Kidnap (2024)

Really good writing going into waste

The plot is good. From what I can tell by now anyway. The script is really good imo. I really like it it's just that I had a problem with how they executed the comedy (it's not exactly comedy as much as sarcastic humour) part. Even tho it was written well the actors couldn't pull it off. They were too intense. Also the aspect ratio (I think that's how you call it) makes the series look so intense that when they have a soft or just a relaxing moment it doesn't feel relaxing.

Acting is so stiff. Ohm is good (duh) but sometimes too intense that you feel like serious Min is a different Min from the regular Min. Iygwim. Leng is a beginner and he really did his best but imo beginners need easier or side roles as a first role so they get comfortable in front of the camera. He is good at the anger and kinda at the fear but failed with the sassy part of his character. His character acts like a spoiled brat but he can't pull it off which kinda ruins the balance carefully written for the character.

Editing is a mess. Why did they put a romantic background music when Min tells Q to not trust anyone? That literally doesn't make sense. As soon as Min headlocks Q there should be an intense, scary music not a romantic one. This is the moment that I decided to drop the show.

Another thing that bothered me so much was how bright it was even in intense moments. I couldn't get into the story at all cause it's so bright so I don't get scared or worried about the character. It's just like how you won't be scared to watch a scary movie at daytime compare to nighttime.

I went into it not expecting much so I'm not like extremely disappointed or anything. I just dropped it cause of the stuff I listed above.

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Ohm Pawat the Actor you are ?

This series is very refreshing, even if I say so myself. I usually have no expectations whatsoever when it comes to anything done by gmmtv because they lack innovation (no originality, same plot, different faces, terrible acting is a thing at gmmtv; the list is endless really). Even with this series, I'm surprised it turned out this well. The filmography, music, and actors seem reasonably different from the joke of work that's thrown in our faces all the time. It's still 3 episodes, and Leng is OK for a first-time series (compared to some who've long been there; his performance is definitely accepted for now; I'm not 100% happy though; as the series progresses, time will tell). I would recommend this series. I didn't think I'd be this excited, but it's a really great series.

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What will you sacrifice to make your loved ones happy?

What might be important to know:
* This is not an action/crime series.
Yes, there are some action scenes. And yes, there is a crime ring, drug smuggling and a murder case. But it's not at the centre of the plot. The main characters are even only marginally involved -- but the crime sub plot majorly influences certain reactions and decisions.
* This is not (only) a fluffy rom-com.
Actually, after the meet-cute and the scenes when Min folows Q in episode 1 and the preview for epiosde 2, I was convinced that this would be a shallow rom-com full of tropes and over-the-top Thai humour.
It IS very fluffy at times, very cute, with two soft boys who fall deeply in love with each other. But it is not only that.

In its core, the drama explores a much deeper question: How much will you sacrifice for the people you love?
Will you sacrifice your money, your health, your prospects in life? Your life itself? Will you do things you would never do otherwise? Will you sacrifice your own happiness?
And are these sacrifices you make -- are they the right choices? Will they make the other person happy?

I love how these questions are slowly asked and how they are answered differently over the course of the series. Both Min and Q search for the right way to achieve happiness for their loved ones -- with twists and turns, with laughter and tears. As the audience, we get to slowly learn about their lives and history, what made them who they are now and how traumatic events in their lives have shaped their views.

The script is well-written in that regard, there are no dragging parts, and the events of the present and the past are told in a way that they make a cohesive hole.

