the frangipani and Ghost by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh, many details are variations compared to the original script.
The film opens with the present life of three close friends - Quy Rom (Ngoc Trai), Tieu Long (Vu Long), and Nho Hanh (Anh Dao). In their 30s, they have put aside many of their childhood ambitions due to the pressure of making a living. Quy Rom is unemployed, stays at home as a housewife, and takes care of his young children. Tieu Long struggles with his office job, with sales not meeting targets. Nho Hanh is diligently writing children's stories, but the publisher thinks they are out of date.
Meeting at the Tu Do school, the three reminisce about their last summer vacation in 2004. The three main characters, teenagers (played by Hung Anh, Nhat Linh, and Phuong Duyen), have a trip to Tieu Long's hometown. The group of friends have conflicts with the leaders of the Upper and Lower hamlets such as Tac Ke Bong and De Lua, and must fight to compete, thereby learning patience. At the same time, the legend of the ghost on Cat Co hill attracts curiosity, causing the group of friends to plan an investigation. Overall, the film's content focuses on the value of friendship and perseverance in pursuing dreams.
For those who have watched TV series, Kaleidoscope The film version has some nostalgic details. Many scenes are inspired by the original story, such as Quy Rom still holding the trophy - which was the prize of the trio in the code-breaking game with the Wild Cat and Seagull groups in episode Amateur detective . Or a character mentions the famous nickname "poet Binh Minh" of Quy Rom, in the episode Fly poet
Familiar lines and details from the old version are recreated, such as Tieu Long's saying "sit down, have a drink, eat a piece of cake", or Hanh's clumsiness. Melody Catch the sun - the song in the TV series, renewed by Luong Bich Huu's voice - resounds at the end of the film, evoking a feeling of nostalgia.
The film has eye-catching, bright images when depicting village life in the mid-2000s. The director used many aesthetic shots to bring the Phu Yen countryside to the big screen, such as the scene where the group of friends admire the hills from above, the fly-cam shot when the characters cross the dam. The scenery and props are also one of the crew's efforts to bring viewers back to the scene 20 years ago. That is an old TV showing a cai luong play. Headless Queen , or three thousand dong an hour internet cafe.
The biggest drawback of the film is the unconvincing script. To increase the climax of the work and make it different from the TV version, the screenwriter created a situation where the group of friends had conflicts. Nho Hanh and Tieu Long wanted the whole group to enjoy the trip as a beautiful memory for the final summer of high school. Later, both of them discovered that Quy Rom took this opportunity to do a writing contest with the aim of winning a prize, so they turned to blame him. Quy Rom explained that he wanted to win the contest because out of the three of them, only he had not won any trophy.
However, this detail is not strong enough to create drama for the film. The scene where the group of characters quarrel, cry, and decide to "go their separate ways" is awkward and difficult to evoke emotion. Another scene is also exaggerated, when Quy Rom rides his bike through the fields, over the hills, chasing the bus carrying Hanh and Tieu Long to apologize to his two friends.
With a duration of 120 minutes, the film feels lengthy due to its content. Meanwhile, many situations are resolved hastily, such as the mother and son of Gecko understanding each other better after just one sentence from Hanh. Regarding the dialogue, many characters' conversations are still textbook-like, lacking the color of everyday language. Watching the screening on the evening of December 26, audience member Nguyen Binh (HCMC) said he was disappointed because the film had many "mistakes", the dialogue lacked reality, and the film's flow was disjointed.
The acting roles of the three main faces of Gen Z are not equal. The director gave many important scenes to Quy Rom and Tieu Long, while Hanh did not have a "key" scene. Therefore, Phuong Duyen appeared more obscure than Hung Anh and Nhat Linh, only remembered through the scene depicting her love of beef noodle soup or her clumsiness, breaking dishes. In the two original stories, the character Hanh did not appear, so the screenwriter had to think of more details to include in the film version. The three main actors of the TV version only appeared at the beginning and end of the film, sending a message of pursuing and conquering dreams.
Vo Thanh Hoa said it took him four years to come up with the idea for the film. The director did not put much pressure on surpassing the previous version because he wanted to create his own version, aimed at a young audience. In response to comments comparing the new trilogy to the TV series, he said he chose the actors based on the original story, rather than the criteria of the previous work. "Although this was my first time acting in a movie, the actors convinced me with their focus on the work and their love for the characters," he said.
Kaleidoscope is a series of novels written by Nguyen Nhat Anh in the 1990s and 2000s. The series consists of 54 volumes, revolving around the joys and sorrows of students, mischief, and meaningful life lessons. The story consists of three characters: Quy Rom - a genius in Math, Physics, and Chemistry at Tu Do School, Tieu Long - a second-degree black belt Taekwondo student with a chivalrous personality, and Hanh - the "electronic brain" of the group, who loves to read, is gentle, and patient.
In 2004, the TV version adapted by directors Nguyen Minh Chung and Do Phu Hai was aired, creating a fever. Actors Ngoc Trai, Anh Dao, and Vu Long later became beloved faces, sought after by many directors.
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