The Midnight After
The Midnight After
| 10 April 2014 (USA)
The Midnight After Trailers

On a night just like any other, a minibus full of passengers drives through a tunnel and arrives in another dimension; the eclectic group of passengers seek refuge in a deserted cafe and make a horrific discovery.

Reviews
eileenpa

Many people have expressed their opinions regarding the screenplay and director's intent regarding this mystery in Hong Kong. As someone who loves watching international movies to gain insights into other cultures, I was looking forward to watching this movie. I was pleasantly rewarded.I wouldn't say that the movie answers every question, or that the ending ties up everything in a neat bow. However, the acting ensemble is extremely good, and more than one viewpoint can be argued for threads throughout the film. It definitely provides insight into Hong Kong culture post-GB.Highly recommended.

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lcocsj

there are many schools of thought out there about this being an allegory of the state on Hong Kong. balderdash. while this film may be based on a web-novel, it's clear the director took too many liberties and destroyed what was originally intended by the author. if the book is a political message, the film is basic - - - 17 astronauts are trapped in hypersleep. they wind up being lost in space for 6 years and are slowly realizing that they must find a way home. they were all chosen for the mission because they all needed large sums of money. while the film has no ending whatsoever, this is what can be determined from all of the images and personal stories we see in the film. some things are still unanswered (why does one girl appear somewhere when she is not really there? an alien doppelgänger perhaps?). the film started out great, and fell flat before the final inconclusive scene. be clear here - this is a film directed by a guy named Fruit based on a novel by a guy named Pizza. there you have it, in a nutshell. a senseless directionless film. don't invest your time.

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Thaneevuth Jankrajang

I found this ambivalent film most annoying. If I were from Hong Kong, would I have gotten any more messages than I did as a foreigner? The first blow to this film is that the director and screenwriter do not know how to translate some serialized web stories into a coherent film. Without a coherent story and theme, no believability is established. Disbelief is not suspended, and exposed throughout. If a message is to be delivered, they have lost their audience right after the first 30 minutes. The audience simply gives up caring. Characters, supposed to be rich and various, do not matter to them, even with so many background stories laid down. The second blow is a real bad mix of suspense and humour. I feel like watching an unstable storyteller who can't keep his or her pace. One minute there is a hope, then another minute, dashed. The third point is an absolutely unnecessary length of over two hours. Too long of a half-cooked film turns the audience against it. Dialogue and sub-stories should have been made concise, and helped the flow of the storytelling. I have a feeling that director Fruit Chan must have written or re-written the script as he went along. Otherwise it would not look like a film made by a drunk. Hong Kong films are usually with certain standards. Their low-graded films are usually not so low. But this film by Fruit Chan is a few notches lower than the usual. Not recommended.

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Yoon Jung

The first 30 minutes of the story is very suspenseful. In the second half, the story stagnates real quick and goes no where for the rest of the movie because Fruit Chan decides to insert hidden political messages about Hong Kong's society or whatever the hell that no one cares for except the director. Worst, 3 quarters of the story is riddled with empty dialog and filler scenes that doesn't flow or do crap; very annoyed to see the film go no where, especially since the story is an adaptation of a popular online fiction that was actually enjoyable.The movie had no climax and no resolution. At the end, I was like...What the F did I just watch? Was the director f-ed up? How can anyone in the production team approve this trash of a film? This movie is an epic failure and an utter disgrace to film making.Oh, please just stop directing movies, Fruit Loop. You suck, just like your actual name.

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