#and will doesn't deserve to have his feelings for mike used as a plot device to force another ship back together

[thranduel]

el deserves better + why people can’t take mike’s monologue seriously

*these are my own personal opinions and observations! if you liked this scene how it was, that's fine! no one's forcing you to look at this lol. i'm not trying to "ruin" this scene for anyone or invalidate people’s feelings. it’s a fictional show. the writers like when people analyse and look into it and that’s what i’m doing. these are just my own opinions about it as someone who has watched the show since the beginning, pays attention and truly cares about the characters, and i think they could've done this scene a lot better if they wanted it to seem genuine.

i also just want to make it clear that i would’ve had no problem with mike and el’s relationship if it was well-written, slowly developed properly instead of rushed, they actually understood each other and could be themselves with each other AND if will wasn’t involved in this love triangle and had his heart broken in the process because that’s probably one of the most cruel, horrible and unnecessary things i’ve ever seen in a show. there was absolutely no reason to involve an abused and traumatised gay child in this mess if he was just going to end up hurt again after everything he’s suffered and people have EVERY right to be uncomfortable and upset about that, but anyways!

“love at first sight”

the love at first sight trope coming out of nowhere seemed really out of character for mike since he's made it clear several times he doesn't believe in that and we also know he didn't fall in love with el the moment he met her when he was only 12 years old and struggling with the trauma of his best friend going missing. i'm not sure why they felt the need to include that when will was sitting right there listening and they could've done literally anything else to show he loved her. he shouldn't have to lie and make things up that don’t make sense (seriously, what happened to “friends don’t lie”)? and sure, the cast can say whatever they want about a 12 year old falling in love with a stranger the moment he looked at her even though he knew absolutely nothing about her and his best friend was suffering in an alternate dimension, but it still makes no sense from a writing standpoint and you can literally see that in mike’s words and actions after they take her to his house. the whole thing has always been weird lol. i don’t know why people romanticise the love at first sight trope with two children anyways and act like it makes their relationship better when it only made it worse because of how rushed it was.

using will

this needs to be mentioned considering will is the reason this monologue happened in the first place (so don’t even start with the “stop making everything about will” when THE WRITERS THEMSELVES literally put him in every mike and el scene except their fight scene!!!!!!!) but i absolutely hated how they used will's feelings for mike in order to make him say he loves his own girlfriend. like… what. using a gay character who has suffered since the very beginning as a plot device to force another ship back together while he continues to suffer and be heartbroken isn't cool at all. you can come up with any excuse, but NOTHING makes it okay that they included will in this mess and turned him into a couple’s therapist that fixes their problems when they can’t even do that themselves. if they wanted all this drama with mike and el and STILL have them stay together for some reason, fine. but will should’ve NEVER been involved. there’s no excuse. i don’t understand how anyone is okay with that. he literally had to push him into saying the monologue even when el was choking because mike wouldn’t have said it otherwise. he also took inspiration from what will said in the van about his OWN feelings for him and basically re-worded it. it’s just crazy.

“mike was just trying to save her”

i get that!!!!! he was panicking and under stress. it’s actually a realistic way to respond in that situation and anyone would make up whatever they think the person wants to hear to save them. he was trying his best to help her and i really do appreciate him for that because she really needed strength and motivation. BUT the point is, it still wasn’t entirely genuine and it’s so weird that people watch it and talk about it like it’s a proper romantic love confession and their relationship is oh so perfect when he always lies and contradicts himself which just feels hurtful and unnecessary. he could've told her he loved her WITHOUT making things up. in fact, he should’ve told her he loved her BEFORE she got her powers back, before he was pushed into it by will and before she was in danger and he was under pressure. that would’ve made it seem so much more genuine.

flashbacks

i’m just gonna link this incredible analysis post from @aurorabyler here about flashbacks because they explained it so perfectly. please check it out!!!!

