Can't believe I only started this now!
Honestly, I haven't been finding anything coming out interesting lately. Everything just kind of seems the same and predictable now, but this drama took me out of my "slump".Story wise, it was well written and the characters had so much impact on me. The three shared the same experiences which made me sympathize and understand them more. Each ending of every episode made me want to know more. There were unexpected twists to the story.
The acting was really good. The actors and actresses gave me chills. I have seen Kim Dong Wook and Kim Jae Wook in Coffee Prince together, so it was very nice and refreshing to see them together in a new drama once again. I first saw Jung Eun Chae in The King Eternal Monarch and I never knew she had so much to show! She was amazing here, and I would love to see her take more of these roles.
Overall, really good drama. I would definitely recommend this to a friend. 10/10 👏
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Has Character Development Horror Movies Always Lack!
I was anxious, scared, uneasy, angry, curious, worried and sometimes heartbroken but that's what I love about this! This drama was cinematically beautiful and musically eerie from the start! The film style was like a high-budget movie and the writing was enough to captivate me from the start (with the first 2-4 episodes being the most jarring).STORY
The fast-paced introduction full of supernatural events, religious rituals, death, fear, and mystery sets the tone for the rest of the drama. The first half involved a lot of individual cases (similar to ones in crime dramas that only last for 2 eps) to provide necessary clues in connection to the larger mystery/enemy. In the second half, there was a noticeable change from individual cases to developing the main mystery. It was a change I appreciated since single cases get very repetitive. With a larger focus on the mystery of who exactly their enemy was, the twists and turns had me switching back-and-forth between guesses.
CHARACTERS
The tragedies and resulting effects the characters experienced had me worried for their well-being and that of the people who cared for them. Each character had sufficient time spent on truly developing their character's backgrounds, personality, and psyche with the progression of events. A detail I enjoyed was how they kept true to the limitations/restraints of what Choi Yoon and Kang Gil Young could do and when because of their jobs since this bit of realism made it more believable. All the actors had an amazing portrayal of their characters and were able to convey their emotions well.
OVERALL
Quickly piquing my curiosity, I became invested in how this trio would go about avenging their families against a demonic enemy. From how these characters were written, I came to care for all of them and hoped for the best overall outcome. From start to finish, this was a wild ride and one worth being a 10/10 rating!
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This review may contain spoilers
Started out really strong. The end sort of...scattered
One of the top rated horror dramas, while it started of well, few things were quite predictable. like Priest Yang, the kids who grew up, etc the spirit not leaving easily etc.The characters were well portrayed. Plot is okay, expect gory and some triggering things maybe.
Overall a good watch.
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A little predictable and little not.
The Guest is a drama centered around three characters whose life goes through horrible change when they directly and indirectly encounter an infamous spirit Park Il Do. Years later, the trio end up meeting each other accidentally. This is a decadent horror drama for fans looking for some scary thriller. However, the first two episodes of this drama are the scariest. After the intro episodes, we do become familiar with which direction the story is going in. Though it seems predictable at various points, it does manage to keep you on your toes. My favourite part about the drama was the dynamics between the leads. From distrusting each other to working together, the bromance progresses well. The pace of the story varies as well — there are parts which are slow but the intense almost cliffhanger reveals keep you going. It’s a fun drama to watch in a group, to speculate and discuss the characters.Was this review helpful to you?
The Freaking Chemistry!
I took one look at the cover and thought, heck I am not sure about this title but the IMDB rating is very good and MDL rating is good and its ranked in the 100 top best here, but i still wasn't sure. But the truth is the whole series is freaking epic, the storyline, the chemistry, characterization and the music. Perfect flawless execution from the actors/actresses. Well timed and directed choreography with the plotline going on about korean rituals, Christianity, spirits, exorcisms, a perfect combination of unusual elements to paint out a perfect fantastic story which is of horror and mystery genre.Horror wise, i think more than the story line the delivery and the choreography made it's mark, it was nevertheless pretty scary. Each episode had a scary exorcism. But as a fan of horror and of many years watching it, i always adored the emotional causes present in horror stories rather than jumpscares. The plot line involves 3 different characters of totally contrasting personalities and roles (detective, psychic and priest) which you could tell, already a good cue for a story, but its how these characters get perfectly interconnected with their pasts to the present which is the most wonderful, how their guilt and sorrows and forgiveness connects them. Perfect chemistry between Hwa Pyong, Choi Yoong and Gil Young, where they are not gushy or sweet, rather sarcasm and talk backs keeps them close. How without even you realizing, they become close. The unbreakable brotherhood of those three was more powerful than the horror itself.
