Remakes are always fun, and as I was scrolling through Viki I discovered that there is a Filipino remake of My Love From Another Star. Join me as I compare the two dramas and see if this remake is as good as the original. Since this is a comparison, there will be plot spoilers for both dramas. Plus, I’m about halfway through the Filipino version so these are just my first impressions.
Plot:
Both dramas follow the same plot; an alien who has been on Earth for 400 years meets a famous actress and falls in love. The Filipino version follows the Korean version almost word for word the first few episode, but they start straying from the exact same lines and adding in slightly different plot points after that. This makes sense because they swap all the Korean historical references for Filipino ones.
Cinematography:
Here’s where I felt like the Korean version was so much better. The special effects were a lot cheesier in the Filipino version. Don’t get me wrong, I mean they weren’t spectacularly believable in the Korean version either. They just felt more cartoonish in the Filipino version, like they didn’t even try to make things not look fake. In the opening scene when Matteo is walking through the frozen leaves it feels like someone took those stick on window gel leaves and covered the screen. Yes, it was just as fake in the original, but
Characters:
Cheon Song Yi/Steffi Chavez
I’m going to say that while I love Jun Ji Hyun as Cheon Song Yi, I also liked Jennylyn Mercado as Steffi Chavez. Jun Ji Hyun really nailed the comedic parts in this drama and I was skeptical of another actress pulling off this role. That said, Jennylyn Mercado emotes well, she’s a good crier and she is able to show a range of emotions in this character. So I’m going to say that both ladies were well cast in their roles.
Do Min Joon/Matteo Domingo
Our resident alien hero is a character who never ages, but Gil Cuerva looks like he’s 16. I just can’t get on board with him being the leading man. Even Steffi asks if he’s 18! In our fangirl chats, I said “It’s really hard to imagine him as an adult. He’s good looking, but not a good actor”. So the Korean version wins this round. Kim Soo Hyun’s Do Min Joon was the better portrayal. Though, I will say that Gil Cuerva had the best hair out of both casts.
So Who Did It Better?
The Korean version will always be #1 to me. I loved everything about the first one, and as we all know, the original is almost always the best. I had some problems with the Filipino version feeling low budget. It bugged me that some of the settings were dilapidated (Matteo’s classroom) and they really needed a sound tech to fix the loud background noises in several of the scenes. The Filipino version pulled out all the name brand clothes and accessories, but it bugged me that most of the rooms had almost nothing on the walls. I’m weird and I notice those kinds of things.
If you haven’t watched the Korean version, go watch it now. If you’ve already watched the Korean version and you love remakes, go watch the Filipino version. I will say that the Filipino version is worth a watch. Just like the original version, the story is
There you have it, I think the Korean drama is the winner, but the Filipino drama isn’t a loser. It’s just a different version and as a remake, it does its job well. We want our shows to make us want to watch more, and in this case, I’m interested in more Jennylyn Mercado movies and dramas. So if you have any suggestions of dramas with her in them, pass them on in the comments.
Until the next remake,
Clkytta
Dramas With a Side of Kimchi
At around 21 Gil Cuerva wasn’t far from 16 when they filmed this! Even for an emotionless alien his acting’s wooden. But he’s young and can grow and learn as an actor. Jennylyn Mercado is good in the role. So good I don’t like Steffi half the time. And omg, the sets are atrocious, particularly that classroom?? Is that a free CUNY college room? It’s awful. Like it was filmed in an abandoned school building. They must’ve spent more budget on the clothes and shoes. And the side characters are not very memorable or have any charm, like Shin Sung Rok in the K-version, who’s been typecast since because he was so good in that rich serial killer role.
I really liked Jennylyn a lot. She’s what kept me watching.
One of my most favorite dramas! 🙂
Nope, sorry. I’m waiting for the Thai remake with Nadech and Matt.
I’m looking forward to that one as well.
I wasn’t planning on checking the remake out, but my shallow side got sucked in by the pretty after someone on FB shared screenshots from the shower scene. The first episode wasn’t terrible actually, but I can’t get over what they used as the classroom location. It looks like the day of filming they remembered they needed a place to shoot and found an abandoned building somewhere. They didn’t even bother to clean the walls. It was nasty and filthy, and definitely didn’t look like a place a college professor would be teaching at.
The shower scene was appealing, but they missed the mark on most of the settings. I actually stick with the drama until midway and gave up.
I am a Filipino who really dislikes this remake, especially the male lead. That said, I felt the need to say that the classroom setting is used in real life. It is in the Palma Hall of the University of the Philippines Diliman, the country’s premier university for which the government has consistently failed to provide an adequate budget.