Kamikaze (2021) User Reviews

After first two episodes, will watch more

[othersidebar · 6/10 · 15 November 2021]

It could go either way. First, it could get pretty dark and there seem to be hints it will go in that direction. Second, it could get pretty silly, which would be a shame.

Although set in Denmark with Danish characters, the dialog is in English. You will follow the protagonist dealing with depression and confusion following the loss of her parents and brother in a plane crash as any person, much less an 18 year old, would.

But, at the same time, you see glimpses of an event which happens in the future which makes you wonder how she got in that position and I guess that is enough to keep my interest at this point. Hope it stays that way.

Worth a watch if it comes up on your watch list.

An Annoying Orphan's Story

[ObscureFilmLover · 6/10 · 11 December 2021]

And yet I gave it six stars. This is Marie Reuther's first major role and she is excellent. She makes the improbable story-line if not believable at least interesting. Julie is an eighteen year old woman who is very close to her family especially her father and her brother. She opts out of a family trip to live her life but then receives a text message from her father that changes everything; their plane is crashing and she is now an orphan.

Unfortunately because of her age and wealth, she is left unsupervised able to satisfy her every whim. And she has a lot of them. Her narration of her thoughts and actions is engaging and held my interest in spite of several WTF moments.

* Hanging herself in public only to have the rope come untied and falling to the floor.

* Deciding to fly continuously on airlines hoping they would crash only to find out it would probably takes more than a couple of decades.

* Flying to South Korea to might their ski jump champion getting his private number in a couple of hours and bedding him within a day.

* Traveling to Acapulco to visit the most dangerous street in the world only to decide to go to a rap concert instead.

* Getting the world's worst tattoo.

Up until half-way through the seventh episode I was going to give this series eight stars but then the ending was revealed. Spoiler Alert! Julie has a lot of sex within a short period of time which I would not have mentioned except its a part of resolving her grief and depression. She beds the family handyman who is adult enough to realize this was a mistake and apologize to her the next morning. She beds her classmate to get him to help her with her public suicide. Then more improbably she beds the South Korean Ski Jump champion within hours of arriving in country. Finally she beds the rapper within hours of arriving in Acapulco. All of this in less than four weeks because when she finds out she is pregnant, she isn't sure which one is the father.

So what turns this review into a six star review is the recklessness of the ending. A baby won't magically repair a broken marriage and a baby won't magically resolve your grief and severe depression but yet this is what happens here. A baby adds a level of complexity to life that cannot be fully anticipated so using the pregnancy as a cure is not a good thing.

Having ranted that, I look forward to seeing Marie Reuther again soon. She is worth watching.

I expected more

[hugoviniciius · 7/10 · 12 March 2022]

As a big fan of denmark and its shows and as this is HBO denmark's first max original series i was hoping this would be much better! I must say that the protagonist's performance is good and the story could yield a lot if it weren't so messy... I like the way grief is portrayed, it's different, I don't know if it's innovative, but it's a good premise that gets lost sometimes because it's too messy or even boring, Overall it starts well but ends badly. I hope to see more danish original hbomax series! I love these people!

a different way of dealing with grief

[thiago_ · 7/10 · 19 March 2022]

This show presents a different way of dealing with grief the protagonist is a great actress, but the plot is very messy... the premise is interesting and tries to show a new way of dealing with grief, but it's all very messy and full of boring dialogues. The photography is good, the plot is messy, the acting is decent. 7 points for being the first original Danish hbomax and for the good performance of the protagonist I LOVED seeing this all-Danish cast!

What's Important in Your Life?

[polycubefx · 9/10 · 29 November 2021]

Wonder about people who seem to have it all? This show examines the meaning of life using an original plot about loss & love. What it means to be alive & what we value. Brilliant writing with much subtext. Great acting all around.

Offers little in the way of new or original

[Airman87 · 6/10 · 24 November 2021]

Four episodes in and it feels like a mélange of other self-destructive stories we've seen before, all centered around loss. At times it tries to be clever, exploiting the juxtaposition between carnal human instinct and nature, while other times the content is quite lethargic and apathetic. The affluent background of the protagonist does lend itself to some writing flexibility with more adventure, but even a jet set lifestyle doesn't surmount the reality this is a slow burn story. Perhaps the biggest fault for me has been lack of relatability to the character despite being halfway through the series. Out of nothing more than curiosity, I will probably watch the remaining episodes to see whatever advent may come.

The whole show is based on this young woman being pretty

[leslied-60598 · 4/10 · 9 December 2021]

There's something that keeps you hanging in there, but DON'T. It doesn't get better and in the end you realize it's just an empty drama with almost no redeeming qualities and certainly a poor ending with no message.