anyways mike could’ve spoken about happy memories instead of making up lies she knows aren’t true. when he said “it’s not because i’m scared of you. i’ve never felt that way”, it just sounded ridiculous because she knows he’s been scared of her. it literally happened a few episodes ago at the roller rink. even in season 1, mike yelled at her and triggered traumatic memories that reminded her of brenner (the flashbacks happen right after to show the parallels) and it happened again in season 4. she also said “you think i’m a monster too” when they were arguing because she knows that mike has been scared of her. and at the roller rink when she was sitting at the table shaking and crying, he just stared at her along with the crowd and he didn’t sit with her or take her away from the triggering environment. he just stared and did nothing. in the car he was silent and then at the dinner table he made a sarcastic comment which made her feel worse and get up and leave. then he sips his drink which is a parallel to ted and karen. obviously mike has every right to be shocked and afraid sometimes, but el was also really struggling and he did nothing to help. even when she confronted him about everything, he just sat there, got defensive, denied everything and called her ridiculous. “he’s just a teenager” just doesn’t work as an excuse because we’ve seen that mike can be mature, apologise and take responsibility for what he’s done wrong with other people, so why didn’t he do that during their fight scene? why was he sitting there with no emotion on his face and making her feel worse as she was literally breaking down in front of him? why did he have to be pressured and motivated by his best friend to say he loves his own girlfriend? “he just needed some advice”, “he’s just insecure”, “his parents couldn’t say ily”. these are all ridiculous excuses that make no sense. it also doesn’t explain why will was involved in this mess in the first place. how is it okay for a gay child to just be shoved to the side and heartbroken and then force the boy he loves into telling his girlfriend he loves her? how are people seriously okay with that?

more lies and idolisation

during the monologue, mike also could’ve mentioned el's friends and family which mean the world to her instead of just making it about himself and why he needs “his superhero”. he could’ve mentioned who she is as a person instead of just her powers, but the truth is, he barely knows who she is as a person because they can’t be themselves around each other and they don’t even share any similar interests. that's why it confuses me when people actually take what he's saying seriously and think he's being genuine and "romantic" when he isn't. "oh, but mike said he fell in love the moment he met her, he’s so in love”. uh, of course he's going to say that when he's under pressure and she's in danger, but that doesn't mean it's true. we know that he was going through one of the most traumatic times in his life when will went missing and he wasn’t focusing on falling in love… he was literally only 12 years old and he knew el for 6 days before she disappeared. they were strangers. he also only let her stay when she said the bad guys were after her and when he found out she had powers and could help find will, not because he “fell in love”. he was literally planning to send her away so they could focus on finding will. so many people forget about this but it’s just crazy to think about. even when they reunite at the end of season 2, they had only spent less than a week with each other as children. mike called her every day with no response but that’s only because he wanted to know if she was out there because she was his friend and of course he cares about her. but they still barely knew each other and he didn’t get to know her more while he was making those calls because she couldn’t even respond. there was no proper build up, no honest communication and no getting to know each other properly before getting into a relationship.

rushed romance

people talk about how they fell in love immediately when they barely even knew each other and el just escaped a lab she was raised in and didn’t know what romance was. she couldn’t even communicate at the same level as mike and everything happened so quickly for her (and no, this is NOT saying that she's not capable of having a boyfriend now. of course she is. she's incredible and she's capable of so much. but when she got out of the lab, she was just a child and she wasn't taught anything about romance or relationships, so it would've been so confusing for her and she needed more time to discover herself and her own interests and then figure out who she likes, if she even wanted a relationship at all). in season 3, she asked max how she knows what she likes because no one has ever taught her or allowed her to figure things out on her own and decide what she likes for herself. max was the first person to do that and it was a really important moment for el. she was also the happiest she had ever been in that scene when they were shopping and i’ve never seen her smile and laugh so much. it was really beautiful to see.

anyways, i know she's not being forced to stay in her relationship with mike but i feel like both of them heavily depend on each other due to their emotional attachment since they found each other during a traumatic time and saved each other when they were vulnerable and needed help. mike was the first person to take care of el outside the lab and helped her hide from the bad guys so she wouldn’t have to go back, and el saved mike's life when he jumped off the cliff and then she broke his bully's arm. mike and el feel like they owe each other something and they're extremely dependent on each other because they saved each other, but i don't understand why they had to start dating because of that? it's like they feel like they can't be anything outside of a couple which isn't healthy considering the show has proven over and over again that they're not working as a couple. i don't know why people think this is a bad thing either or an "insult" to their relationship. it's not at all. no one is saying they don't love each other, because of course they do. they just don't work together romantically for many reasons, but they would still love each other even if they're just friends. in fact, i think their relationship would be even stronger if they were just friends.