I'll be honest, the emotional influence was so great in the story, that even it becomes more scary you get immune to it, the amazing OST's make the whole franchise more worthy with rewatch value, I appreciated the sad music during the exorcisms, instead of making it all about mysticism, evil. It was painted as pain and sorrow. With mild insane plot twists and incredible acting of the characters (especially Kim Jae Wook) and with breathtaking shots of rural Korean villages, Sohn: The Guest is an incredible work of story telling, choreography and art into the world of Asian horror.
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Darkness That Truly Shows You The Light Inside
This drama was well done. Every movement was on point by each actor who was possessed. The music suited every scene perfectly. The supporting cast was so well assigned. I was even a huge fan of how the plot unfolded and moved forward. Every time we think we found something out a new twist would arrive.Also it’s hella creepy and dark a lot of the time. Its supernatural aspects were so well thought out and depicted. It’s not easy to give life to this much level of detail of possession and the aftermath it leaves behind.
I love how each characters relationship was well fleshed out. You grew to love every character and understand why they would go to the lengths they go. Some actions at times feel too much, but with a new perspective you understand exactly why it’s that way. There was such good friendship depicted throughout the show. Not just our mains but their familial, coworkers, and old friends.
Tears happened in this drama so often. Emotions would well up and I love when dramas evoke emotion that way. Makes it the best kind of immersion one could ask for.
I’d watch it again most definitely. Give it a shot.
Sara Rojas SEPTEMBER 28 2021
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This review may contain spoilers
It was... pretty unexpected in many ways.
First of all, it was a really nice drama. There are very few dramas out there which includes spirits, demons and everything in between, but this one did stood out. It had a pretty consistent storyline, strong and relatable characters... One thing that i really liked about this drama was that it showed possession (of people by spirits) in a way that felt believable. Not way too much drama, no unwanted plot, the drama really progressed just in the right way.There were many like literally many twists and turns. One moment you start to think that okay this guy is Park Il do next moment someone else turns up to be him.
From the beginning, i thought that priest Yang was possessed by Park Il do and the series made us believe that too at one point.
There's another thing that i didn't quite liked is the fact that nothing happened with Park Hong ju. I really wanted her to suffer for her deeds but she just laughed like crazy in the last ep...
Also theres one thing that i dont understand, according to grandpa if priest Yang was never possessed (according to Hwa pyung's grandpa Yang submitted himself to the devil) , so how in the hell was he able to possess the bus driver guy and the gas station guy in the last ep...?
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Truly a THRILLER! So epic as the Renevant was
I'm left with no words, honestly. This series was so EPIC and I wasn't prepared for it.As a thriller, will keep you on the edge of your seat more times you'll ever imagine. As the story unfolds, we get to know the characters, and we try to realise with them what's going on, what's the truth. But trust me, the twists this story has... wow!
The chemistry between the three main characters is INSANE. Their relationship keeps becoming stronger and stronger. All of them have the stubbornness to do everything they can to save their loved ones and to save one another.
The acting, how everything are set will make you cry and feel the pain of the characters to your bone or feel the fear, for sure (you want to stop because of how scared you're but you want to keep watching as well because of how good it is).
Till now, the Revenant was maybe the most amazing and truly a THRILLER, for me. Now, The Guest is as well with Renevant a THRILLER- after you have watched this you're feeling you've made the right choice you started watching it. Truly.
The music for me was amazing and has given more depth to the drama, but maybe I wanted something a little better.
As rewatch value I'm not sure if I can handle watching it again, but the emotions I've felt while watching it I think I maybe will want to experience them again.
(It's my first review, guys. So I hope it would help you decide about whether to watch this drama or not 😇).
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love horors/thrillers but could not get through this one.
From the beginning, it was hard for me to stay focused, as the drama did not impress me. This was surprising to me, as I usually enjoy thrillers and horrors. I'm not sure if it was the way it was filmed. I tried several times to watch another episode, but by episode 7, I gave up and dropped the drama. I had been really looking forward to it, as it had a high rating and great reviews.The story was good, but the execution fell flat for me. The production could have been better, and I didn't connect with the main characters. The female lead was particularly annoying, and the way the three of them interacted was just strange. The only positive was Dong Woo; I really liked his character.
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catholic guilt
this queer coded fantasy religious tragedy mystery thriller changed my life. i will never be the same.the acting… i BELIEVED IT
the way it was shot, each cinematic shot, the crafting was so well done.
the symbolism and lighting play….
the soundtrack vocals at each emotional scene….
the plot was so incredibly exciting i was on the edge of my seat not a boring moment and so well paced
this was something so special to me.
i’ve never watched something half way through and wished i could start watching it from the beginning already because i don’t want it to end.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Guest is NOT welcomed in my home!!!!
