"100 Nights of Hero" Falls Flat Despite Star-Studded Cast
In this fantasy romance, writer-director Julia Jackman's mischievous spark is all too often doused by a lackluster approach to its source material. Based on the graphic novel "100 Nights of Hero" by Isabel Greenberg, the film takes cues from "One Thousand and One Nights," but in Jackman's hands, these narrative layers feel more like thinly veiled extensions for their fictitious storyteller - a queer reimagining of Scheherazade that fails to quite live up to its promise.
The film begins strong, with Felicity Jones narrating the origins of the story and introducing us to Cherry (Maika Monroe), a melancholy woman who's married off to Jerome (Amir El-Masry) in a Victorian dollhouse conception. Jerome's neglectful nature sets the stage for their lackluster progeny, and we're introduced to Hero (Emma Corrin), Cherry's loyal servant with pixie hair, who maintains a watchful eye on the proceedings.
As Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) takes an extended leave of absence from his castle, he makes a wager with his scheming friend to seduce Cherry in his stead. But it's Hero's nightly stories that truly bring the house down - literally at times, as she appears to call on witchcraft, causing Manfred to lose all sense of days and weeks.
However, these enchanting tales are often more like a tease than a payoff, leaving us with more questions than answers about the secret society of storytellers that Hero's yarns gesture towards. The film gestures towards feminist themes and queer pairings, but they're never presented with enough passion or subtlety to truly ignite.
The film's visuals are undoubtedly gorgeous, capturing a lush, dreamlike quality that's reminiscent of Wes Anderson's aesthetic. But despite its picturesque world, the camera seems hesitant to explore it, instead lingering on the still panels of its comic source material. The actors' chemistry is undeniable, but they're seldom allowed to explore it either.
Ultimately, "100 Nights of Hero" feels like a film that's more told than felt - a story of love and companionship beset by hegemonic structures that's never quite brought to life on screen. Despite its star-studded cast and mischievous spark, the film is a disappointment, with only its visuals managing to evoke a sense of allure.
In this fantasy romance, writer-director Julia Jackman's mischievous spark is all too often doused by a lackluster approach to its source material. Based on the graphic novel "100 Nights of Hero" by Isabel Greenberg, the film takes cues from "One Thousand and One Nights," but in Jackman's hands, these narrative layers feel more like thinly veiled extensions for their fictitious storyteller - a queer reimagining of Scheherazade that fails to quite live up to its promise.
The film begins strong, with Felicity Jones narrating the origins of the story and introducing us to Cherry (Maika Monroe), a melancholy woman who's married off to Jerome (Amir El-Masry) in a Victorian dollhouse conception. Jerome's neglectful nature sets the stage for their lackluster progeny, and we're introduced to Hero (Emma Corrin), Cherry's loyal servant with pixie hair, who maintains a watchful eye on the proceedings.
As Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) takes an extended leave of absence from his castle, he makes a wager with his scheming friend to seduce Cherry in his stead. But it's Hero's nightly stories that truly bring the house down - literally at times, as she appears to call on witchcraft, causing Manfred to lose all sense of days and weeks.
However, these enchanting tales are often more like a tease than a payoff, leaving us with more questions than answers about the secret society of storytellers that Hero's yarns gesture towards. The film gestures towards feminist themes and queer pairings, but they're never presented with enough passion or subtlety to truly ignite.
The film's visuals are undoubtedly gorgeous, capturing a lush, dreamlike quality that's reminiscent of Wes Anderson's aesthetic. But despite its picturesque world, the camera seems hesitant to explore it, instead lingering on the still panels of its comic source material. The actors' chemistry is undeniable, but they're seldom allowed to explore it either.
Ultimately, "100 Nights of Hero" feels like a film that's more told than felt - a story of love and companionship beset by hegemonic structures that's never quite brought to life on screen. Despite its star-studded cast and mischievous spark, the film is a disappointment, with only its visuals managing to evoke a sense of allure.
... but honestly, it just didn't live up to the hype, you know? The cast is incredible - Felicity Jones, Emma Corrin, and Maika Monroe are all so talented! 
But despite their best efforts, the story feels like it's missing something. I think the problem is that the film tries to do too much at once 
... it's got this gorgeous visuals, but they're not fully utilized because the pacing is all over the place 
.
They're so tantalizing, but then you're left with more questions than answers. I mean, what's up with that secret society of storytellers? 
. The chemistry between the actors is undeniable, but they're not given enough to work with. Overall, I'd say it's a solid effort, but it's just... disappointing 
, that part was fire 
! But yeah, it feels like they didn't quite live up to the graphic novel's potential. The visuals were def gorgeous tho 
, wish they'd explored them more in the story 
. the idea of a queer reimagining of "one thousand and one nights" is so cool 
, but it feels like the film just phoned it in instead of really digging into the story 
. felicity jones as the narrator is already a win 
, but then you hear her talk about how cherry's marriage is basically a prison sentence... it's just meh, you know? 
the visuals are gorgeous tho, like i can totally picture this film being a lush, dreamlike romp through history 
. and don't even get me started on the cast - emma corrin as hero is basically my spirit animal 
... but, yeah, it sounds like they didn't quite capture the spark that i was hoping for 
instead of really exploring the themes and characters, we get these super short and sweet stories from hero's perspective 
. and dont even get me started on how the pacing is all over the place 
. and emma corrin as hero is pretty cool too 
. but overall, i think the film just kinda... fizzles out 
the story seemed kinda flat and didn't really make me feel anything 
don't get me wrong felicity jones as the narrator is amazing 
but the whole thing just felt like it was missing something 
i mean we had this gorgeous world to explore but instead of digging deeper into the characters' emotions, the film just kinda... stopped 
amir el-masry and maika monroe were nice i guess 
but they didn't really get to do much beyond their roles 
still, 100 Nights of Hero's visuals are def one of its strongest points 
. The visuals are definitely stunning, though - I mean, those dollhouse scenes were straight fire 
But what I loved the most about the movie's concept was how it explored themes of feminism and queer relationships 
. It felt like it had so much potential but the execution just fell flat for me. The storyline was kinda confusing and hard to follow, especially towards the end 
. Can't we appreciate art that's not just loud and flashy like some politicians' speeches 
we get this gorgeous visuals, sure, but it's just window dressing. we need something more than just pretty pictures to make us feel like we're truly experiencing the story. 
... I mean, I love Felicity Jones, Emma Corrin, and Amir El-Masry - they're all amazing, but even their chemistry can't make up for the lackluster storytelling 
. Maybe I just had too high of hopes, but for me, "100 Nights of Hero" feels like a total letdown 
. But now that I've seen it, I'm just kinda meh about it. I mean, Felicity Jones is always a plus, but even she can't save this messy story from itself 
. But it feels like they're just skimming over the surface instead of really diving into the world-building. And don't even get me started on how the story meanders along, like when "Harry Potter" was still trying to figure out its own pacing in the early books 
. All in all, I'd say it's a decent watch but not the epic fantasy romp I thought it would be 
i mean who wouldn't want to watch a story of love and magic unfold on screen? 
only wish it was more fleshed out 
. I mean, I love Felicity Jones as an actress, but she was wasted in this role 
. Overall, it felt like the filmmakers were more interested in looking pretty than actually telling a good story 
.
. Don't even get me started on how they missed an opportunity to really dive into those feminist themes - or the queer pairings, for that matter