they don’t feel like equals (and literally admitted this in the show)

one of the biggest issues with their relationship is that both mike and el can’t be themselves with each other and they always lie, so it doesn’t help that he lied during his monologue too. it’s really sad. you shouldn’t feel like you need to lie or change who you are when you’re in a relationship. and i just feel like there were so many other ways they could’ve done this. like, if they wanted mike and el together, that’s fine. but why couldn’t their relationship be more genuine and why couldn’t they be themselves around each other? el didn’t even need a boyfriend or first kiss in season 1, she just needed a friend to help her and be by her side. mike is the one that decided what their relationship would be because he had a little crush on her, but el didn’t get a say at all. i understand it was supposed to be "cute and wholesome" and mike didn’t have any bad intentions when he kissed her, but it’s just really strange when you actually think about how they barely knew each other and el didn’t know what a kiss was.

the characters deserve better

i also just feel like this scene hurts all 3 characters involved (el, mike and will, because yes, will was involved in a way considering he's been in love with mike since the beginning and he’s the reason mike said his monologue in the first place) and it feels insulting to them. the writers also placed will in EVERY mike and el scene except their fight, so people can’t get mad when people “make it all about will”. blame the writers then. people are obviously going to talk about the abused and traumatised gay child that’s suffering and getting his heart broken.

el: she deserves to be loved for who she is as a person, as jane, not just “superhero eleven”. her boyfriend should’ve shown her love in his letters and he should’ve comforted her and explained himself (or just simply said “i love you”) when she was crying in her room begging to hear the words. his excuse for not being able to say it was “i’m scared she won’t need me anymore”, but she clearly needed him in that moment. he knew what she wanted to hear. he also said he feels inferior because he’s just a nerd and she’s a superhero. but she didn’t even have powers in that scene where she was crying. she was just a regular person like him, so why couldn’t he say it? in the next episode, he also admits that if he just said “that thing”, she might’ve taken him with her (he couldn't even specify what it was when he was talking to will). so he knew exactly what she wanted but he still didn’t say it. this entire plot was just added for drama and it feels so unnecessary. he couldn’t even tell her he loved her when she was sobbing in his room but he only could after his best friend convinced him with his painting, monologue and pushed him to when el was in danger. how is that fair? how do people think it’s genuine after all that? “because mike is just insecure and needed a push”???? because that doesn’t change the fact that he has lied to her and made her feel horrible before. it doesn’t change the fact that she was SOBBING in front of him and he was more worried about himself than her feelings. 3 simple words could’ve comforted her and he just couldn’t do it… until his conversation with will? it’s crazy to think about. that’s why all the excuses are just ridiculous. el deserves so much better than this. she deserves to find someone that loves her for who she is, that shares the same interests as her, that she can fully be herself around, and that doesn't care about her powers.

will: his feelings for mike shouldn’t have been used as a plot device to force mike and el back together when they can’t even sort out their own relationship problems. using a gay character’s feelings when he has been abused, targeted, bullied, lonely and suffering since the very beginning of the show is absolutely cruel and unnecessary. he hasn’t even had a moment of happiness and he thinks he’ll never experience love because of his sexuality. it's even more heartbreaking knowing he has loved mike since the beginning but he thinks mike will never love him back and he has to watch him with someone else while he gets pushed to the side. speaking of being pushed to the side, the way mike treated will in season 3 and 4 (especially how he couldn't hug him at the airport) makes absolutely no sense unless he has repressed feelings for will and internalised homophobia because otherwise, mike is just an asshole and there was no need for any of that. his relationship with el never should've affected his relationship with will, especially because will has been his best friend since they were 4 years old and they have the closest relationship in the entire show. also, will's painting for mike was supposed to be a special moment between them only. his love confession was also the most beautiful and genuine thing and it made mike so happy, but he used el’s name to disguise it and it was so painful and heartbreaking to watch. will is also the only reason mike said his monologue to el because he was so inspired by the painting and car monologue and thought it was all from el when it wasn't. it was all from will. even when el was in danger, will still had to push mike to say it. and yet, will is still lonely and heartbroken after being so kind and selfless to everyone around him? he still doesn't get to be happy after everything he's been through? it’s just not fair. they can’t keep doing this to him.

