Marisa Ferreira
Staff writer
‘The Never List’ is an experience to watch and does not disappoint and leaves viewers entertained with a light and adventuristic plot.
‘The Never list’ presents nothing beyond wasted potential. The film stays interesting from the main perspective that an intimate relationship isn’t everything in romance and that trauma is what makes a person more well-rounded than others.
‘The Never List’ begins by showing the main character Eva and her best friend Liz. The audience learns about the never list which is a list made by the two main characters with the idea that they can complete tasks they normally wouldn’t and it ends up driving the main script. Continuing on, Eva finds herself without Liz, but she gains a new romantic interest making the story more dramatic than it already is.
Released on Dec. 11, “The Never List is directed by Michelle Mower. The main cast of characters is composed of Fivel Stewart as Eva Jefferies, Brenna D’Amico as Liz, and Keiko Agena as Jennifer Jefferies.
One of the key elements leading to the movie’s success is its dramatic ability to take a negative and turn it into a positive. Another key element which was immensely important to the movie was how the relationship between Eva and her boyfriend was driven by emotion and not just intimacy. This underlying moral that the film is teaching is so important for a younger audience and helps it have a more romantic feel.
The film’s greatest strength is Eva’s struggle with herself after she loses Liz becoming relatable for readers. In the movie, Eva is a straight forward girl with excellent grades, but viewers see how trauma changes her and how she finds her true self through the alter egos that Eva and Liz made together before the incident occurred. This makes the story relatable for readers. The relatability gives the watchers a connection to the characters making this the movie’s greatest strength.
On the opposing side, the plot is driven mostly by Eva’s motivation to complete the never list she created with Liz before she passed away. Since Eva is not one to do things outside her comfort zone, the never list was not only a challenge for her but it was hard for her to do without Liz. Viewers see that the list brings many positive aspects to Eva’s life which drives the plot the most, along with keeping the movie interesting. The movie would have lost most of the viewers attention without these positive points.
Although the plot is exceedingly strong, the movie somewhat falls short because in many ways Eva’s personality isn’t explained or used. For example, Eva is said to like art and use it as a hobby in the beginning of the story, but not much animation or artwork of Eva’s was broadcasted throughout the movie. This takes away from Eva’s character build and doesn’t allow the watcher to understand her as well. The script could have been more connecting to readers if they understood Eva’s character in detail. This lack of characterization contributes to the film’s failure to form a strong connection between the characters and the audience.
Similarly, viewers don’t learn much about Liz seeing as she gets taken away from the script quite abruptly in the start of the movie. This leaves watchers somewhat confused about how strong the relationship is between Eva and Liz, making the film a bore at times.
‘The Never list’ emotionally brings good morals to surface while maintaining an interesting and exciting plot that overlooks the bad qualities of the movie. The film exceeds expectations and is a must see.
‘The Never List’ is available in theaters starting on Dec. 11 and is rated R.
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