Pandora: Al di là del Paradiso (2023)

Not for all viewers..

It's my first time writing a review..but i had no choice, many disliked this drama. It's true that not every person might like this since it's a revenge based drama, but it was worth watching from my point of view..the story went on really quick in the beginning, but gradually began to slow down...the slow down was indeed necessary for character development.... But the story starts running fast from around ep 13...the major suspense was good... thought it could have been better... the main leads were really good in their acting skills but i found some improvement needed in the supporting characters.. and the story was really amazing, i liked the way how the writer tried to connect each character both in the past and present, yet the drama could have ended up with 12 episodes.. but truth to be told....it wasn't a waste..and ofcourse not everyone might have the same opinion..i wanted to skip this drama in the beginning after reading the comments..but then i found few positive ones too and i am glad i didn't skip it!!... 7.5 is low....if any of you haven't watched it yet, i hope you enjoy it..it was an open ending..i didn't like the music ...since it didn't match the revenge plot... I hope this review helps.. and since it's a story with suspense, thriller and secrets hidden...you might not really like re- watching it again after finding the truth in the end ...so re-watch value is low!!
Thankyou!!

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I went into this show with Penthouse expectations, but it failed to deliver.

Initially, this show started off quite promising, but it soon petered out into something rather underwhelming that lacked any real substance. It really had so much potential on paper, particularly with that stellar cast, but somehow it all went awry, or perhaps it never really got off the ground to begin with. Either way, it's a great waste and a big shame.

Disappointingly, the writers failed to give Lee Ji Ah an adequately strong and meaningful character, for which she so readily deserves and excels at. I can only hope that she lands a far better role in another show, pronto, as she is a superb actress. Notwithstanding, she was the saving grace of this show, despite her lacklustre roll.

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Not that bad...

The reason I started watching this show was because the plot intrigued me. Despite negative reviews and a low overall rating on MDL (7.5), I'm glad I took a chance on it.

While the series is certainly not without flaws and can be confusing at times (especially in the beginning), I appreciate the well-developed story and multi-layered, mature characters.

If you enjoy mature dramas with complex characters, I recommend giving it a try.

My main criticisms would be the weak character development of Jang Gyo Jin throughout the series, and the need for a more impactful ending for Min Yeong Hwee, who was a standout character throughout the story.

The majority of the cast delivered high-quality performances, though Hong Woo Jin fell short in comparison.

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Disappointing

This show had a lot of promise. It had an interesting premise and also good actors. The leads have all had successful dramas under their belts so i was looking forward to a story of revenge, mystery, and a bit of sci-fi thrown in. I loved watching Lee Ji Ah kick ass, it was a refreshing change from the majority of her other roles.

The show started off really promisingly in the first 4 episodes. It was fast-paced, filled with mysteries to uncover and revenge to boot. However, by episode 6, it started to become draining to watch. The actors, both lead and supporting, were all stalwarts with many solid roles under their belts. Puzzlingly, they (the actors playing Yoo Ra and Jang Geun Mo and Mother Director in particular) started to waaay overact - their growling and menacing looks really annoyed me while their maniacal laughing really grated on my nerves.

I held off watching as much as i could because I had Taxi Driver 2 to distract me. Since that's ended, I thought I'd hold my breath and speed through to finish this drama. However I'm not really sure I can stand sitting through another 6 episodes or so. This is one of those dramas that suffers from being dragged out to make 16 episodes, when 12 would probably have sufficed (the main mysteries are solved before episode 10). I'm gritting my teeth and hope I make it to the end. I'll be back with an update if that happens.

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good start, bad writing

The first 4 episodes is quite interesting, mysteries, action, drama. But it started to go downhill pretty fast. The writer is the one to blame. Characters were written inconsistent and shallow. Reporter /best friend of 13 years, take on an unknown tip and jump straight on a witch hunt without doing any due diligence. Not once ask, what is FL motive, what purpose, who benefits for the murder? If I were to get some unknown tip of my BFF doing shady things, I would have a hard time to belive it. How can a reporter not have such basic analytical thinking? and FL supposed to be so in love with her husband, can just flip off the love button and be so calculating cold, without any internal conflict is beyond me. K-drama quality in recent years is declining and the script/writer is always the culprit. So sad for all the talented actors.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Pandora : Beneath the Paradise '' is a sci fi melodrama.

The drama is messy, using too many genres, but failing to deliver in any of the fronts it opens. From a boring melodrama, to an eye-rolling spy thriller, the drama didn't handle its twists well, and so the story ended up being hard to keep up and hard to believe, even for a makjang. It seemed like the drama wanted to explain things that got out of hand by using unbelievable technological achievements without explaining anything further. Also, there were a lot of plotlines that were left half baked or unfinished.

Finally, the performances were good enough, even though the script didn't aid them.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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I Opened the Pandora's Box...Chaotic

I was initially intrigued as I somehow enjoyed The Penthouse and love revenge dramas. Little have I known that I would be wasting my precious time watching this. In the middle episodes, I started questioning why I watched this drama. Oh yes because of Lee Sang Yoon.
I knew that I have to stop this nonsense but alas! I kept on watching said drama until the very end. The last episodes were chaotic and unrealistic. I mean what? I have been warned by a few reviews on this drama but I didn't listen.

If you have time to waste, then go ahead and be my guest and watched this drama.

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Steve Jobs on Crack

Where would you even begin with this crazy hot mess? The first 3-4 episodes were acceptable despite moving too fast and creating many gaps. However, as the drama unfolded, it became clear that it was biting off more than it could chew. Right off from episode 5, the drama became an irrecoverable mess. The pacing was erratic, jumping between weak fabricated plot twists, jarring narrative and bloated segments with no sense of cohesion. The drama was throwing everything at the viewers to see what sticks. Action, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, melodrama, the drama couldn't decide what it wanted to be nor it managed to mix any of them well. The characters felt like caricatures rather than fully developed individuals, and their motivations often seemed arbitrary, inconsistent and generally weak. If the drama wanted to go for stupid ridiculousness then why not raise the stakes to match? Not even the ending could measure up to its intent despite its "supposed" twist.

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