Sevimli Tehlikeli (2015)

20 years ago, a baby was stolen from a farming couple, driving them into grief. The kidnap is orchestrated by a powerful criminal who's intent on seizing his dying wife's fortune, which will only be accessible if her child marries. Faced without a wife or child, he =, with the help of a =. An unwitting accomplice to this is the young Zorak, who witnesses everything, including the death of his guardian. In the present day, young Zeliş has grown up without much of a life. Her father keeps her locked up in his ivory tower, fiercely protective of his 'child'. Convinced from a birthmark that she'll meet her soulmate and 'Prince Charming' someday, she holds out hope, and eventually bumps into Zorak, now a thief. While he wants nothing to do with her, believing he'll be nothing but trouble for a good rich girl like her, Zeliş is instantly smitten, and pursues him doggedly. The two begin falling for each-other, but it isn't long before Zeliş's father and his friends find out...

Sevimli Tehlikeli gets off to a bloody heavy start! Bound to make you cry, it pulls you right in, and you think there's no possible way this will be a fun movie! Thankfully the tone shifts after the time jump, and things naturally segue into the more lighthearted midsection, before becoming more of a thriller/adventure in the final act..

The story here is very good. Powerful, sweet, thrilling, with more than enough to keep you entertained, and enough happening to always keep you on your toes. It's never =, but it's also never too fast or = either.

Something I like here is the element of coincidences, and fate. Like how Zeliş's clumsiness causes her masquerade/disguise as a boy in the = cafe to go pear-shaped, but as she runs out, guess who she bumps into! It's not exactly realistic, but who cares. It's fun, =, and it really fits with the modern day fairy tale vibe. Honestly this does feel like a real life fairy tale, without any of the drawbacks than can hamstring such stories. Some try too hard, others not enough, but this nails it. It's subtle enough that you don't notice at first, but once you realise it, suddenly all the pieces fit together.

Tone is something the movie gets right! The dark moments might be dark, but never gratuitously so, and they never dominate the whole film. That makes them all the more effective, I feel. If a whole movie is super serious, then [nothing ultimately stands out], but when you pace yourself, they can be extremely effective.

Coming to the more notable traits/aspects, Sevimli Tehlikeli is a very ridiculous movie! A lot of the scenes are silly, and =, and always in a fun way, if not exactly believable. This reaches the apex in an absolutely absurd climax that's a joy to watch. I promise it's one of the most insane things you'll see in a romance, Turkish or otherwise!

As loony and over-the-top as the climax [to this film] is, the ending is very calm in comparison! It takes its time, and lets things unfold slowly as they come to an end. Whether or not everyone appreciates a 20 minute ending after the baddie's already been stopped is up to them, but I at least liked it here. I felt the movie had enough to wrap up to justify it, and it's more a matter of a couple of long scenes, as opposed to an absolute multitude of unnecessary extra endings.

The characters here are all well-developed and distinctive. The villains are a creepy bunch, with the eyepatch-clad Necla being the most visually interesting. A little silly at first, but once you get used to her, you begin to forget that she looks like a pirate, and treat her seriously. The villains range from machiavellian schemers, corrupt officials, young thugs, and more.

Zeliş's friend Meltem is level headed and down to earth in comparison, but ends up having to spearhead all  operations due to Zeliş's clumsiness and shyness. She's honest to a fault, such as =, but she never =, and more than makes up for her mistakes. Frankly she's the only good person in her family! Her dad's a psycho and her brother's a prick!

And lastly, the two leads. Zeliş is a fanciful (not to mention clumsy) dreamer who wants to experience more. Uncaring about the wealth at her feet, the only important thing to her is finding someone good to spend her time with, and having a real adventure for a change. Zorak meanwhile is ,more realistic and gruff, but also charismatic, and knows a good thing when he sees it, and he always strives to make good despite his thieving habits.

Fate is all well and good [and all], but it's nothing if the romance itself isn't convincing. I'm gonna need more than just 'These two are fated to be together!'. I need to actually see them interact, and like each other. Thankfully Sevimli delivers well on that front. The romance here is sweet, convincing, and you really buy it. These two make a great couple, worthy of Cinderella and Prince Charming!

The acting here is very good, with a lot required from the cast in terms of emotion. They go from one to another, even the more minor characters, and they do it superbly. They really help sell the movie's goofier moments, and make the dramatic ones that much more powerful.

The look of Sevimli is great. Several moments are stylishly directed, with beautiful wide-open shots. The action scenes, chases, and comedy moments are well directed too.

The music is a weird but neat addition. The main theme is strange, and very local, really getting you in the mood with its dum raka raka's and tiki tiki tak tak's. The score has a mix of electronic music with Turkish =, and it works well, never feeling too much like one or the other to sound ridiculous. There are a couple of alright pop songs too, in English and Turkish.

Overall, Sevimli Tehlikeli is a very entertaining movie with a lot to enjoy. You want romance? It's here. Adventure? Check! Danger? Eyepatch-wearing villains, and death-defying stunts? All here! If any of that appeals to you, this is a fun time, for sure...