Hailee R

Not going to lie, this had mad potential, it really did. The trailer gave me chills and an excitement that suggests “finally, something that puts me and my curiosity on edge!” — and trust me, I'm no stranger to the horror/thriller/psychological scene—I’ve seen it all. But the trailer and the start of the movie had me amped. And then there was this weird dance of energy throughout that threw me off as the storyline started opening up. There was a lot of unexplained parts with a plot that becomes (somewhat) obvious and stereotypical. I just couldn’t find that moment of “yes, this feels real and I’m really into it”. It kept missing the mark. And were they trying to portray some dark humor? -I don’t know. It was awkward in the ways that I didn’t know how it was suppose to make sense or make me feel. I think Nicholas Cage did a great job, but his character/performance felt degraded by the poor buildup and disjointed connections/actors. Basically I walked out feeling very disappointed and had hoped it was the similar to the trailer but x100. It was anything but that… I desperately wish I could’ve had amazing things to say, but is was boring and “off”.

SPOILER ALERT*** I was excited for this even though I was still trying to put aside my disappointment for Samantha’s (Kim Catrall's) absence; it’s not an SATC reboot without the fantastic 4… but I figure there’s still potential. However, I couldn’t have been more dumbfounded by the first episode alone… Mr. Big survives COVID but can’t even survive the first episode of JLT??! I told myself I was done right there. But, because my curiosity and excitement for the show now transitioned into the saying, "It's like a car crash. You can't look away", I continued the current episodes to discover it doesn't get much better… (to a recent 2 star reviewer: @Lindsey Jefferson, You couldn't have said it better.) The show portrays this “night and day” lifestyle that feels so over-done, exaggerated and rushed beyond comprehension. These women who live in NYC, all very intelligent and involved in the daily motion of society —COVID or not, should not be acting like they fell into some anti-social coma since their last 2004 episode and woke up to today; totally distraught by the world around them and how they (and their age?) can and can’t fit in or translate —esp with racism. but as a reviewer said, In some ways certain topics could’ve certainly worked had it been approached much more gracefully. Rather, it all feels like a chaotic desperate need to force storylines (Samantha, now sadly Stanford) and make episodes solely around blown proportions portraying todays society and somewhat unrecognizable character development. **I will say, as the show goes on, there are moments and scenarios of the show that reflect and bring me back to remember the oh-so familiar SATC. And since the JLT series took this irreversible and unnecessary direction of Big's death, this is how I would envision Carrie to arrange, react and attempt to move on. I just wish the writers would've recognized the obvious, if you’re already missing Samantha the last thing you should do is rip away another major character, Mr. Big—esp in that manner. Not at all the best tipping off point to a very beloved series. ★★ 2 STARS: fashion is on point (esp E6, all hail Carrie's burgundy trouser suit–YAS) and it was just really refreshing and beautiful to see everyone somewhat together again… I missed them.