I was in the mood for horror and it was creeptacular. 😂It stated off so intense and it kept peaking my interest each episode. It totally delivered with the creepiness. A lot of it was because of the lighting to set the mood, the music they would use, the camera angles, and how amazing the actors were at being freaky with their facial expressions. It was quite impressive. I loved that and I could feel creeped out watching it in the dark alone at home. That was until around the last couple of episodes when it was about to hit the climax. I became bored a bit and kind of disappointed because it was getting to a point where they were running in circles trying to rack their brains of what to do and who was the villain.
With all the gruesome things that happened, I was expecting it to go out with more of a bloody bang, ya know!
Like don't get me wrong, the story in itself was intriguing the way they were talking about this "Guest" thats been around for more than half a century who came from the East Seas. Like I was hoping for more of a backstory behind that. Like what is it exactly and how it came into being. Like I'm curious about things like that. It was wild how the exorcisms were performed by the priests but some of the times it took them longer to finish the exorcisms. I'm not well educated in that holy department, but it just shows how human the priests are. A lot of them aren't saints and claim to be holy and a soldier of God who go around helping people and dispel the wicked, when they themselves sin like your average joe. It seems that this type of work, one has to be physically and spiritually strong or they may end up hurting themselves or others.
The main characters or the 3-stooges as I call them, were too incoherent when it came to dealing with the issues caused by the Guest. I understand that it wasn't a coincidence that they all met again years after, and that they had a lot in common due to unfortunate events that occurred during their young lives, but I thought they would be more circumspect as adults rather than being reckless, impulsive, and foolhardy. Some of their decisions were ridiculous and I didn't see how it aided in the situation they were in. But there wasn't much teamwork to begin with since they all didn't really like or trusted each other to begin with. At least they were wary in that area. They never really stopped to really think about things but was ready to jump the gun as soon as they head the name of the Guest. 😂 Like why? However, as they've been though a lot in their lives together, those three developed a bond. It was of mutual interests and first but it became more than that after some time. :)
The main casts and supporting casts did a really good job. I was even amazed at the kids. Those little shits were so creepy I swear. LOL
I wanted to watch something scary. This wasn't as scary but it was very creepy, especially with the sounds effects and music. Mind you, I had the volume high on the speakers too and I was always watching it late at night in the dark alone. That's the type creepy mood I'm talking about. It was eerily intense, because while watching it felt like the characters would sometimes jump out of the screen and stand in front of you. Like no thanks. Hahaha~ The last episode was a bit lackluster for me. The mini revelation was surprising but I was wanted more... like an all out war/battle. Ok, maybe that was too much but something along those lines. Then again, it made sense that things happen the way that it did. One can never stop evil from truly disappearing. It always spurs from darkness in human hearts, and the living is a lot more scarier than the dead or unseen spirit as they say.
Would I rewatch this again? Probably not because it won't be as creepy because I will be expecting things to happen and won't be surprised or creeped out. If it's with a friend who's never seen it, then definitely.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Definitely! I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to watch this and experience the uncanny feeling that it might affect you in the real world while watching. Hehe~ Don't watch if you can't handle this type of stuff, and if you can't watch it alone, try watching with someone so you don't get nightmares while sleeping in the dark. I can't promise you won't hear incomprehensible whispers near your ears. LOL 😂
My sincere advice: Humans should really consider being careful when they try to mess with things in which they do not understand and cannot handle.
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This review may contain spoilers
sleep left the chat 555
Recently finished yrr… dont even ask how freakin insanely amazingg it isFrom the very start this drama has CRAZY grip like proper strong storytelling intense atmosphere and that constant w..hat is actually happening.. feeling.. whole mystery around the spirit the possession is literal engaging.. and bro the trio.. THEIR CHEMISTRY ..top notch ha
The priest the psychic driver and that officer all three of them together just worked SO well... it didnt felt forced.. felt like a real bond formation amidst trut and trauma
Suspense built beautifully.. every episode slowly connected pieces but still left guessing until the end.. ngl emotional weight hits hard
There are moments where sacrifice and loyalty felt reall.. like people literally putting everything on the line knowing the outcome.. ending is powerful.. wrappingthings up in a way thats emotional shocking and kinda overwhelming in a good way
literal MASTERPIECE for thriller horror fans
P.S. i wouldve still loved it even if hwa pyung really died.. but him not dying was like cherry on the top
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