User reviews

Cinematography was wonderfully made and actors played the role brilliantly. However, in my opinion, this movie version of G. Del Pilar's life was unnecessary. It's as if the movie was made just to add a sequel to its predecessor, Heneral Luna. Plot was already known to every one yet the movie was a bit dragging to the point that too unnecessary emphasis on Goyong's love story was made (it was kind of annoying, to be honest). It could also have been better if air time spent on the aforementioned was focused more on the Filipino's efforts to fight the Americans.

On the bright side, credits should be given as the movie successfully showed his vulnerability as a young general. His struggles on how to maintain sanity with a large amount of responsibility given to him was also tackled (e.g. him being constantly reminded as the "agila" by his older brother). Another good part in the movie was the part where the Filipinos started their journey in Tirad Pass. Hunger and lack of unity among them was shown. This, for me, subtly implied that one of the reasons why we were conquered by Americans before was the lack of solidarity amongst us - a single goal but different means and desires. Furthermore, it was illustrated that selfishness and greed are also major contributors to Philippines failing to protect its freedom from Americans. It's sad to see that up until now; it's these traits that we Filipinos have are what remain in our hearts.

All in all, movie was good but below expectation. It could have been done better.

... what is it good for? Well some might argue for movies and I reckon they wouldn't be that wrong. So another one of the based on a true story. I don't know all the details and the movie might take some liberal approaches on certain things (quite likely it does).

The battle scenes are very well choreographed and the drama and story building is quite nice. If you like movies that shine a light on things like this, you will be more than satisfied.

My favorite thing about Goyo is how it handled the small story of the native guides. It didn't say much out loud, but the inherent folly resonated.

My least favorite thing: mango shopping.

Goyo, Ang Batang Heneral is not just a period film re-telling our History, neither a simple account of what transpired in the battle of Tirad Pass against the Americans, and not just an artistic expression of the director and the writers; "Goyo" is a film that defines and connects our past to our present plight as a People and as a Nation and the dialectics of our history--We are because of what we were and we will be for what we are now.

The film gives the audience a sharp and deeper insight about us Filipinos-past and present. In one of the dialogues of Apolinario Mabini in the film that really struck me and it was mentioned 3 times, if I remember it right. I may not be able to recall the exact lines but let me paraphrase it; "The Americans have always regarded the Filipinos to be like children, and there may be some truth to that". What is the subtext of the line then? Our leaders are like children-immature and selfish, prioritizing their own Political Agenda, always wanted to ensure hold of power and personal convenience. And these things affected our struggle against colonial rulers and our quest for freedom. Sadly, these children-like traits are still prevalent in our present leadership as the struggle of every Filipino shifts not from Colonial rule but against poverty, inequality, corruption and abuse of power with emphasis on the treachery and betrayal of some of our fellow Filipinos serving their personal interests.

"Goyo" is a well-written screenplay, the main plot as told by Apolinario Mabini (played by Eppie Quizon) describes the internal machinations among the Filipino Generals and Aguinaldo during the Philippine-American War. While sub-plots depicting the perspectives and experiences of Joven Hernando (played by Arron Villaflor) who typifies a Filipino caught in between crossfires; and Goyo-Del Pilar (played by Paulo Avelino) despite being a General who is notable for his courage, in the battles he won and a mercenary henchman against Filipinos opposing Aguinaldo, was depicted to be more human having a conscience that chases him in his nightmares and dreams.

The approach to reality shifts from realism to surreal, while dialogues use contemporary language with a blend of lyrical phrasing that made the interaction between characters easy to understand and relate with.

Cinematography is commendable without any effort to make the scene superfluously dramatic that includes the camera shots, angles and movement. Color and texture of the film brings you to the era of 1890's without much of sepia or black and white schemes.

Just like in any period film, Production design has always been challenging, like Katipunero's or Soldiers uniform to be very neat like a newly tailored fit; a location where houses and other structures are obviously fabricated and constructed.

I laud "Goyo" Production Designer for an excellent job, gone are the uniforms of the Soldiers who look like freshly ironed even after a battle and no more hand props that look unreal. There may still be issues with the details like texture and finish windows, wall or roofing; structures that are still obviously fabricated, which maybe improved on the next period films. Remarkably, the production design has given the audience the experience of 1890's era.

The music score is also notable as it served its purpose of complimenting the development of the Film. It was designed to accentuate key sequences, and share with the audience the same level of emotion as the characters in the film have.

