Movie Review: Malice (E yi)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

An effective drama from China. 

In this drama, a social media journalist investigates two deaths.

This movie is quite absorbing. It is filled with quite a few good twists and turns that often left me not knowing what to expect next. Yet most of these twists made a lot of sense when they actually happened. Meanwhile the characters are quite well written and there is more to them then first meets the eye. This movie is also quite visually engaging, even if the special effects are not perfect. 

As well as telling a gripping story, this film also sets out to make a commentary on the lack of media integrity in the era of social media, where getting likes is often more important than the truth. It also takes a look at how social media has turned our world into one that often runs on voyeurism and the dangers of this. Unfortunately, as important and thought provoking as these topics can be, the movie conveys it in a very simplistic and heavy-handed manner. There is a lack of any real subtilty to any of the message, instead the film relies on heavy-handed, simplistic and repetitive dialogue. 

Despite its flaws this is still and absorbing movie.