Okay, Crawdads Sing...But Does It Sing?

Right, so I finally got around to seeing "Where the Crawdads Sing," and honestly, I'm left with mixed feelings. On one hand, the cinematography is gorgeous. Those marsh landscapes are absolutely breathtaking, and they really nailed the atmosphere of isolation and natural beauty. The opening shots alone almost had me convinced I was in for something truly special. Daisy Edgar-Jones does a solid job as Kya, portraying her vulnerability and resilience pretty convincingly. You definitely empathize with her situation, being abandoned and left to fend for herself. However – and this is a big however – the narrative felt…sanitized. The grittiness of Kya's struggle seemed to be glossed over in favor of a more romanticized, Hollywood-friendly version. Her survival skills, while presented, lacked a certain weight. It felt too easy, somehow. And the love triangle? Ugh. Chase's character (Harris Dickinson) was just cartoonishly villainous, making his eventual demise feel more like a plot device than a tragic consequence. Speaking of, the murder mystery aspect felt underdeveloped. The courtroom drama was…fine, but didn't really deliver any real suspense or intellectual depth. It was all just a little too neat and tidy. Ultimately, "Where the Crawdads Sing" is a visually stunning film with a likeable lead performance, but its reliance on familiar tropes and its reluctance to truly delve into the darker aspects of the story hold it back from being something truly memorable. I feel like the source material promised a more complex and challenging narrative, and the movie simply didn't deliver on that potential. The ending, in particular, felt rushed and unsatisfying – it skipped over important things. So, would I recommend it? Maybe, if you’re looking for an aesthetically pleasing, somewhat predictable drama. But don't go in expecting a profound or particularly thought-provoking experience. I'm giving it a solid...6/10. What did you guys think? Anyone else feel like it pulled its punches?