Review: G! LU: Unpredictable like the waves

Review: G! LU: Unpredictable like the waves 

It took five years for G! LU to see the light of day, although yes it's already quite an old movie the story that it tackles is still relevant and relatable until today. I guess the coming of age type of stories never grow old. 

G! LU tells the story of six graduating troublesome, happy-go-lucky, and impulsive high school boys called the Valley Boys Crew who went to La Union to spend their last few days together complete before they all go on separate paths for college.

Led by Carlos (Kiko Estrada) prolly the most matured thinking guy in the pack; he's the one that keeps the bond and the cool between the boys. Next is Albert (Ruru Madrid), the geek guy, the smartest and the most talented one in the group, musically inclined but he kept it as a secret. 

Patrick (David Licauco) your rich kid Chinoy friend who has that “Money is not an issue” attitude, well what Patrick wants, Patrick gets, but not this time I guess. The most controversial one in the group, Raymond (Teejay Marquez) sporty and charming, the term Chick-Boy definitely befits the character and it's for you to find out why. 

The Cousins, Brian (Enzo Pineda) and Ryan (Derrick Monasterio) have that love-hate relationship, both feisty and competitive, but will they win the girl that they want? 

Story wise, the movie was quite simple. It might look like your typical coming of age and barkada adventure movie, but just like the waves of La Union the movie offered an unpredictable tide that brought high and lows to the characters' stories as the movie progressed. 

The unpredictable plot twists gave different flavors to the movie, although the movie tried to give equal exposure to the five main characters, I think only three of them made an impact on the audiences during the premiere. .

I would say that the most interesting character and story line is that of Raymond, his character I would say is the most engaging one. It felt like there was a live football match inside the cinema, the crowd went really wild with his scenes. 

I would also like to commend this 2019 version of Michelle Marquez Dee, she was a natural beach goddess, sultry and alluring, definitely gave something surprising in the movie. Among the girls in the movie she delivered the best. 

When it comes to the quality of the movie, it was surprisingly good, being shelved for half a decade I can’t help to ask myself what went wrong. “G! LU” did not disappoint, the story was good and somehow still relatable to the new gens of today, cinematography was on point, the actors delivered their characters with flying colors, and most of all it’s very timely and perfect for this scorching hot summer.   

The movie was definitely worth watching and I’d say that the 5 years was worth the wait. 

G! LU is directed by Philip King, starring Ruru Madrid, Kiko Estrada, Derrick Monasterio, Teejay Marquez, Enzo Pineda, and David Licauco, produced by ALV Films, in cinemas April 24. 

Rating: 3/5