I am not a sports person (though I am entering my hockey era) so when sports are all that is on, I turn to vertical series. Yes, I could read, but it’s Sunday night as I type this, I don’t want to. However, my knowledge of books has come in handy, because as I opened ReelShort, Monster in His Eyes, was the first thing that I saw.
Titles are always copied, so I didn’t want to overthink it – but I stopped, went to ReelShort’s Instagram, and sure enough the vertical short is an adaptation of J.M. Darhower’s book Monster in His Eyes. I had to search the internet and though I have not found anything that says it was optioned, it had to have been, right? Searched the authors social media and found nothing. Are we all missing something?
There is something to be said about any adaptation and while we love them, there is also a big issue with taking liberties. Also there is an issue with not taking them. BUT, we’re going to begin here with how costuming and hair make a big difference in believing in the character. It’s those two things in this series that pull you right out of the show and make a person wonder what people were thinking.
THOSE DAMN COSTUMES
In order to show the fact that there is an age gap in this show, the way that they signify that there is an age gap is the girl, Karissa is wearing pigtails and in a uniform. Just for all of those that may be confused – NYU doesn’t have a prep school uniform. We get it – she’s younger and we’re supposed to believe that Nicole Mattox is younger than she is – but she is 27 and does look her age. Her co-star Rhett Wellington, is 32. There are other ways to signify age difference, but the choice here doesn’t work.
Wellington, who starred in Gabriels Redemption series for Passionflix, can definitely pull off strong romantic lead, but for the first time of watching things that he is in, one has to wonder what someone was thinking. He doesn’t pull off Mafia King. He pulls off man having a mid-life crisis. It feels as though costuming thought wearing as many chains as possible is a good look for a man who is supposed to be feared. Spoiler alert – no fear here. More want for makeover.
Watching this, it’s a testament that costuming and hair/makeup are really important to make the characters believable.
Karissa comes off as annoying and desperate. She’s got an over controlling Mom who has promised her to a senators son, Tommy. Tommy is abusive and completely off his rocker. He wants to own Karissa and Vitale (Wellington) wants to save her. Vitale doesn’t come off as a bad guy, rather one that is heartbroken and desperate to not form any attachments. Karissa somehow breaks through, even though at every turn, he’s trying to keep that wall up.
CONTINUITY CRISIS
Vitales wife had been murdered. She was almost full term with her pregnancy, when she stepped in front of a bullet for him. He’s traumatized over the loss, rightfully so. Karissa is the first person that has challenged him and made him think about feeling again.
Now, I know that these productions have limited budgets, but we definitely need to work on the continuity. For instance, Karissa has her shirt ripped open at a virgin auction (which eww, no to that and people should not write things like that) and the next day it’s not ripped. Things seem small, but these things matter.
Karissa is infatuated with danger, even though she’s doing her best to get Naz to protect her from it. He doesn’t want to take it on but he’s found himself more and more infatuated with her. Even takes a phone call from her as he’s roughing someone up.
While you want to believe that these two belong together, but it’s kind of hard to figure out why they would. He’s been in prison, he’s the head of the mafia, and yet somehow he drops his walls down and would die for her in the span of a week? Confused.
CONFUSED & SOBER
Where I can buy that kind of thing in a book, in a vertical, it’s hard. I think where they failed here is that they told us what was happening without showing us. I do enjoy a good voice over, they should have shown us the moments that make these two fall for each other.
It would have been better if they had taken more time and maybe split the book into two. While in a normal movie/series form this may have they may have had the opportunity to show the viewer things, they definitely skipped around here. As a viewer, I know that verticals are meant to be short and digestable, but this is an example as to why that doesn’t always work.
With the popularity of verticals growing, Monster In His Eyes can be a learning experience if books are set to be adapted into this medium. Platforms need to be thinking about the possibilities of sequels, more in depth story telling, and character development. Yes, the formula right now works. It is highly addictive, but as it grows, that formula does need to be expanded upon. Well that and the pricing needs to change. Not everyone can afford the platforms, as they are quite expensive.
MAMA
Karissa’s Mom is doing whatever she can to protect her. However, her father (that she never knew) is being hunted as he was the one that tried to kill Vitale and ended up killing his wife and child. Karissa doesn’t know her father and knows nothing of her families involvement with the mafia.
While we deal with Karissa and Naz both having a lot of trauma, they seem to make it through it. Yet, she doesn’t know what she can handle when she finds out that he is the Mafia King she freaks. He becomes cold and distant – pushing her away when she finds out who he is, rather than giving her time to process.
He’s not the only one with secrets. How does one make it through it when promises are made and there is little redemption that can be made. He’s okay with giving her some space for accepting who he is, because he loves her. She goes back to him and everything seems okay.
Until he finds out who she is. He’s made a lot of promises – ones the even he doesn’t know that he won’t be able to keep. But when he comes face to face with finding that her father is responsible for all of his pain, he does break every single one.
AND THOUGHTS…
Monster in his Eyes is a complicated story of love and betrayal, secrets and lies, and more. The potential for a good adaptation was there, but this fell short. However, if you take it for what it is and forget that it is an adaptation, look past the plot holes, and forget that it is supposed to be an age gap romance, you will enjoy the 68 episodes.
Monster In His Eyes is out now on Reelshort.
