I was wondering whether to watch this or not for two years, after seeing the series, and always told myself not to because I don't usually deal well with major character death and am quite tired of the Bury Your Gays trope. But then I accidentally came across the trailer for 5 Years Later and while I hate Bury Your Gays I do love Oh You Thought They Were Dead scenarios. Ultimate hurt followed by ultimate comfort. So I thought, even if the second movie isn't out I will watch the first knowing the death isn't real. I can have some hurt, as a treat.

I expected the movie to ruin me and I was ready for it.

It failed to do that.

I'm quite disappointed, since most reviews I read praised the movie as a beautiful tragedy but I can't say I quite saw it. The plot was rushed, like a bunch of ideas stitched together to form a Frankenstein's monster of a film. Okay, maybe that's a little too harsh. But there were a whole bunch of ideas that were suggested and never touched upon again. Things that I feel needed at least a little elaboration.

The characters felt shallow as well. I didn't see them fall in love, not really. I felt like I was looking through a picture album of a couple, seeing snippets of important moments in their relationship without the context that goes with them. They had a potential for good chemistry but I feel like the script hardly allowed for that, and the result was a sort of stiffness, accompanied by some awkward silences.

And then the second part of the movie was like a speedrun. So much was happening that it barely let any emotion happen in me, I was too preoccupied trying to keep up. Context for what was happening after Golf came back was almost none. Just a montage of random scenes played in succession.

And that leads to the conclusion. I won't say it was cheesy or tropey or whatever because even the cheesiest plot can be turned great. This wasn't one of them.

The kidney part was okay. But the plot twist completely failed to hit the target with how completely unrealistic it is?? How do you miss an entire ass funeral? How do you miss your parents mourning a child? (even if 5 years later does explain why they wouldn't be as sad perhaps, when the movie first came out no one knew if a sequel would happen) If Golf had gone to study abroad he'd still check in with them. They were on good terms before the surgery, he'd check in with Bank too. I went on a 10 day trip once and my family texted me every day.

The plot hole is just too big for any of the pain of it to really hit.

I understand why people like it. The story has great potential and I'm sure that if it had been executed better this movie would have made it to the top of my lists. As it is however it's just too big of a mess.

Rushed plot. Shallow characters. Nonsensical plot twist for a shock ending.

The ending is the equivalent of killing off your characters at the end of a story because you don't know how to tie it all up in a good way.