There are several inconsistencies, both in the writing and the executio. Just to mention some of the most obvious: the scene in front of Q's house in episode 7 would have had more impact if the actors hadn't swapped places for the close-ups, which brought me out of the immersion into an extremely emotional scene. I don't understand why Min's bedroom was restored to its original state after Min had taken care to rearrange everything in episode 2. Also, Min was shown as speaking English very badly (ep. 1), but later, he has no problems with instructing tourists at the surfing school.
One major flaw in the writing is the character of "James". I think he should have been two characters -- because he both has connections to the criminal underground (which are never explained nor explored, and Yada or indeed anyone else doesn't even really seem to know or notice him) and he is this good friend and mentor for Min with connections in the film industry, who is supposed to be extremely likeable and trustworthy? It would not have been hard to write a second character for the criminal connected side (another stuntman, maybe?), and keep James for the rest.
Mhen was unfortunately a bit bland as a character, he was never able to become more than "little brother who is ill and loves his older brother very much" -- and though Ohm Thipakorn obviously tried his best, he was not able to give his character much more colour. (Also, how does he get a heart transplant that quickly?)
Throughout the series, it's never clear how much time has passed, so that some scenes seem to happen very fast after another, when it's probably not the case -- a flaw a lot of Thai BLs seem to share.

But I can overlook these flaws because of the story-telling, the main theme of the drama, the solid technical execution -- and the acting. Both Ohm Pawat and Leng Thanaphon are very convincing in their roles. They were able to make me feel with their characters, to be immersed in their story and to believe their emotions.
Leng surprised me, because I was a bit sceptical if a rookie would be able to portray a character that is at odds with himself and with the world -- and indeed, especially in the beginning, when Q is trying to show one kind of emotions to the outside, while he has opposite emotions on the inside, Leng reaches his limits fast. In his defense, these scenes would have been a challenge for more experienced actors, too.

Overall, I find, again, that it's best to follow a drama's story without preconceptions about what it "should" be, but instead listen to what the writer, the director and the actors are showing us -- and here, they showed us a story about how traumatic experiences can shape your world. They showed us a story about about devotion, about love between parent and child, between brothers, between lovers and what it means to make another person truly happy.

Edit:
STOP!
Before you downvote this review, would you be so kind and leave a short note with your reason? I did my best to write a good review -- and I'd like to know how to improve. Thank you!

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just mild spoiler| someone took the plot and yeet it to the trash bin

I don't know what happened. It's like if the series and the trailer are written by two different guys. You were anticipating a dark series about a kidnapper and his kidnapped victim, filled with dangers, conflicts, dramas and actions. Instead they wrapped everything that was advertised and its main plot/conflict point in like 2 eps and then presented you with 'cutesy' filler scenes for the rest of the series and sprinkled some try hard drama here and there to make it 12 eps. Genuinely disappointing the way this show just flatlined. The plots are scattered, no main build ups and genuinely just FLAT and if I'm being frank, BORING.

The romance was cheesy and if you've seen more than 2 GMMTV series you probably have already seen it all already. Overused sound effect ( ESPECIALLY the dog barks, amusing at first but by the end it's just genuinely tiring and annoying).

Acting wise, I know a lot of people criticized Leng but my main problem is actually Ohm Thipakorn (Actor playing Men). He's just... so.... stiff??? I genuinely don't understand how he seems to only have 1 tone and 1 facial expression through the entire 12 eps of the show. There's no actual feeling, no emotions, it's like he's reading the script line by line. (Looking for a series about a person with heart disease? Save yourself some time and watch 1000 stars. I'd take Tian over Men any days). I'm sorry but if this continues I'm genuinely concern for Sweet tooth Good dentist that he'll be playing the main character next.

All and all, if you're expecting a real drama/thriller series then save yourself the trouble and go watch kinnporshe or any other show. Kidnap is about 95% any other romance show and about 5% kidnap as a 'gimmick' to try and be different (and fail miserably at it). Genuinely a boring show. I probably dropped it like 10 times and the only reason I continue watching this show is because there's nothing else to watch that day. And even then I couldn't bring myself to watch it fully and just fast forward a bunch. Again, no plot for most of the time just filler scenes.

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A Fun Take On The World Of Crime.