Adventurous Grief

[buzzybee-80396 · 10/10 · 2 January 2022]

This was excellent! The loss of her family results in her loneliness and grief. Of course her aim is to end it, but along the way she unknowningly discovers her inner strength and extreme limitations. She is fearless and life saves her at every corner. Her adventures around the world, awaken her lost sole. Those who said it was boring, really didn't get it. Her acting was brilliant.

Very Good

[svader · 7/10 · 19 August 2022]

First episode I thought it was going to be a teen ranting and raving following the deaths of her family. It wasn't.

The lead character Julie made a very good exploration of herself and brilliantly acted and supposed by her male encounters on her journey.

Only flaw was the visit to the crash site. All of the wreckage was there still and easily accessed. In real life this would have all been removed for forensic examination.

Very, very boring series!

[Carpetface · 1/10 · 10 December 2021]

This was just super boring and I don't really understand what they tried to do with this show. I kept thinking when is is going to start for real, but I didn't. Frekking boring man!

Brilliant

[rghathway · 10/10 · 10 December 2021]

I would rate this an 11 just for Marie Reuther's acting performance. Another reviewer says he/she can't relate to the character but how can you unless you're in a similar situation.

Boring and very stupid

[qui_j · 1/10 · 16 December 2021]

This series starts off in a very disconnected way that sows the seeds of confusion early on. There is little context provided that would enhance a viewers understanding of the story. The scenes seem unrelated, and make no attempt to tell a coherent story. In short, a complete waste of time!

HBO's first Danish film DIALOG IN DANSK AND ENGLISH

[jeffreynaylor2009 · 10/10 · 18 November 2021]

Viewers should KNOW that this powerful and excellent film is presented in Dansk AND starring multi-lingual characters who speak ENGLISH, when it is NECESSARY. For example, as when the handsome young pool contractor (who is a 7 episode, main character from Poland) interacts with the Danish characters. He doesn't speak Dansk...but, many of these characters know English, as do many Europeans nowadays. So, they communicate in English when required WITH the ACCENTS you will hear from English speakers native to Denmark and Poland, just like in the real world! This series is like a free travel trip to Europe and, yes, other continents! If you want to miss out on these beautiful real-world European language interactions...hit the ENGLISH ONLY audio button available on HBO. If, however, you know how to read....then, ENGLISH SPEAKING VIEWERS who wish to capture this film's true, intended value should HIT ONLY the English Subtitle button, not the audio button. Then, they will be able to listen to the musical tones of Dansk (mostly promoting the accents and slang of YOUNG DANISH people) and read important dialog in real-life scenarios. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW BECAUSE some reviewers are reporting that they could only watch it with English dialog, which they thought was distracting to the film. Of course it is distracting! However, HBO does NOT mandate an ENGLISH ONLY viewing. So, where did they get their viewing? How can anyone properly critique a just-released film from an illegal source? They can't! This series is a beautifully portrayed mosaic of the world of a young adult, older teen who is dealing with tragedy in a compelling, profound presentation, which also has its comical moments. Thus far, after two episodes, it is powerful, beautiful, enthralling, filled with critically informative back flashes that kept me on the edge of my seat. To gain a broad spectrum perspective, I asked for reviews from my 14 and 30 year old daughters, without children and my four sons, aged 32 to 45, who have children. THE RESULT FROM THEM: TEN STARS! We can't wait to see the next episodes....something worth watching on Streaming TV!!!

Fantastic performance on a poor script

[Psykojon · 4/10 · 12 March 2022]

Marie Reuther is absolutely fantastic!!! The show is worth watching for her performance, but not for much else.

All other characters are flat, superficial and unrealistic. "Julie" would likely also be if not for Marie. There are fun scenes here and there, but mostly it's just platitudes and poorly written sequences with no sense for detail or any research, for instance into what would actually happen if you crash a plane. Lazy writing spiced up with some nudity to sell the trailer...

Thoughtful, Honest and Redemptive

[gfree-97255 · 8/10 · 29 January 2022]

This was a very thoughtful and honest look at the issues of grief and what truly makes life meaningful (after all of the distractions are stripped away). Julie falls into a deep hole of grief when her loved ones are taken. She goes from being numb, wishing to sink into the ultimate depth (death), to temporarily finding ways to distract herself from the darkness (trying to find pleasure in place of joy, for real joy is elusive), then to resolving to truly end it after realizing she cannot escape into pleasure. Interestingly, and in intesting ways, at every turn "life", God? Seems to prevent her end. Finally, she can choose life, and she understands life a little better. Yet, even her choice does not determine the outcome. Throughout there is a force outside of her that seems to drive towards the redemptive end. Themes like cosmic coincidence, control, and letting go add to the broader, deeper significance that this story brings.