Bravo! Paulo Avelino, Alvin Anson, Mon Confiado, Arthur Acuna, Jeffrey Quizon, Carlo Aquino and Gwen Zamora for an outstanding performance.

Kudos to Director Jerrold Tarog, Screenwriter Rody Vera, Producers of Artikulo Uno, Cast and Crew!!

I was surprised at this depiction of the battle itself. This is probably the only battle in history where the defenders (in prepared positions & with the element of surprise) suffered more casualties than the attackers. As mentioned in the movie, Filipino generals during the war lacked military science knowledge - and it shows. They also lacked knowledge of basic tactics and common sense. Goyo, the movie would have us believe, was prone to self-reflection on a mountain top like a yoga aficionado than ducking enemy fire. Utter BS. The Pinoy troops had the advantage of terrain but squandered it. The American troops, though they were fighting an uphill battle, managed to shoot consistently better. What happened? No shooting ranges for Pinoy troops to hone their skills? Seemed the only thing they were good at was DYING.

Goyo: Batang Heneral is a way different tone from Heneral Luna. It is understandable because both heroes has different life story. Goyo is part war drama and part tragic romantic movie. It blends so well in this film. The film is never boring and everything in the film is worth a research after leaving the cinema. The acting is brilliant that all of the cast did their parts believable. The cinematography is majestic that it feels like I am from different time while watching this film. The musical score adds layer to every scenes made this film atmospheric.

Overall, Goyo: Batang Heneral is an instant classic! It belongs to our library of One of the Greatest Filipino Movies Ever Made. For years to come, this film lives and will be studied by every students who wants to know the life of Gregorio del Pillar. I'm proud watching this epic movie.

Do not confuse production quality to overall film quality.

Reasons: It was basically narrated. I don't see why this wasn't released as a book instead.

There was no directing involved just some fancy angles and color editing (which was really good for a Filipino film)

Scoring was too good not to get noticed

Some of the actors were good

A bit pretentious especially when the narration comes back in.

There was no climax whatsover.

So yeah, 4 stars

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral is a story about one of Bulacan's finest generals. It has a running time of 150-160mins, it is a lengthy movie that lacks the fire, and shock and awe value of Heneral Luna, but that doesn't mean it is monotonous --very far from it. While we were watching, we did not notice the passing of time and ,like other good movies, you know it is about to end but you will be asking for more.

Paulo Avelino's portrayal of the young general is not as stellar as John Arcilla's Luna, but it fits him like a glove. In some moments in the movie, especially in the first acts, you will feel like he does not need to play the role; it appears like he just goes in there, be himself and just delivers the lines. Also, the good thing about it is that he operated on the same level as his co-artists, whereas Arcilla seemed to have overpowered everyone.

The characters have excellent chemistry; if you have seen the first movie, the reprised roles of some of the actors will give you a plethora of emotions. Alejandrino (Alvin Anson), Jose and Manuel Bernal(Arthur Acuña), Miong (Mon Confiado), Pule(Epy Quizon), Lt.Garcia (Ronnie Lazaro), and the crowd favorite Rusca (Archie Alemaña) showed up with varying lengths of exposure-- all of which are important in the story telling.

Carlo Aquino (Vicente Enriquez) and Arron Villaflor(Joven)provided solid supporting-roles, along with the girls Empress Schuck and Gwen Zamora

The movie is not mainly about national pride or about saving the country. It is reflexive rather than expressive. It is about the emotions, the psych and what really goes on inside a person that is about to take on a Herculean task and might be asked to give the ultimate sacrifice. Goyo's demeanor swings back and forth from being a kid to being a general and vice versa, from devising plans for battle to womanizing, both of which were foreshadowed by Pule (Quizon) in one of his dialogs. The story also mirrors the relationship we have had with the Americans in the past decades which is fact,IMO.

The pace of the movie is quick (it may be dragging for some, but not for me) as it jumps from scene to scene to establish the whole situation the country was in at the time. The dialogs are witty and catchy, and unlike period dramas (hello Bagani!);it is not cheesy and it is very easy to understand. The locations are also excellent but the fabricated houses are a little distracting. The shots give you the impression that it is from an older era without too much filtering. Cinematography is on a very high level. The panoramic shots are breathtaking. In this movie, I was expecting something as wonderful as the "Reminiscing Scene" in Heneral Luna; I was a bit disappointed, but I think the aerial shots of Mount Tirad during the trenching will do.

