The Last Sunrise review – Amazon’s soapy YA romance is thankless and bland
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Another familiar concoction fails to make use of its sunny location and chooses cheap melodrama over romantic charm</p><p>A titular sunrise, a summer fling fantasy, exorbitant wealth, impossibly sculpted bodies: such are the profitable story ingredients that make up The Last Sunrise, the latest offering in Amazon’s endless catalogue of “romance content”. I wouldn’t ordinarily use that term to describe a film, but it fits The Last Sunrise (indifferently directed by Carlson Young) like a glove. The movie is an adaptation of the 2025 novel of the same title by Anna Todd, whose <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/18/after-we-collided-ya-romance-cinemas-future">After series</a> – itself adapted from Todd’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/17/one-direction-fan-fiction-books-movie-anna-todd">phenomenally popular</a> One Direction fan fiction – was wrung dry between 2019 and 2024.</p><p>In recent years, a particular romance category has yielded high returns for Amazon: from this summer’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/10/every-year-after-review-this-hunk-packed-romance-is-sweet-irresistible-trash">Every Year After</a> to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/18/why-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-is-2025s-surprise-tv-hit-it-makes-you-feel-like-a-teenager-again">The Summer I Turned Pretty</a>’s memorable run, these stories are easily palatable, set in idyllic locations, and orbit attractive, heterosexual, wealthy couples. Nothing new there – one need look no further than any run-of-the-mill 2000s romcom to find the same tropes. But the narrative simplicity that once made room for electric chemistry between leads, perfectly tailored wardrobes and irresistibly depicted locales has given way to cheap melodrama. With its improbable plot twists, family secrets and at least one across-the-face slap, The Last Sunrise is more soap opera than Under the Tuscan Sun.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/26/the-last-sunrise-movie-review-amazon">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Another familiar concoction fails to make use of its sunny location and chooses cheap melodrama over romantic charmA titular sunrise, a summer fling fantasy, exorbitant wealth, impossibly sculpted bodies: such are the profitable story ingredients that make up The Last Sunrise, the latest offering in Amazon’s endless catalogue of “romance content”. I wouldn’t ordinarily use that term to describe a film, but it fits The Last Sunrise (indifferently directed by Carlson Young) like a glove. The movie is an adaptation of the 2025 novel of the same title by Anna Todd, whose After series – itself adapted from Todd’s phenomenally popular One Direction fan fiction – was wrung dry between 2019 and 2024.In recent years, a particular romance category has yielded high returns for Amazon: from this summer’s Every Year After to The Summer I Turned Pretty’s memorable run, these stories are easily palatable, set in idyllic locations, and orbit attractive, heterosexual, wealthy couples. Nothing new there – one need look no further than any run-of-the-mill 2000s romcom to find the same tropes. But the narrative simplicity that once made room for electric chemistry between leads, perfectly tailored wardrobes and irresistibly depicted locales has given way to cheap melodrama. With its improbable plot twists, family secrets and at least one across-the-face slap, The Last Sunrise is more soap opera than Under the Tuscan Sun. Continue reading...
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