Super fun. The plot ks intriguing. The characters are likeable. Pacing is fast. Comic timing is good. It is a a light-hearted take onthe world of crime. I had a blast watching the first two eps. The medical conditions are dealt sensitivily. I don't know why people here think that goody and dark can't co-exist. They can amd this show is doing a good job at doing both the things simultaneously so far. I think this show has potential. I love the cinematography and colour grading. The hidden dragon scene was so pretty!!! In short, I will be seated for the ttale the world's most incompetent kidnapper and his willing accomplice.

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First Impressions of Episode 1

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS, AND MY OPINION MIGHT NOT ALIGN WITH YOURS. I’M OPEN TO CHANGING MY VIEW AS THE SHOW PROGRESSES, GIVEN THE SOLIDITY OF THE STORY.

Performances:

- Ohm: I have to say Ohm was fantastic in his performance! Since "Bad Buddy," he has evolved a lot and has shown himself to be a talented actor. I'm excited to see what he does next.

- Leng:Leng's performance was also quite good. I hadn't seen anything of him before, but he was convincing. I'll be keeping an eye on how he performs in the upcoming episodes.

Protagonists:

- Min seems to be the type of person who is extremely caring and protective of his brother, willing to do anything for him.

- Although Q may seem a bit spoiled and egocentric, I have a feeling there is a kinder side to him. I'm curious to see how his character will develop.

Story:

- The first episode was a bit weak, but I still liked it. It’s good that some things have already happened and the pace isn't dragging. The chemistry between the characters is nice, and there were some funny moments.

About the Cast:

- In terms of other actors, there wasn’t much newness. GMMTV could vary the faces more. Not that the same actors are bad, but seeing the same faces all the time can get a bit tiring. Since it's the first episode, I’ll wait to see how the characters evolve.

What I Hope For:

- That the story maintains a more dynamic pace, with more moments between the couple and more action, given the involvement of a kidnapping.

- The plot is interesting and has the potential to be very good, so I hope they don’t ruin it.

- If you don’t like Ohm, please avoid leaving negative comments. Let others enjoy the show in their own way.

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Why is this so bad?
I was looking forward to this kind of series. A kidnapping/crime/action series with romance. That's how it was advertised. Watch both trailers, if you don't believe me.
I have seen Ohm many times, but his best performance sure was in Bad Buddy, where - with Nanon - his acting reached new heights. While Bad Buddy was just a cute romance series, it was very well-made, had great music, beautiful (emotional) scenes. It became repetitive and the "commercial art" got out of hand, but it was good. Very good.
Now I expected this series to be similar good. A big hit. Why not? Leng is beautiful, the couple works well together, which isn't surprising since Ohm is known for having chemistry with everyone. But what did we get?
The writing is wattpad-style, as if it was written by a 15 years old. You feel the writer is inexperienced (not only in writing, also in life). Almost every scene is written in such an immature way, that you know the writer didn't think it through. Why, though? Who is working on this? Why didn't they make some slight changes to the script? Why are they putting out such a cheap product? Even the cinematography looks cheap, it looks like they tried to keep the budget low. Again: Why? Did they have no trust in this series becoming a big hit? Does this have to do something with the Ohm-Nanon drama? (I don't know the details).
To be precise: The kidnapping plot is not believable, at least not in the way it was presented. Min as a character is too simple, just the good guy who did something bad to be able to pay the medical bills of his brother. He likes Q, which is pretty obvious. This is too fast. Just give us some time, show us how they fall in love. We got some lovey-dovey moments already in episodes 2 (talking about being someone's type). No build-up. None. No character development. None. Who wants to watch this? Girls and boys who enjoy watching cute boys being cute and in love. Girls and boys who don't want deep stories, good characters, complex plots. Those people are most likely the target audience of GMMTV, so yeah, why bother to try harder, when there are people who will scream when those two come closer, lips almost touching, a soft smile, a longing stare. Who needs good characters and plot development? "But that's not true!" - they will tell you, and try to explain the non-existent depths of this badly thought-out plot.
It's disappointing, to say the least.

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