Movie Review: Bad Guys 2

Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey arrives with a title that promises grandeur, but the result is more muted than magnificent. It’s an elegant, visually poised fantasy, but one whose characters lack depth, leaving the emotional resonance very fickle and thin.

The premise however is intriguing, David Langley (Colin Farrell) and Sarah Myers (Margot Robbie) embark on a fantastical trek guided by a GPS voice (Jodie Turner-Smith). Their path takes them through magical doors into past traumas, heartbreaks, family tragedies, and moments of deep insecurity. Each detour is designed to peel back emotional layers and help them heal. On paper, it’s a clever display of complex human emotions. On screen, however, the execution doesn’t live up to the ambition.

Visually, the film is unmistakably Kogonada. Every frame is measured and deliberate, costumes, props, and even umbrellas carry symbolic weight. Lighting and colors create an atmosphere of dreamy melancholy. Farrell and Robbie throw themselves into their roles, while supporting actors like Saurabh Shukla and Lily Rabe provide grounded moments. These touches make the film consistently watchable.

Yet the characters themselves are little more than sketches. Their professions, habits, and quirks are almost negligible. Instead, the story leans heavily on poetic suggestion. The emotional stakes, rather than piercing, feel diffuse. Even the fantastical devices such as magical doors and parallel worlds seem more like decoration than revelation.Ultimately, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a film of surfaces: beautiful to look at, occasionally moving, but rarely bold or transformative. Admirers of passive cinema may appreciate its refinement, but those seeking refreshing cinema might find this movie predictable and filled with clichés.​