And just like in traditional Tarog fashion, scoring made this movie a lot better than it actually is. With subpar scoring, I would give this movie a 7 but in it's totality now, I give it a 9. Everything gets amplified by good music.

This is a must-see movie. A movie that has a beautiful story and message to tell. A movie that inspires you to think instead of making your senses numb.

Please support! Let us encourage the Filipino film makers to keep doing excellent movies like this and quick --- the third installment promises to be another epic as we embark on a different period in our history with one of the most interesting and charismatic president we 've had, Pres.Manuel Quezon--- 3yrs is just too much of a wait!

-----_-----_----------_--------------------------------------------

In a historical perspective, I have lost my history thinking cap and just decided to appreciate this movie as an artwork. The fictional characters like Joven Hernando (Arron Villaflor) and Lt.Ruiz(Ronnie Lazaro) are neatly inserted into the story that it was hard to distinguish fact and fiction.

#Goyo #GoyoAngBatangHeneral

I happen to watch the film over the weekend in an alternative cinema. I waited one year since they launch its first teaser last year. When the film opened last Wednesday,September 5, 2018 I had a hard time to fight myself from rushing to the theaters to witness the film that I waited for a very long time. Finally, last Saturday I was able to watched the film and luckily was able to meet Goyo himself in flesh! (Paulo Avelino). I was amazed on what had the film to offer its Filipino audience. The Cinematography of the film was magnificent, the sound, WOW! The narration of the film gives us a different flavor on our heroes biopic. The lines or dialogues of the character will haunt you. Amazing! I never felt like I am attending a class in a university while watching it, yeah there's a lot of movies in the past that tackles the life of our heroes but to me, they sounded like a professor lecturing students, and I am happy that I didn't experienced that while watching. (I didn't mean to offend lecturers). I was just saying that you can watch this film as a date movie, or even a family bonding movie. It boosts my pride watching this film when the moviegoers gave it a round of applause (Paulo Avelino wasn't there anymore.). I was really happy that I got the chance to witness such film. So the next day, I go to a regular cinema, to watch the film again for the second time with a wider audience and I have the same experience I had when I first watched it. The moviegoers gave the movie a round of applause even there's no actor present on the screening. You are really missing a lot when you let this movie passed without you watching it. If Marvel or Hollywood has Avengers we Filipinos have TBA and Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral. Its up to you which weigh heavier I say Goyo for one reason, the character is a real person that is part of our history.

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral cleverly portrayed Del Pilar in a light that stripped him of all the accolades and praises removing him from the pedestal of blind idolatry.

This movie humanizes Del Pilar of his struggles as one of the youngest generals that our history portrays as "The Hero of Tirad Pass." Later did we know that his aspirations and ideologies were persuaded by Aguinaldo, blindly adhering to his command. This mirrors the present society in which people blindly follow a person and unknowingly throw away their principles.

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral was not a conventional historical movie. More often than not, movies of this kind show "heroes" as exactly that-- fearless, determined, and ready to sacrifice for the greater good. What I liked most about this movie, then, is that it strays from this way of storytelling and tells us that our heroes are still painfully human.

Gregorio del Pilar was heralded as one of the bravest men in Philippine history, but this film makes the statement that, behind all the glory and revere, Goyo is still what the title suggests: isa syang bata. I appreciated how the film highlighted the mischievous parts about him, his lack of foresight in battle, his obsession with love. All of this shows the audience that he was just 23, behind the grandeur of it all, and that maybe he was carrying a burden heavier than he pretended he could handle.

Goyo is one of the few films that make me proud to be Filipino-which is ironic as it's a film that reveals our country and our people's imperfect realities.

Filled with lines that hit really hard, it makes us think hard about what we, as Filipino people, are really fighting for. We oftentimes put our "heroes" in such high pedestals-at times to a point where we allow them to dictate our own ideals and we're blinded to what's actually happening around us. Goyo, the film, attempts to save us from this blindnesss. It opens the reality that we cannot solely rely on other people to save us, nor believe that only "heroes" are capable of heroism. It inspires the Filipino to support its leaders, but also to keep in mind that at the end of the day, he exists not to support these leaders alone, but ultimately to support principles and uphold dignity of the country and the Filipinos as a whole.

