Valentine (2017) Poster

(2017)

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5/10
Good ideas , generic execution
geeklegionofdoom15 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In the days where modern superhero movies dominate the box office. The trailer for this movie teases a self referential masked vigilante flick. A struggling film maker wants to get financing for a superhero movie , so finds a woman who can really do martial arts to get her to go fight crime for real and film it to drum up interest via viral videos to secure financing for a film, and in the meantime they end up taking on more serious criminals . That concept is fantastic, coupled with a very likable lead actress and some inventive fight scenes. Sounds like a winner. It could have been , however that initial concept is introduced but soon forgotten for more altruistic and generic hero motivations . After that it just goes into standard low budget superhero action flick with an air for camp . Think Kick Ass turning into Black Scorpion or Batman Forever. The bad guy is just silly, and is super obvious who he really is ( Hmm what character has been introduced and done nothing with ??) The climax confusingly removes Valentine from the equation , and actually means the character has had little impact on the conclusion of the plot . The bad guys motivations are contrived, and when it's revealed i couldn't help but think what were the Shadow's henchwomen getting out of all of this ? Whilst the stunt work is good, the editing and camera work that films it are not leading to choppy action sequences . The acting with the exception of our lead actress & one police officer is ott and campy . There still is stuff to enjoy with this, it is fun, fast paced lots of action. It just could have been more, but didn't take any risks . It teased being self referential , clever and commenting on the superhero genre, but never pulled the trigger on those ideas , favoring tried and tested genre tropes
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6/10
Earnest, simplistic, unbelievable, but ultimately likable
lemon_magic22 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I can understand why this movie would grate on some audience members and reviewers. You have to work hard at some points to suspend your sense of disbelief, sometimes the art direction and story choices need polish, and the dubbed voice acting definitely brings things down a bit.

What I saw here could easily (with a little of the aforementioned polish) have been on a CW television series - say, "Birds Of Prey", or "Arrow". Every featured actor or actress on screen is young, pretty (including the men), quirky, and snarky. The young heroine is well trained and athletic (although she could have used another 20 lbs of muscle to believably survive some of the punches her character takes). And she can act.

Most of the fight choreography would not have been out of place in a typical Jackie Chan film - clever, frenetic, mildly humorous, featuring lots of backflips and slipped punches - although Valentine doesn't do Chan's characteristic bug-eyed dismay and exasperation. Maybe the producers thought it wouldn't look good on a young woman.

Is it gritty and realistic ? Well, no, but do you really want to see a pretty young girl spitting teeth? I don't.

So really, this is OK-to-good. It just lacks any real sense of gravitas. It's TV level story making released as a movie. OK time waster if you like CW style heroics.
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6/10
Likeable
rdamian19633 June 2020
A comic book movie done on a low budget. Despite the low budget, there is actually reasonable character development. Yes it is a bit generic, but most super hero movies are. The special effects are horrendous, but the martial arts scenes are actually quite good. Asian movies have a tendency to have a certain style and this one is no exception. A few of the action scenes border on being just stupid (police with weapons and not one fires at the bad guys). But for the most part the movie is enjoyable.
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5/10
Wanted to be something it wasn't
Top_Dawg_Critic19 May 2019
This Indonesian film was their attempt at a superhero film, and although it had some good qualities, it wasn't even close to achieving its goal.

It felt like a teeny-bopper film with over-the top acting on the 'fashion' dude, and stale performances that struggled to convince. Add ridiculous long fight scenes poorly choreographed and a silly story to match. The directing and cinematography were decent - for a B grade film, but the writing/screenplay was terrible with cliches, plot issues and dragged out scenes.

By the quarter way mark, I had to fast forward scenes as I was getting bored, then midpoint into the movie I just gave up.

