Too many unanswered questions
Hellbound (2021)Likes
1. Great acting from the cast. It makes me think what will I do if i receive a decree? Do i spend my last remaining hours hiding in fear or do i spend it saying goodbye to people? I know everyone eventually dies, it's just that here, the way you die is too scary and merciless. The decree also doesn't say the reason why you're going to hell. And how come Jinsu got the decree 20 years ago but others only had a few days to live?
2. The kind of religious fanaticism is happening right now and everywhere in the world. Not just religion, even in politics and social media we have this scary cancel culture. Some people are so righteous thinking their way is the right way and bullies everyone else who does not conform to their truth. And if their truth is wrong, instead of correcting them, they hide the truth and call the others as fake news. I wish everyone would ve more compassionate towards each other and less self serving.
Dislikes
Since there are only 6 episodes, there are too many unanswered questions thus it's hard to feel satisfied with the ending. Hoping for a season 2 to explain not only the last scene but also the overall phenomenon.
Rating: 8/10
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A good entertainment in just 6 episodes
A good show which delivers a different point of view. This show provides some supernatural elements. But after completing this season, I can conclude it is based on something different, which is very tough to express in words. It is a good entertaining show, also with just 6 episodes. definately this show has faults, but still the show is worth watching.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fell for Yoo Ah In . Even he's the "bad guy here(?)
First of all, I don't know why I hadn't watched any of YAI's drama but I just fell for his acting. His eyes speak so much. I haven't watched any of his dramas before and I regret it. The way he was immersed in the character, you'd feel he really was the bad guy and all these things were real. Whenever he spoke in this drama, except for his last 10 mins of life, there was something dark in them. Like he knew all your secrets and using them to manipulate you but you couldn't understand it and just following cuz the was supposedly the "good guy". Whenever he was speaking, his eyes spoke a lot more and they gave me chills. I'm a fan of him now. Gonna watch his other dramas.Now coming to the story I think there's gonna be a second season? I hope they do it. Cuz the last scene was a cliffhanger sort of. But if that woman came back, does that mean everyone did too? So what will happen now? But what I didn't understand was the basis of punishment. Like why did the baby was punished. And as YAI's character said, he never committed any sin. And if he was telling the truth then why was he punished? And why after 20 years? Why the prophecy thing happened 20 years before and why only for him and not others? Yes, there were so many plot holes. But still, I liked the mini drama. But yes, I'd like the answers to my questions in the next season.
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what just happened?
I've been watching kdramas for so long...IDK what to feel about the whole show, I definitely expected too much that when I finished it, it didn't live up to my expectations which made me so disappointed. The whole story was all over the place tbh.
The sudden cut after episode 3, the time jump Idk how I feel abt that but it's not a good feeling. The story is actually really good but how they execute it and put it all together was kind of not it. I've never had so many questions on a show and finished it without even getting a single answer.
The cast was actually really impressive, bcs I've watched these actors and they are really good but there is no character development in this show and I feel like there is really no main character. Overall, I can't say that it is one of the best kdramas this 2021 bcs it's not. But I'm looking forward to season 2 bcs that was IDK what happened, the ending, and everything but I'm still gonna look forward to the next season. Hopefully, it will be so much better!
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Interesting concept. Less interesting plot.
Hellbound is a short Supernatural Horror series that takes a very interesting concept and turns it into a less interesting plot. The premise of this drama is very scary, even if it's not so original. We learn in the very first scene that there are people who have been given a death decree by an ominous being and once that day and time comes they will be sent, very violently, to hell. The idea definitely gave me "The Ring" vibes, but instead of a ghost story, this drama focuses on a cult that emerges from this phenomenon called "The New Truth" led by Jung Jin Soo played by Yoo Ah In. I am a fan of Yoo Ah In and a huge fan of stories about cults, so I expected to really love this drama, but it dragged too much and was too open for interpretation for my taste. Instead of being intrigued, I got bored quickly.At first, there were too many characters for me to follow and care about. All the performances were good, but I felt like I didn't get a chance to really get to know characters like the detective and his daughter, and the lawyer and her mom, besides their connections to the cases and the cults. I felt like there were a few scenes that were meant to be touching but I didn't know the characters well enough to be truly moved. Chairman Jung was the most interesting character initially but I don't think his character was explored and humanized enough either. As emotional as some of the acting was I never cried once. As the sin and morality of characters were questioned it was never deep enough for me to relate to or empathize with besides it just being a horrible way to die. I also wanted the cult members and their desire to join to be more realistic. This brings me to my least favorite character... the leader of Arrowhead. Those scenes were the most annoying part of this drama. The cheesy neon and random yelling was silly instead of scary, and not funny enough to be considered dark comedy.
Would I watch this again? Probably. I know that's surprising, but I'm sure I missed a lot of details binging this the first time. I find cult stories interesting enough to give this another shot, especially if there is a season 2. The open-ended storytelling makes me curious about how others may interpret what happened. I'm not sure if I would binge-watch it in one day again. The episodes felt too long. And I would definitely be tempted to skip every single arrowhead web show scene.