mike: he’s just simply been reduced to el’s boyfriend. we barely even know him anymore and he doesn’t get his own moments. his entire arc this season revolved around not being able to tell el he loved her. like are you actually kidding me? he did nothing this season except be part of el's storyline. he also changes so much when he’s around her. it’s so ridiculous and unfair and his friends have been hurt because of it too. he shouldn’t have to pretend to be someone he’s not in order to impress el. i also feel like so many people forget how much trauma mike has been through and we don’t even get to see any of it. we don’t get to see his POV or feelings or understand what’s going on inside his head. his entire character just revolves around el and it’s not fair. he also deserves to be with someone he feels comfortable with and can actually be himself around. mike has to hide his own interests and he feels embarrassed about himself when he’s with el and he shouldn’t feel like that in his own relationship. sure, some people might use the excuse “they’re just kids” (as always), but it doesn’t change the fact that this has been going on since their relationship started and they’ve never truly felt like equals. they’ve always been different and they always will be. mike deserves to be with someone that loves him for exactly who he is and that brings out the best in him. someone who makes him feel safe and comfortable for being nerdy and passionate. someone who can give him the love he wants and needs. it’s just sad (and unhealthy) to see him in a relationship where he changes so much and obsesses over his girlfriend and treats his friends like garbage to the point where he becomes the most disliked character in the show and the general audience can’t stand him. like if that doesn’t say a lot about how this relationship isn’t good for this character, i don’t know what does.

[deanismysavior]

I do not know what is up with R3ddit but guys out there literally think the duffers are just going to give Will a background love interest in S5 or something. Do they really think they are going to give their main character a background love interest in S5? when they have introduced a love interest (Vickie) for one of their more minor character (Robin)?

Like, do they even realize how fucking ridiculous it sounds? So they were more encouraged to introduce a new love interest for one of their minor characters than to introduce a new love interest for their main character? Not hating on Robin here but objectively speaking she is not exactly a main character like Will is.

Not to mention the duffers could already have introduced a new love interest for Will in S4 by making him meet with a boy in Cali. Yet they have not.

Like I really am trying to see their point here. Do they think the Duffers would just hate Will so much that they make him suffer, throw him in an unrequited love storyline, and build up Mike's rejection... for what exactly? For ''realism''???? Why would they do that to their main character who is the only canonically confirmed gay boy on the show??? When they wouldn't do that to Robin??

Fuck off with your ''realism'', really. It's not realism you guys want. It's just cruelty and suffering and hate crime you guys want to see.

The Duffers aren't going to introduce a fucking homophobic heartbreak storyline for their main, I'm sorry if you guys want to see that happen but it's not how things work. I'm saying this to Melvins who want and expect this to happen as well, if you are reading this ask. It's not gonna happen. And if it happens, then the Duffers would give their only gay main character the most homophobic storyline for no reason other than suffering tbh, when they could have introduced a new love interest for Will already without involving him in Mike's storyline.

Do you guys really believe the Duffers would be that cruel and write something like this than to believe that they are breaking Melvin up since at least S3 by showing us how their relationship doesn't work because they are not compitable?

To be honest, I think the reason a lot of people, especially Reddit Bros, think this is because they don't view Will as a main character.

I've noticed a trend in which a lot of (mostly guys let's be real) in the GA kind of write Will off as an unimportant character. I think a lot of people are more focused on El and her arc, and are invested in the Vecna storyline, but they really don't view Will to be significant outside of his connection to Vecna.

Basically, they view Will as a plot device and not a character, which is why they're so comfortable with the idea that he ends up sad, alone, or dead, because they're viewing him as a way of getting from point A in the plot to point B,

But this is explicitly NOT how the Duffers have written Will, and they've made that pretty apparent, especially in recent interviews saying that Will is going to be a main focus in season 5, which means that Will's emotions, motivations, and struggles ARE important to the storyline. And that also means that his feelings for Mike WILL get more explicitly addressed.

But because they continually view Will as a side character or as less important to the plot, they couldn't even fathom him actually getting a well-developed arc in which he could potentially have a real love interest.

And yes, I do think homophobia has something to do with the fact that a lot of these dudebros don't really seem to care about Will as a character.

Anyway, Will Byers deserves better and he deserves his mf hero arc and he deserves love and affection from his boyfriend Mike Wheeler.