It's a very generous 5/10 from me, only taking into account it's a no-name actors Indo B-grade film that had some decent qualities.
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5/10
Mediocre & unbelievable super hero film
Snootz22 May 2019
As comic book films go, this was "okay", but not impressive. So-so super hero flick about a female Batman-type vigilante. Good story but unbelievable because virtually no weapons were used by criminals-- all marial arts fight scenes. Valentine's costume looked like something out of amateur cosplay. She goes into heavy physical battle with virtually no body armor to speak of... and not a scratch during the entire film.

The storyline is cliche but decent and the characters aren't bad. But that costume along with the "I just love martial arts!" fight scenes made this a wiener of a film. That, followed by two incomprehensible "credit flicks" made this a somewhat underwhelming effort. Better than Batman & Robin, and there have been worse superhero films, but this could have used better costuming, better choreography, and a whole lot more "What does she do if someone pulls out a shotgun or a sword?" Seriously, the loon didn't even carry a taser. That's just goofy, unrealistic writing.

And while I did like the main actress... about 30 to 40 more pounds of muscle would have made her character more believable. Why do they always portray female "fighter type" super heroes like frail supermodels? C'mon industry, get some wits.
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4/10
Jakarta
chuckxx19 September 2021
Batavia is the old name of Jakarta. Even the entrance shows a megapolis, which Jakarta isn't, the movie is actually in Jakarta. I did recognize some of the places i have been.
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5/10
yep, generic n acted so so
surfisfun17 May 2019
Do not watch English Subbed as I did. police don't use their gun n marrons. after a short while I give up and FF to the end. may be better in Indonesian language. check geek below for a good review.
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5/10
Good Fighting: Poor depiction: Small SPOILER
michaelrose1318 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I'm writing this because I'm a realist. I'm sorry, martial arts do not beat firearms. In one seen, the bad guys take down an entire S.W.A.T. team in a bank. There is no way that can happen in any country. The car chase is a little unreal but exciting too. The acting is a little bit over done but primarily good. It's a good movie to inspire people to believe in heroes.

But then again, it's another person trying to make a difference where they live however, they also have to fight their inner pain and troubles. It's a good movie to take some time out of your day and also to possibly loose some brain cells in the process.
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7/10
A little bit underrated movie
eurom4417 August 2020
Spectacular action movie with a beautiful female action lead. If this were a US movie, it would be highly rated. Story is simple and copied from Kick-Ass. Cool bad guys like in Batman movies.
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3/10
It's pretty bad and all over the place
keithdustindesigns26 May 2020
You can and would expect low quality from an action film in Indonesia, but it's completely disjointed and all over the place. Story has little to no cohesion. The female lead is the only thing going for the film but I have no idea how her acting is because it's dubbed in English. A rewritten version with an actual budget/director/ and film crew could probablyake something out of this.
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8/10
Watched on a whim
jrrow-5648818 May 2019
Really good, I thought it was going to be bad, but to my surprise it was really good watch. I watched the English dubbed version. The character valentine was on point and her martial arts skills were also really good. I love to see movies like this I feel this could pickup where kickass left off and give us more.
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7/10
What a surprise this turned out to be...
paul_haakonsen21 January 2021
I hadn't even heard about the 2017 Indonesian superhero movie titled "Valentine" before now in 2021, when I had the chance to sit down to watch it. In fact, as I sat down to watch it, I didn't even know it was an Indonesian movie.

Let me just be the first to say that I was more than genuinely entertained and surprised with the movie from writers Sarjono Sutrisno, Beby Hasibuan and Aswin Siregar. This was actually a rather impressive movie and a very enjoyable movie to watch.

The storyline told in "Valentine" was a good and entertaining one, though it felt like an Indonesian version of "The Phantom" somehow. But it worked out quite well, because the story was one that picks you up and immerse you into the action. I was genuinely entertained by this movie from start to end.

As for the acting in the movie, well I was impressed, and I found that the actors and actresses were doing good jobs. I wasn't familiar with the cast here, as I haven't seen all that many Indonesian movies. But I was more than genuinely impressed with lead actress Estelle Linden, she really can fight. And I really hope that she will put out more action and martial arts movies in the future.

