Duck is a Karate student who is in a predicament with furthering his studies in Japan. He manages to get an offer from a business man under the condition he kills Tiger, however Duck refuses to go against Karate vows and regulations. Little did he know that trouble is brewing and his spouse would get kidnapped in order to threaten him into the deal. With the assistance of his master they manage to save Duck's spouse and he gets rewarded with a bursary to complete his studies.
The plot could’ve really been interesting if the elements of lycanthropy was integrated with perhaps the struggle of identity of being LGBTQ+. It's an experience for so many that as they’re starting to realizing their true selves, they feel like a monster, especially if they come from unsupportive homes or communities. Instead, the horror and transformation elements seem thrown in without contemplation of how this could deepen the narrative.
Netflix’s Shadow and Bone has a complicated relationship with race. It has a diverse cast, but not without its problems. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s two book series, the show features characters from the Shadow and Bone trilogy, which is very straight and white, and the Six of Crows duology, which is much more diverse. When bringing together a cast and writing about these characters, the team behind the show expanded upon some of the representation missing from the first trilogy, then seemed to take away representation from the duology. Shadow and Bone seems to play a bit of a push and pull game when it comes to portraying diversity onscreen.
Suppressed intergenerational family trauma and healing, warm welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe team, and Awkwafina's humor really make this film the real MVP.
This film was filled with great plot points. Unfortunately, they all contradicted each other and clashed. Had the premise of Awake been more consistent and accurately portrayed the real world aspect, I think this could have been an extreme success.
It's good for your film viewing needs, but isn’t going to shake your world. Demonic is trippy sci-fi fun, and that’s about it. And that's pretty cool.