[strangertheories]

Will bring canonically gay but being shoved to the background and/or not getting the guy he likes is not representation. It’s tokenism. It’s “hey look we went through with confirming Will is gay but… we won’t give him a storyline other than liking a guy he has no chance with and occassionally use him as a plot device”. Like that might not bother you but I fail to see how that’s healthy rep that actually accomplishes anything. Not to be mean here but they can do MUCH better than that

I agree with a lot of what you said. I will be annoyed if Will is shoved into the background this season, which is looking likely. He's one of my favourite characters and deserves more screentime and plotlines beyond just being gay and sad. We haven't gotten enough of Will's personality (his artwork, his friendships, his interests, etc.) and if they reduce him to some miserable gay guy I'll be annoyed. And I agree that I'll be annoyed if his only plotline is Mike not liking him back. As well as that, I think they can do better than unrequited Byler too. It would be a great relationship and be great queer representation as well.

What I was saying is that I don't believe that the queer representation on the show is inherently bad if Byler isn't canon. Will's self discovery isn't just about him liking Mike, it's about him coming to terms with his sexuality which is still important to see even if he doesn't get into a relationship at the end of it. The question I got asked was not if Byler should be requited but if I'd rather unrequited Byler or none at all to which my answer is still unrequited Byler. I'd rather them explore Will's sexuality and angst about Mike in an interesting and mainstream arc about self discovery than just have him like some random dude or not explore it at all.

So overall, I get what you're saying. I really hope that Will is more of a character in S4 beyond just being sad and gay for his straight bestie and I hope Byler is requited, even if I'm pessimistic about it. However, I just feel as though I'd rather have gay Will and no Byler than no Byler at all. I don't think him not liking Mike back makes him bad rep or tokenism, but making that his only trait would.

I hope this response was alright. I'm not the best with tone so if this came off as aggressive then that was not my intention at all (:

[ronanlysnch]

what's killing me is that mike KNOWS about will's feelings, unless that boy is completely in denial or maybe he doesn't want to acknowledge it??? the awkward not-hug, "we're FRIENDS", the way mike tensed up when will said something about playing d&d and nintendo for the rest of their lives. in el's letter she says she doesn't know what will's painting is and that it could be for a girl he likes. mike literally looked at him while he was crying in the van. i'm so sad for will, he deserves better

anon... i'm too disturbed for this. but i truly believe mike has no idea of how will truly feels about him, that kid is very oblivious and takes no clues. i'm trying to stay realistic and not put too much faith on byler, but if they were to properly address their relationship and why it feels so awkward, i'm in the mike-has-feelings-for-will-but-is-kinda-scared-of-that-so-he-shuts-them-down lane.

in the scene where he reinforces that will is a friend, we can see that will knows that, he wasn't trying to imply any different, he isn't trying to force anything else on mike, he actually kinda tip-toes around mike just as much mikes does around him - as we see on the scene where he gives mike the painting and doesn't let mike think making the painting was his initiative.

and, as we've discussed several times over the last month, mike was the one to make it all weird, he was tense before he even talked to will, i feel like he's scared of his feelings for will and is even more scared to display them. since he doesn't know how will feels about him, he tries to police his affection so he doesn't scare him away.

but again, i'm saying this from the perspective of their plot actually being something that's been building up. but after vol. 2, i'm kinda scared, not gonna lie.

and if their plot isn't something that the duffers have been planning, well, it just means the entirety of will's plot this season was for NOTHING! and that pisses me off, will is an amazing character on his own and he has been used as plot device for far too long, he's a UD gps and a relationship trampoline by now, it's so exhausting. specially since we know how many great storylines could come from exploring will's character, and also wasting noah's talent like that - the kid has been showing his range since day one. it's all frustrating, but we can only hope for the best, not only for byler, but for mike and will as characters that can sustain plotlines on their own.

[forgotten-daydreamer]

Okay, I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this, but...

I don't think that Will being gay is being used as a plot-device. As a matter of fact, I think that it's going to be brought up again. Do you remember when, in s3, Mike tells Will "you don't even like girls" [I don't remember the exact words, I watched it dubbed in my language] ? They brought it up again in s4, didn't they? Mike is oblivious, he doesn't get it, he's too focused on Eleven for that: he's a hormonal teenager, I don't even blame him for being so obviously clueless and not as openly supportive as some people had hoped.

My parents (100% supportive of their gay kid- me- and of the lgbtq+ community, bless them) who were teens in the late 80s-early 90s, said it too: if people are so close-minded now, imagine how it was 40 years ago. It was dangerous to be openly gay, as it is now basically, and coming out to a friend was very risky. Will's scared that Mike's going to spill his secret and/or become more distant because of his orientation. It's really like that, in real life.