It should also be said that the costume department working on the movie really did a phenomenal job. I liked the costumes quite a bit, especially on the entourage that followed Shadow (the villain) around; they really had colorful and impressive outfits.

Unfortunately I had the misfortune to sit down to watch a version that was fully dubbed into English. It was atrocious to listen to, and I loathe dubbed movies. But still, the storyline and the action in "Valentine" was so entertaining that I bit the apple and endured the horrible dubbing.

"Valentine" is a movie that I can strongly recommend that you sit down to watch. While it is not a super-hero movie per se, as Valentine has no super powers, it is a hero movie nonetheless. My rating of "Valentine" is a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.
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*A lot* more enjoyable to watch than WW84
rsvp32120 January 2021
Fun, action, a bit cheesy and predictable, but a very entertaining flick.

Zero identity politics, special interest group pandering, or pc focused plot, which is the main inspiration for too many recent Hollywood productions, lately.
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3/10
Nice try
gtenalokes25 May 2019
So many things wrong with this movie and the budget is not one of them...
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3/10
Plenty of potential, lost on production
casablancavic3 July 2020
This is just like so many Marvel and DC cartoon superhero movies...a dismal fail.

This one does it without going into the hundreds of millions of dollars budget, but like many of those - it's a fail, nevertheless.

Poor dialogue, poor character development, a script which has little to offer and a lead which looks like she's not even 100 lbs when she's soaking wet.

While it's a comic type movie, there still has to be some sort of believeability to the characters - an their drive...and just like so many other super hero movies...BATMAN< SUPERMAN< SPIDERMAN< IRON MAN<THOR - this doesn't have it either.

I didn't expect much from it - and I recieved just as much as I expected.

So many flaws which should have been corrected long before filming began - but people don't see iot...hence, this is what the final result is.
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3/10
I "knew" it would be bad and it was
dmpyron7 February 2020
Maybe it's just the style of Indonesian movies but this was so disjointed I had trouble keeping score. The highly stylized fighting was okay, but the camera angles and continuity issues made that tough. Even when it was over I shrugged "huh?"

This flick was clearly a vanity piece. And it shows it with more flaws than value
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1/10
Laughable
theguy20 February 2020
This movie looks like it was created by my teenage son over the course of a 3-day weekend. Characters were shallow, and not worth caring about. Dialog was absolutely awful. I am a sucker for movies, but this one did not hold my interest.

I do not understand why Asian companies are getting into Hollywood movies - they are all subpar! Just stop!
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3/10
Boring
rehmankhilji1 June 2019
Yes the movie is boring, not boring in the concept or the plot but boring in the making and twist in the end, the suspense they kept till the end was quiet stupid for such action movie. But Estelle Linden is a very good surprise, she seems to be a good actor and any notice from Hollywood and she is definitely on the role. As for the movie, badly directed, average action, Estelle Linden good, costumes too much copied, Estelle Linden costume inspired from Lara Croft.
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4/10
Amateur, child play hero film.
XueHuaBingYu2 August 2019
Valentine is an amateur hero film. So-called hero film because she doesn't have any kind of superpower. All she can do is fight. So, it can't be said superhero film. It can only be said a hero film. But the presentation style and screenplay is kind of amateur. But I must admit that it's not less serious like Shazam. So, at least, it's still okay.

The film seems to be inspired by Superman, Spiderman, that kind of superheroes. But too bad that Valentine doesn't have any superpowers. So, I'd say it's kind of boring because superhero stuffs are better than normal hero's. That being said, fighting choreographies are quite good. So, as for action film, it's very fine.

I kind of like those films where the main character is responsible for catching bad guys in every way possible. But in this film, Valentine seemed to be kind of weak and she sat the last one out. So, I think they need to improve this in some way.

