Padd Solutions

Fangirl:

When I saw the teaser for "Before U Go", I let loose a fangirl squeal like you would not believe. (I think this tumblr post describes it better than I could express in words here.)

However the music video didn't thrill me as much as I hoped it would. I was hoping for something on the scale of Zhangliyin's "Timeless" or the TRAX's "초우"- music videos so huge and epic, they come in parts. Instead, SM delivered a five minute long (or should I say short?) mini movie. In order to pack it all in, they made the cuts very quick, and a lot of emotional impact is lost. For instance at 2:50, Yunho - hobbled on crutches - realizes that it was his friend Choi Jong Yoon who shot him. Emotional impact? Zip. You hardly have time to even realize what has happened.

SM could have drawn this out, releasing part 1 and driving fans into a frenzy as they anticipated part 2. The question is, why didn't they? They clearly had the footage to pull it off. And what about Go Ara's character? The romance that was hinted at in the teaser (Ara setting a table for two) isn't even touched on in the MV.

On the plus side, Yunho and Changmin look absolutely fantastic. I'm loving the suits and leather jackets. Yunho looks like such a BAMF taking out those evil cronies, it's almost enough to send me into peals of fangirl squeals again. (Did you all catch the flow-mo shot at 4:07?). Here's hoping we get to see more of that when Poseidon finally airs.

I think I ought to mention the cinematography too. How about that gorgeous shot of Jong Yoon in his assassin gear reflected in the urban pane of windows? Or that damp rooftop with a foggy cityscape in the background? Pretty gorgeous stuff.

Alrighty, Fanboy, what was your take on the music video?

Fanboy:

Like Fangirl, I had my own my sort of squeal when I saw the teaser, but for different reasons. I was mainly excited at the fact that SM was going to release a story-based music video. Do you know how rare that is for them?! I was like, "Oh my god, now they're going to start competing with YG on epic story MVs!" Hmm... well... sadly, that wasn't really the case.

For some reason, I feel like this video got a lot cut from it on the editing floor and was rushed to premiere just so Cassies could get their TVXQ fix. Actually, I personally believe that SM will release an extended version of this MV later on so we can get understand the full story. So much seemed to be cut that it was sort of difficult to grasp, and then boom, it was over. They should have had a longer intro to help set the background story, and then have a break in the song to further the story with another cut scene, etc.

Other than that, I did actually like the MV. But for me to love it, I need to also love the song. Unfortunately, the song just does not excite me. Sigh. This was all very "Hot Times" reminiscent, and I didn't like that song either (or the MV). Side note: it seems that Apple is doing product placement in K-Pop now too. Notice the in-your-face promotion of the iPhone? *rolls eyes*

I'm no fashion expert here, but I found Changmin's feather-collared outfit to be so out of place. This MV was all serious and has the boys working in crime. Why on earth would Max be running around in ethereal attire like that?! And, I'm just not feeling Yunho's bowl cut. Spike it or something. He looks so plain. But then again, it is sort of appropriate for the business.

Now on to my favorite parts! Oh man, the action! I about fell out of my chair when I saw HoMin showcase their action star skills. If you guys like to know, there are two things I'm a sucker for: Hardcore action and hardcore dancing. So yeah, this was a total win. In the end, I have decided that Yunho and Changmin need to be cast for Ninja Assassin 2: Rain, U-Know, and Max Kick Ass. I smell a summer blockbuster smash!

What did you think of the music video?