I know it's a fantasy show, so just like you have monsters that kill people in their minds, you could have a gay teen confessing his love to his dearest friend and said friend being the most accepting human on earth. But that's not how it works. After all, we still have the whole Russia VS USA conflict, which was (and still is, for some reason...) very real, and there's plenty of 80s cultural elements, just how it should be. Monsters & the Upside Down are, after all, the only fantasy element in Stranger Things; the rest is historically accurate, most of it- let's just pretend that Yuri's sign isn't written in a font that didn't exist yet, for example.

But, point is, I don't think that Will being gay is just a plot device- we can't say that with absolute certainty yet. Maybe, in s5, the Duffer Brothers won't bring it up at all- although I seriously hope they do, as I think you can tell from this long-ass post. Mike knows that Will is gay (see aforementioned s3 scene), but he doesn't know that Will likes him specifically. And it's fine. Mike likes Eleven, Eleven likes Mike. Will deserves better treatment, indeed, because Mike acted horribly and it was uncalled for- again, I can understand the whole hormonal teenager + kidnapped girlfriend + scary monsters thing, but a decent hug, at least? Come on, Mike, be better.

I truly hope that Will's going to come out to the whole group; this doesn't mean that I hope that Will x Mike will necessarily become canon (I don't even ship it, but that's on me, I don't watch this show for ships tbh). It's too soon to jump to conclusions, there is still a whole season left. Maybe he will come out, maybe he won't. Coming out isn't easy, people, and not everyone wants to/feels ready to do it as a teen, or ever, as a matter of fact. Coming out to Mike was obviously hard for Will, as he used Eleven's name instead of his own to talk about his feelings. I don't think that, now, Will's ready to be more open than that. And I respect it. It's realistic (I've been there, you know), painfully-so.

That said, Schnapp's going places, he's a wonderful actor (seriously, there is not a single badly-acted scene throughout four seasons when it comes to his scenes), and so is Wolfhard. Remember, they are actors, they are not the characters they play. Don't harass them, don't harass anyone. Don't harass people who didn't enjoy it, and don't harass people who did. Thanks :)

[darringauthier]

Wrong Turn (2021)

Genre: Horror

Who's In It: Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Bill Sage, Matthew Modine, Tim Dezarn

Who Directed It: Mike P Nelson

Plot: Friends hiking the Appalachian Trail are confronted by 'The Foundation', a community of people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years.

Run Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

IMDB Score: 5.4

Metascore: 46

Why I Watched It: Well it's a horror re-boot of a film I saw and some of the sequels so I was intrigued, also it got some good reviews from critics I follow.

How I Watched It: Rental on PS4

Random Thoughts: First off the director is not the Mike Nelson from Mystery Science Theatre. It's important you know that he has a P in the middle of his name.

So this is I guess more of a re-boot than a remake cause this film is very different from the first one, I looked it up holy cow the first one came out 2003, for the record I thought it was fine, not great but not as bad as it couldn't have been. This one is a different plot so it's hard to say it's a remake more of hard re-boot it does have the same name so they brought this on themselves.

What I Liked: It was different than I thought it would be, so I'll give them that. The set up was cliched but I will say the whole Foundation thing and having Matthew Modine's character coming and trying to find out not only what happened but to rescue his daughter was at least a tweak to the horror formula. They use one of my most hated troupes, starting the movie at the end and going backwards but they tweaked that as well and it makes sense and it's not the ending, it was more three quarters of the way through.

The violence and kills were very gory and this film earned it's R rating, just going to warn you this is a hard R. Hard core and I will say this film had a very dark and uneasy tone to it. Very raw.

I wrote earlier that this film is very different from the 2003 one and the biggest difference is the villains, the 2003 it's crazed inbreed hillbillies here they're more of a cult living in the woods and they're way more unsettling. Easily what made the film watchable and different was the bad guys lead by Bill Sage, who is an underrated actor and also a genre superstar at this point of his career. He's scary cause he at first doesn't do anything evil, he's not crazy or a freak. He's a different kind of villain for this type of story. Also Modine is good here and very believable, he's the key in the film he makes it real, a father just trying to find his daughter. Also they play with the town he's in, they do the cliched trying to scare him off but they also help again different. I will also give props to Charlotte Vega, at first she seemed like a bland final girl but by the end of the film she pulls off the change and she's very believable, it was a case I judged a book by the character's cover. By the end she's bad ass, didn't see that in here at the beginning.

