In the heights (3.5/5)

Lukas 2022-10-25 07:54:39

The musical film directed by Zhu Haowei, written and guest starred by Lin-Manuel Miranda, as an adaptation of the original musical in Highland, is generally okay, but a bit boring. In the article about the detailed communication between the director and LMM, I became interested in this film, and I remembered the real experience mentioned at that time after watching it. The film opens with a clear theme, what is Sueñito? Translated into English, it is Little dream. This is the story of ordinary people. In the Hispanic community in Washington Heights, New York, everyone has their own troubles and lives here to make money and survive. Before we talk about it later, I have to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the film first. The advantages are obviously the arrangement of the song and dance, the soundtrack, the setting, the costume design, the stage design, etc. The casting of the actors is also very good, especially The four protagonists are Usnavi, Vanessa, Nina, and Benny, as well as grandma Abuela and cousin Sonny. The cameo roles of LMM express the theme of the film through a few shots and easter eggs, and the use of shaved ice stalls and ice cream trucks to solicit customers is equivalent to the collision of two generations of immigrants.

The disadvantage is that in the first hour of the film, a song and dance kept appearing, but there was no exciting part at the beginning, just like a transitional plot, it was a bit boring to watch, until the touching part of grandma started to become more and more exciting after the power outage , I think it's a problem of improper editing. Many of the director's previous works had bad scripts. This time, there were many problems an hour before the editing. A group of people in the community party held high the national flag. After the call came back, they returned to their respective lives. The words in the lyrics were taken as venting. Secondly, the movie mentioned immigration, education, work, racial discrimination, unfair treatment, etc., but these contents were superficial. , I think it has something to do with the script changes in the movie version and the movie editing.

At the end of the movie, the foreshadowing of the lottery turns over, everyone wants to have $96,000 to change their lives, very realistic content, the whole community is about to disappear and be replaced by all kinds of new residents, prices are rising, Sonny has always wanted to help the whole community. To protest, he couldn't go to university because he was an illegal immigrant, but Nina went to Stanford University but found that after leaving home, the outside world and the school were prejudiced against her, and the conflict with her father was regarded as a foreshadowing for the later characters to change. The content of the movie reflects the reality, but there is no way to adjust the mentality and continue to study at university to prove himself. Sonny will face a lawsuit that is likely to fail. In the future, the two will use their knowledge to help the community solve education problems. and undocumented immigrants.

The plot says back to grandma and Nina's father Kevin, the two represent the older generation of immigrants, who have experienced more hardships than today's people, working year after year, earning hard money, just for a better life, these people come After arriving in New York, he continued to inherit the dreams of the previous generation, and used patience and faith to make the whole community better. The home of this group of people is here, but the reality is more and more impersonal.

Usnavi has inherited Abuela's belief, hope exists in the hearts of every generation, and can only be changed step by step. He gave up the opportunity to go to Dominica. Benny's actor's performance is wonderful, but the role is much less than what Nina specifically portrayed. , more like being sandwiched between father and daughter, but the couple contributed the most exciting scene of the film, singing and dancing on the city wall in the sunset.

I really like the arrangement of Vanessa's costume designer in the film. I mainly think that these costume designs are very beautiful, but there is a scene where she suddenly returns to reality when she sings the highest note. I don't know if it's a clever design or a sudden ending. On a date, the two were a bit abrupt because they didn't dance and quarrel with each other. The last two people's love story is equivalent to ending, which should be regarded as a successful conclusion.

The whole movie is definitely not as good as the original musical, but the singing and dancing are very shocking, which is why the movie can attract so many people to watch.

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Extended Reading

In the Heights quotes

  • Piragüero: It's hotter than the islands are today, and Mr. Softee's truck has broken down. And here come all his customers my way. I told you! I run this town! Piragua! Piragua! One Twenty Five Piragua! Piraqua! Piraqua! Two Twenty Five Piraqua! New blocks of ice! Hike up the price. La le lo lai! La le lo lai! Black outs are nice! Black outs are nice! La le lo lai! Keep scraping by! PIRAGUA!

  • Ensemble: Look at the fireworks!

    Usnavi: Abuela, are you alright?

    Ensemble: Light up the night sky!

    Abuela Claudia: The stars are out tonight.

    Ensemble: Look at the fireworks!

    Usnavi: You're not alone tonight.

    Ensemble: Light up the night sky!

    UsnaviAbuela Claudia: You're not alone tonight.