Stay on high alert with these new releases. Graphic by Tori Satchwell.
TORI SATCHWELL | MARKETING MANAGER | tsatchwell@butler.edu
“Film Fanatics” explores Hollywood’s recent releases, cherished classics and everything in between. These thought-provoking reviews invite fresh perspectives and weigh whether a film deserves attention — or if it’s best left in the past. Read on to find out what our writers think of this week’s film.
Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to snuggle and enjoy a movie with loved ones. One might even think movie theaters are overflowing with rom-coms and couples flocking to see them.
However, rom-coms have been dwindling in popularity with studio executives and movie-goers. Typical rom-coms have been underperforming at the box office in recent years, with supposed shoo-in hits like “Fly Me to the Moon” failing and only bringing in $38 million on a budget of $100 million.
Therefore, Hollywood has successfully shifted to infuse love stories into recognizable genres, such as action, horror, superheroes and kids’ movies. Critical and commercial hits, such as horror rom-com “Warm Bodies”, were released during Valentine’s weekend and profited immensely.
Senior criminology-psychology major Gabi Mathus believed that audiences were ready for more complex storylines and hoped for a shift away from generic Hollywood storytelling.
“[Blending genres] adds a layer to the rom-com narrative that is not fighting within the couple but rather fighting against this external force, which creates a sense of unity,” Mathus said. “[Audiences] get to see the dynamic of characters unfold in these abnormal circumstances, which is really appealing to people who like those genres.”
This year, two movies blended their high-energy genres with high-stakes romance, with “Love Hurts” and “Heart Eyes” releasing this past weekend. However, “Heart Eyes” perfectly incorporated Valentine’s Day into the plot while “Love Hurts” scrambled to add in lackluster romantic moments.
“Love Hurts”
Marvin, a simple real estate agent with a shady past — portrayed by Ke Huy Quan — plummets back into a life of crime when his crush — portrayed by Ariana DeBose — returns after being presumed dead. The two must reconnect to take down Marvin’s boba-loving brother Knuckles — portrayed by Daniel Wu.
Quan’s return to acting after a 20-year hiatus has been met with love and adoration from fans. “Love Hurts” was a chance to show off his martial arts abilities, but the film’s flimsy script proved the movie’s only goal was to flaunt Quan’s comeback.
As a result, the action scenes were well-crafted while the rest were simply filler until the next battle.
For example, the fight scene between Marvin and Knuckles’ goons — portrayed by Marshawn Lynch and André Erikson — had masterful choreography and flow and shockingly incorporated a giant fork and spoon. However, the dialogue scenes before and after were hollow.
Additionally, the main romance between Marvin and Rose felt contrived due to the lack of chemistry and their over 20-year age gap. Their final kiss was hesitant, which reflected the romance throughout: passionless and awkward.
Josiah Hatfield, assistant director of new student and family programs, believed the passionless romance in “Love Hurts” stemmed from the screenwriting being one-note.
“The lack of spark between [Marvin and Rose] was due to her being underwritten and not a three-dimensional character,” Hatfield said. “[The romance] was just there with no real indication of why. What was their spark? Why did they actually care about each other?”
The Valentine’s Day setting seemed like an afterthought, with the movie sprinkling in candy hearts and V-Day cards. However, there was no true reason the movie needed to take place on the day of love, making it clear it intended to boost profits rather than to provide a compelling romantic story.
“Heart Eyes”
Targeting couples on Valentine’s Day, the Heart Eyes Killer only has eyes for jaded Ally — portrayed by Olivia Holt — and hopeless romantic Jay — portrayed by Mason Gooding. While the two are not a couple, their chemistry heats up as they try to stop the spine-chilling Heart Eyes Killer.
This movie blended the campy slasher genre with romance to create a memorable killer as well as lovable victims. The Heart Eye Killer’s overdramatic reveal will be on every fan’s TikTok page.
Gianna Cassin, senior peace and conflict studies major, believed the campy nature of the romantic elements cemented this movie as horror — and comedy — gold.
“Their dialogue was kind of cringey, but that is what made it work,” Cassin said. “They worked well [together] and bounced off each other.”
“Heart Eyes” redefines age-old slasher and romance tropes to show audiences that romance is not dead. With a twist so unexpected, the Heart Eyes Killer slashed their way into audiences’ hearts.
“Love Hurts” is the kind of movie couples walk out of halfway through to move on to better activities, but “Heart Eyes” truly revamps the horror rom-com subgenre, making it a new cult classic that will be rewatched for years to come.
Both movies are currently out in theaters. “Love Hurts” will be streaming soon on Peacock and “Heart Eyes” will be streaming shortly on Netflix.