What I watched is English dubbed version, so, I don't know what the original one looks like. But the English dubbed version is the worst. The voice artists are terrible. It seemed to me that like, they don't even know how to act, especially, the one who voice acted as Valentine. The way she speaks is so annoying. Most of English dubbed films are terrible. That's why I don't like to watch English dubbed versions. 😒

All in all, this film is just a fine hero film. But as for action, it's not so bad. Although dialogues are a bit weird, but it's still doing good. If they improve this film somehow, it'd be better than this.
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6/10
Jump like Batman.
nogodnomasters23 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A film producer in the corrupt Indonesian city of Batavia wants to make a film about Valentine, an avenger. While in a coffee shop he notices a waitress kick butt and hires her for the job. She is well versed in martial arts (Silat). At the same time, a masked man "The Shadow" has taken over the city at first as a vigilante and later as a criminal. Since the filmmaker doesn't have a backer, he decides to film the avenger fight real crime in hopes of getting a financial backer. Our waitress fights common criminals, eventually getting a purple costume and building perch reminiscent of The Phantom. She has no superpowers and is unconvincingly overpowering multiple skilled fighters.

It appears some of the production is in English and at other times dubbed. Sets up for a series. I liked the bad girl eye make-up. Again we have women that can take more punches to the face than Joe Lewis. Oh yeah, there's a twist.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.
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1/10
Not good
stan-4789331 January 2021
Okay, I'm up to 35 minutes - so far the characters are totally bad. So sad.
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8/10
Did enjoy it though....
leong_tommy18 May 2019
Very cutely done but not perfect. Dubbed into English which I think was a plus here. Valentine herself did a great job in her moves. All in all I did find it entertaining. Worth to see if you do not expect anything.
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6/10
more, please
seraphaanya18 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I like the superhero "Valentine" quite a bit. Yes, I'm using the term intentionally. The premise is a good one. The dialogue is clever in places. The climax is good. I care about the character. There were a couple clever subtle subversions of tropes. Some action scenes got me going. There were moments of real emotion. The use of handcuffs as a theme is unique.

The suit is the right direction, but could be improved.

The acting wasn't very good, I don't know how much of that was the actors, or the voice actors.

There was good and bad action.

I would like to see the ip handled by hollywood and maybe the lead actress could be a part of that.

The movie has its ups and downs, but is ultimately a triumph for the creators of the ip.

I live for a hollywood sequel, and a Marvel crossover.

I want to watch it again.
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3/10
is Seen Not Good Movie And Wasted For Me
scyperidrezel28 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
(SORRY MY BAD ENGLISH)

Okay Tbh Since l Was Watching This Movie 2 Times it Seen So Many Problem Is Cgi, Story And Even Titled Like Name Avenger l Thought it Titled Avengers But it Titled Avenger And Btw The Cgi Kinda Too Color, Story Are Not Good To Me But Enjoy To Watch Fighting Scene And Then it Seen Waste This Movie But Not Bad, Btw The There Another Problem About CGI is Explosion it Seen Color Explosion Are Not Good To Me But Did Great Job The director For My opinion So That Why This Movie Are Not Great Everything Plot 6/10 Pacing 5/10 Character 7/10.

Cinematography 6/10 Director 8/10.

Music 7/10 So Thar All My Opinion They Seen Skylar Comic Soon Try To Best To Next Project For Future Hopefully.
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5/10
Extremely low budget.
ITALUKE18 September 2022
This is a really low budget movie. Like really really low, so don't expect groundbreaking cgi. There is a car chase scene that I found laughable thanks to the low quality cgi. I wasn't invested in the story, at one point they completely let go of one of the storylines and I just had to go with it. I really liked the main villain, until they ruined it for me by showing us who was behind the mask. Like, COME ON you can't be serious. The other villains did not even speak once in the whole movie so they were just like minions. One thing that I enjoyed during all movie was the fighting scenes, good job on that one.
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