So, I've watched Momo. Just as I expected - some moments were cringe, but I still loved it. I totally get why they expanded the role of the Main Grayman (they had Claes and they didn't hesitate to use him to the max) and I think it was neat. Though it did create some minor problems. Like, in the old movie the Main Grayman was sitting in the office most of the time while other drones recruited people. In this movie the Main Grayman is the main worker. His marvellous trenchcoat is on the way whenever there is a person slightly deviating from the norm. It's surprising at this point that he wasn't the one trying to recruit Momo himself. We were almost laughing when he showed up in front of Hora's house. An entire crowd of disposable drones and a big boss standing all together and they're all looking at a door thinking "how are we supposed to get there". I lkied the moment when he started freezing Momo. It's a pity they didn't let him use it in the end.
Also, I said that already about the trailer, I don't like the idea of making them diverse. They were a faceless crowd where each of them could be replaced with another without any changes. Here they look like a crowd of angry fashion designers. A fashion police that wants to arrest Hora for that red jacket. (I swear - not a single person in their crowd is straight) That one blond guy with an earring was especially memorable. He looks like a mad hairdresser that has spent too much time in nightclubs therefore he can't see in front of him. (Seriously that scene where Momo follows Cassiopeia looks like a stealth mission from an old game) Somebody stop that blond guy.
Gigi is.......wow. They had a rebellion for 10 minutes and he's already saying "I'm sorry, my best friend. There is a girl that I never talk to properly and money. I have priorities". I bet french revolution would've ended before starting properly if that guy was in the crowd.
That Gray Woman will never replace the guy from the old movie in my heart. They perform the same function but they're so different. He started talking to Momo because he suddenly became scared for his life once he said out loud that they're parasites that won't survive without people. She started talking because she wanted to gloat. He was scared for his life the entire time therefore tried to convince others that it's not his fault. She was scared but still had enough time to try and bargain. His fear felt more genuine. I don't know how to say it without sounding like a creep, so I'll say it the way I want - his fear was exquisite. It was tasty. I wanted more of it. Her? She looks fake even while seemingly trying to save her life. I don't believe her.
The turtle was very cute. The girl as well. The music. The colours. I liked it. Will definitely rewatch it.
I have to agree with you in many points. The Grey Men were badly executed, it lacked any of the uncanny and the obscure they should have.
The leader of the Grey Men being the most active one was interesting, like you said, he's usually depicted only sitting in his office and in the trial scene. Maybe they wanted to subvert that.
The fact that the coldness of the Grey Men was used as weapon to threaten Beppo or freeze Momo was not such a bad idea.
Making them diverse was, well, it's in the same line as most things that annoy. Why get riled up about it, neither you nor I can change it. If their human forms were shed to reveal just pale, grey featureless voids, that would've maybe improved it, but otherwise, we can only live with it.
Gigi was definitely the most unsympathetic character, even thought, he wasn't that likable in the 1986 version either. In this department the animated adaptions beat both life-action films by far.
I agree that the scene where the Grey Woman told Momo everything was no where near as great as the 1986 version, it felt just forced and was awkward to watch, but to be honest, I preferred her execution over the older version. I actually much prefer when characters when they die end with hatred and spite instead of begging for their lives. Sure, Silvester Groth pleading while he dissolved was very entertaining to watch, but Laura Haddock yelling that they are all damned, that just got something.
Something I have mixed feelings about is replacing the cigars with inhalers. I can see how that can work in-film, an inhaler is much less conspicuous than a cigar, but that's the best I can say about it. The Grey Men creating a wall of smoke around Hora's house to poison time was a really nice scene in the book, and excluding it just makes them standing before Never Alley even more pointless.
The one thing I really like is that they replaced the doll with an AI. I really hate those idiotic "communication" AIs, I hate AI assistants like hardly anything else. But it would make sense. The Grey Men selling generative AIs would kind of make sense. Discourage people from creative work like drawing and writing, preventing really relationships with other humans, that would work in their favour.
Overall, the film was what it was, shallow and uninspired in many regards, but it's something that can watched when there's nothing else at hand.
The turtle doll was the absolute highlight no questions asked.
