theguardian.com
The Weeknd's "Hurry Up Tomorrow": A Muddled Thriller
The Weeknd's new film, "Hurry Up Tomorrow," a nearly two-hour thriller loosely based on his sixth album, interweaves a real-life vocal injury with a fictional stalker narrative, ultimately leaving audiences feeling dissatisfied due to its muddled storytelling and self-indulgent nature.
- What are the main criticisms of "Hurry Up Tomorrow", and how do they impact its reception among viewers?
- Hurry Up Tomorrow", The Weeknd's new film, explores the consequences of his actions, intertwining his real-life vocal issues with a fictionalized stalker narrative. The film's nearly two-hour runtime, however, detracts from its impact, leaving viewers feeling dissatisfied.
- How does the film blend The Weeknd's real-life experiences with fictional elements, and what effect does this have on the narrative?
- The film uses a blend of reality and fiction, referencing The Weeknd's vocal problems during "The Idol" filming and incorporating a deranged fan subplot. This approach, while creative, results in a muddled narrative, hindering its overall effectiveness.
- What are the potential long-term consequences for The Weeknd's career trajectory given "Hurry Up Tomorrow's" critical and audience reception?
- The film's self-indulgent nature and unclear storytelling could potentially damage The Weeknd's image, highlighting a missed opportunity for impactful storytelling. The reliance on stylistic choices over narrative clarity ultimately diminishes the film's artistic merit.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The review's framing is predominantly negative, emphasizing the film's flaws and shortcomings while giving less attention to its potential strengths. The headline "Regrets? The Weeknd has a few." sets a negative tone from the outset. The frequent use of words like "muddled," "murky," "meandering," and "self-indulgent" reinforces this negative bias. While acknowledging some positive aspects (e.g., cinematography, chemistry between actors), the overall emphasis is on the film's failures. This negatively skewed framing might unfairly diminish the film's potential impact on viewers.
Language Bias
The review uses several loaded terms and phrases that reveal a negative bias. For example, terms like "deranged groupie," "wallows in the glamour," "torturous," "profligate drug and alcohol addiction," "unhinged stalker," and "missed opportunity" carry negative connotations. More neutral alternatives could include: "obsessive fan," "explores the allure," "challenging," "struggles with substance abuse," "intense fan," and "unrealized potential." The repeated use of negative adjectives and adverbs reinforces the critical stance.
Bias by Omission
The review focuses heavily on the Weeknd's performance and the film's aesthetic choices, neglecting deeper analysis of the narrative's thematic elements or societal implications. The lack of critical engagement with the film's portrayal of fame, addiction, and relationships limits a comprehensive understanding of its potential impact and message. While this might be partially due to space constraints, a more balanced approach would strengthen the analysis.
False Dichotomy
The review presents a somewhat simplistic dichotomy between the film's aesthetic strengths (cinematography, Weeknd's performance) and its narrative weaknesses (muddled storytelling, unclear payoffs). It doesn't fully explore the potential interplay between these aspects or consider the possibility that the film's artistic choices might be intentionally aligned with its thematic ambiguity. This oversimplification prevents a nuanced evaluation of the film's artistic merit.