What I Didn't Like: It's too long, I write this a lot and I bitch and moan about long run times a lot but this is a hill I will die on, this film didn't need to be close to two horrors and I do think the pacing does drag the film down. The tone is very choppy and I think the reason is the run time, it needed to be tighter. Also the film did feel like two different movies coming together and it took longer than it needed to be. Not going to lie I was getting board about a hour in.

Now I did like some of the acting and writing but not all of it, the secondary actors weren't great especially the "victims" very cliched and very thinly written and of course a couple do very dumb things and yes we have the one really unlikable character. The film also has these people do something so dumb we as an audience not only roll our eyes but think you deserve this (not really, but you get what I mean) they do something they're told not two do several times. It's a very lazy and dumb plot device they put themselves in danger for no reason, well for one reason PLOT. Even though I liked Bill Sage and he was a great villain his followers were cookie cutter drones really, except one little girl, she kind of had a personality.

The reason the film is so long is they had like three endings and they do another thing that bugs me, the tacked on ending. The film ended twice just let it go, but they did a bad ass fan service ending that just didn't fit, it really felt unearned and tacked on for the sake of having more of a bang ending. I will warn you this last ending happens during the closing credits so stick with it cause it's a big change.

Final Thoughts: I'm torn on this one, there's some good stuff here but it's too long and boring in spots and it's a horror film I want unrelenting tension if I can. This is better than most re-boots and it does tell a different story.

Rating: 6, almost a 5.5 but I'll go 6, if you're a horror fan it's worth a watch.

[thranduel]

i was rewatching the 4x08 car scene again and i just can't get over how mike never even mentioned that he loved el at all when he was talking to will. he was just going on about how he feels inferior to her and he's afraid she won't need him anymore because she's a superhero. he didn't mention anything about love. he didn't say "i'm scared she won't love me anymore" or "i love her so much for these reasons and who she is as a person, that's why i can't lose her and blah blah blah". nope. nothing to do with love. he couldn't even mention anything about her outside of being a superhero because the sad truth is he barely even knows her. mike and el barely know each other because they can't even be themselves around each other and they don't even share any of the same interests. they always lie to each other too.

the entire time he was talking to will, mike was just pitying himself and talking about how he's scared she won't need him anymore because he’s a nerd and he’s insecure about himself. he also kept going on about how she was "born special" with powers. again, nothing to do with her as a person or loving her, but just that she's a superhero and he wants to be needed. he also said it wasn't fate or destiny but simple dumb luck that he stumbled on her in the woods (later on in his monologue, he lies and acts like it was love at first sight. we all know he doesn't believe in love at first sight either. ugh mike what are you doing). he even said she was just lonely and vulnerable and needed help and he just happened to be there... that's about it.

and remember in 4x04 when mike was talking to will, he said "maybe i should've said something, and if i would've said that thing, then maybe she'd want me there with her, wherever she is"?? he couldn't even specify what "that thing" was. he didn't mention anything to do with saying the words "i love you". it's just so weird how he couldn't say it to will. mike also said it felt like a fight they can't come back from. if he’s afraid she won’t need him anymore and he saw her sobbing in front of him AND he knew she wanted to hear the words "i love you", why didn’t he just say it? he could've prevented the fight entirely and he could've stopped her from going with owens (or she would've taken him with her, like he said to will). like seriously this entire "mike can't say he loves el because he finds it hard to express himself and he's scared of losing her" is the most ridiculous arc because it reduces mike to just being el's boyfriend and not having his own character development AND there are so many things that don't make sense because mike constantly lies and contradicts himself. "he's just a teenager" just isn't an excuse. it's actually a mess from a writing standpoint and it's even more horrible because they used will's feelings as a plot device and the only reason mike ended up saying he loves el is because of will. he was literally responding to will's confession but he just doesn't realise it. mike’s monologue to el wouldn’t have happened without will.

that’s why it only makes sense if all of this is intentional and they talk about it again in season 5. mike will find out about the painting and monologue and realise his true feelings for will and el will also realise she doesn’t need mike, even though that’s nothing new. we already know that because they made it very clear when she made the decision to go with owens even though she was warned she might not see him again. she also sent him a letter saying “from, el” which says more than enough. and will deserves to finally get his happy ending for once and be with the boy he’s loved since the beginning since he’s suffered every single season. otherwise what was the point in doing all of this? for a bit of extra drama that doesn't even make sense? nah