Compared to its prequel Heneral Luna, Goyo puts more focus on the battle of beliefs and ideals which are, in a deeper sense, have been the root cause of wars of humanity since the beginning and unfortunately until now. The realities that the film has so artfully stripped naked are realities that remain and are still very reflective of the Filipinos' situation today-difference in ideals pitting Filipinos against each other, conflicts of interest and self-serving motivations of the men who shape this nation, and supporters that follow with a blind eye to reality.

The film provokes us to challenge our realities, to ask questions, and to find answers. Like Goyo, we as a country need to be reminded every now and then to look back to who we are, to constantly reevaluate our principles and, to fight for them with sweat and blood.

Gregorio del Pilar may be revered as a hero in textbooks but how he was depicted in the film is a far cry from what I was led to believe about national heroes, growing up. In a way, the film humanized those "heroes" we thought fought gloriously for the country, only to be smacked in the face with the reality that they were humans too, who felt fear, who ran, who acted less than honorably, who surrendered. We consider them heroes because they died during a war or they played a part in Philippine history. But perhaps it's time to rethink the standards of "heroism". Perhaps it's time to rethink who we put in a pedestal as heroes (and this applies to this day).

Goyo was a character I did not end up rooting for. I was waiting for something, perhaps a redeeming point later on in the film, but that didn't come. There was little to no growth on his part. The whole characterization of Goyo just fell a bit flat. Fortunately, there were a number of supporting characters who proved to be more interesting and worth rooting for.

Cinematography and film scoring were amazing though, one of the bests I've seen in a Filipino film.

Gregorio del Pilar and the Battle of Tirad Pass / Pasong Tirad

As a child studying Philippine History during the elementary stages of my education, I am in awe when I read General Del Pilar. Not only was he the youngest general in history under the command of President Aguinaldo, he is also responsible for a piece of history that demonstrated what Philippine resilience looks like at its extreme.

Due to my childhood naivety, I might have held him in lofty pedestal. The awe and the amazement I felt when I read his exploits made me forget that he is also a human like me. This is where the movie worked wonders for me. This movie did a good job portraying the part of him not commonly included in our history books. The movie, of course, showed his bravery in the battlefield and his loyalty to his cause. However, this piece also showed, with absolute brilliance, the weaknesses of his character caused by the times. His trauma during his previous battles, the impulsiveness and ignorance brought by his youth, and his brief episodes of doubt to his cause contrasted well with my perception of him. This movie made him human and I like the movie for this reason.

The movie had indeed provided us a real picture of our past.. both on how we had tried surviving during the war era and how we still manage to keep the romantic "us" during those times. It was a great opportunity to have felt being around in the 1800's and visually experience how life was then. Indeed, a very great movie...

This will really change your perspective about our heroes.

You know a movie is good when you walk out of the cinema with feelings you didn't know you would feel after the movie. Normally, for movies portraying heroes or who at least we thought were heroes - we would expect to feel pride because of our countrymen's bravery, resilience, and love for country. But Goyo was different. It was different because it was a movie where redemption was almost impossible to find. Redemption was impossible to find not only because of Goyo but because of the whole system of power the Philippines had before which is honestly still existing until today. It is a timely movie. It is a wake up call that loyalty shall not be based on who's in power, that convenience and position shall not be prioritized over principles, and that love for country shall not be prejudiced for personal gain. It's a good continuation from Heneral Luna. It keeps the question running: bayan o sarili?

Youthful, pretentious, handsome and talented, Gregorio del Pilar cut one of the most interesting and compelling figures in Philippine history. Having a distinguished reputation in the country's wars of independence, Goyo, as he was known, led a successful military career in the nation's attempts at freedom. "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral" features the man's martial endeavors and personal life highlighting his interactions with other individuals in the making of history while leading his men to battle fatefully meeting death at a young age. Good acting by the able cast coupled with well done battle scenes and the colorful period drama are put to good use. Although giving a fine performance, Paulo Avelino lacks the commanding presence to stand out as the lead character of the film making his thespian attempt at the intriguing del Pilar seem like one of the rest of the cast. The length of the film addled by unnecessary flashbacks, dream sequences, panoramic views of picturesque scenery and too much focus on del Pilar's reputation as a playboy don't help and a better editing job would have given this fine cinematic piece more of a punch. Unlike its predecessor "Heneral Luna" which the film serves as a sequel to, "Goyo" lacks the direct action which these kinds of films are best at. Nevertheless the movie is a good representation of the progress of Philippine cinema in quality, color and content. May many more come.