Kimi acts sort of like a modern reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, but unfortunately, it’s nowhere near as slick as the classic mystery thriller film.
Overall Score: 6/10
Image: HBO Max
With his latest release Kimi, Steven Soderbergh, director of the popular Ocean's trilogy, takes the basic premise of the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window and puts a modern spin on it.
That sounds like a recipe for something great, right? Well, without getting into the specifics of how it pales in comparison (for that would needlessly lengthen this review), what should’ve been a smart and well-made reimagining of Hitchcock’s masterpiece sadly ends up almost completely falling short of it.
First off, the main character is pretty much unlikeable. In fact, for some strange reason, she seems to have been written that way intentionally. Look, I don’t know about you, but if you ask me, it’s really difficult to like a movie if it’s hard to root for its lead character — and that’s exactly how I felt at times while watching Kimi.
Moreover, the main plot isn’t all that engaging. Don’t get me wrong, on paper, the overall idea sounds very interesting, but it’s unfortunately held down by mediocre writing (despite some otherwise excellent directing from Soderbergh). Furthermore, the main crime that the film revolves around isn’t treated in a manner, I feel, that is appropriate to its severity. Instead, it’s mostly used as a generic plot device that doesn’t add much to the story and only serves to keep it going.
But, for all of its faults, Kimi does have a few things going for it. Its score and cinematography, for instance, are top-notch, and both add to the experience of feeling tense and uneasy just as the main character does. Also, although her role isn’t as developed or as great as it should be, it certainly helps that Zoë Kravitz gives a strong lead performance. Plus, the cat and mouse chase sequences are pretty fun to watch.
In conclusion, although it does try to serve as an updated version of Rear Window for modern audiences, Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi is unfortunately middling at best and not remotely as good. Nevertheless, it’s still fun when it works and it’s enough to keep you entertained should you choose to watch it. But, is it a first-rate thriller? No, that, it most certainly is not.
Comments