Overall, Hellbound wasn't bad but didn't live up to my expectations. It felt like a really longwinded prequel and less like a fully finished season. Dystopian K-dramas are obviously in (Thanks to Squid Game), but this one seems more over the top and cartoony than disturbing and realistic. By the end, I had more questions than answers but there weren't enough characters that I cared about to make me care much about the answers anyway. Although the visual effects were "fun" I can see the webtoon maybe being better at telling this story than this drama, possibly filling in some huge character holes left in this drama, although I never read it so maybe not. I do like the moral questions some of the characters faced, those were the most interesting parts of the story to me, but I wish there were fewer scenes with arrowhead and its annoying delinquent vigilante goons. This is another one of those dramas that I probably would have liked better as a much shorter movie. I expect that there will be some pushback from religious folks who don't like the idea of god's wrath being interpreted. I can also see some die-hard Harry Potter fans not being impressed by certain parts of the plot near the end. There's also a lot of violence without consequences, so if you don't like violence this is definitely not the drama for you. I would still say true fans of supernatural horror could lower their expectations and still enjoy a lot of what this drama has to offer. I just wonder what a better screenwriter could have done with this plot (and yes, I really liked Train to Busan, but it wasn't a series). A better writer could have written in some more Yoo Ah In scenes, who I felt was underutilized, and could have made 6 episodes not feel like too many. I also don't usually expect a season 2 but this one feels like it really needs one to feel complete. Until then, at least it can make a great "What the Hell (pun intended) did I watch" topic of conversation.
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Hellbound is a hell to be on your watchlist
Sociology being my major in undergrad made me appreciate this series. It discusses the purpose of religion in our our society. On the level of the individual, it exists to satiate people's search for meaning, answers questions that science still fails to address, matters that are beyond our understanding. As Karl Marx puts it, it is the "opium of the masses."On an institutional level, it serves to ensure social control. We have laws in place, and religion reinforces them in the form of introducing the concept of morality and guilt, of heaven and eternal damnation.
Not a lot of kdramas offer this kind of commentary, so I should say it's worth a watch.
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Too much philosophy and unanswered questions
This drama is heavy stuff. It is filled with philosophical and ideological musings on religious and pseudo-religious topics which can be difficult material for the viewer. It certainly was for me. I don't mind dramas where you have to think, but I don't like dramas where I feel like I'm in a philosophy lecture where a not very bright professor keeps asking questions without giving any possible answers.The idea was ok and I was curious how the creators would solve their problems. Although there wasn't a clear main character that I could sympathize with, the main question posed in this drama made me curious enough to stick with it. Unfortunately, the answer given by the creators raised more questions for me and just when it started to get interesting, the drama ended. I waited in vain for the next episode. It left me disappointed and frustrated, and I expect a slightly different outcome from a drama.
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When one capitalizes death and individual experience of death becomes commodity
People start getting prophecies about when they will die, they are "bound to hell", soon enough many groups start to be interested in unfortunate souls that got said prophecy. For some it's a witch hunt "they are sinners, that did awful things! Thus we can violate them" for others it's a money-making machine. Imagine selling the VIP seats to rich folk to witness how other-worldly beings decapitate the sinner. Imagine live-streaming said death and not be frowned upon for doing so, because it was "god's will". Would you watch such live streams? Would you abuse those that presumably did awful things? Are you the one that tries to justify bad/good things as god's will or fate?Violence is what we enjoy watching. There's plenty of violence in "Hellbound", long scenes, bloody, almost intimate. We are the audience that is checking out live streams of judgment day. The violence in the series is utilized as a theme, for viewers to question their taste. Is violence entertainment? what emotions do I feel when I witness such acts on screen?
This show is for those, that enjoy analyzing the subtext which series provides. I don't think that religious folk would enjoy this series as much because the belief of hell and sin are flipped in this series and left ambiguous. (but if one is aware of religious (mostly Christian) texts then it provides interesting subtext)
The acting was great as always, the emotions were raw, some characters were hateable, and in general, it was a job well done.
Rewatch value is there, because once one knows characters' motivations, one can see their actions in a different light.
SPOILER: I'm excited for season 2 because it feels like they are following the "reborn" theme, which will be even more exciting!
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the easiest 10/ 10's I have given in a while - I went into this excited, but scared that the trailer would have been overhyped, and the drama itself would have fallen flat. Instead, this exceeded all my expectations and then some. Each episode had me on the edge of my seat, but also had me stressed out that I couldn't watch another episode even though I really wanted to. Impressed and Intense was my motto. I am not sure how to explain how much I loved this series. I loved how gruesome and gorey it was. I loved the religious "undertones" with Christianity and how the six episode series ended. I loved how it was broken up three and three episodes, the first introducing the "beginning" with characters are we thought were mains, but weren't, and the last three introducing this new world. But most of all, I LOVED how dark it kept getting - you thought that in episode one or two or even three, that a certain event would be the turning point, or the most fucked up (excuse my language) thing that has happened in the episode, and then the writer is like...no...we can top it. Especially with the premise of the last 3 episodes, I was impressed that someone would even go that far, but at the same time, was sobbing because it was extremely messed up how far everything was going.
I would recommend this over and over again if you like dark television - and not that there is a "supernatural" dark aspect, but the fact of how society would react if something happened that was outside of their understanding. And it's a scary thing.
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Human Nature at its worst.
This show was insane. I enjoyed it so much the most gripping part for me was this is the true side of humans. Gullible, cruel, mean, violent, just all around evil. It made you take a real good look at yourself and wonder could I be like this. They say no person is born evil we are just born into evilness. That is an insane but logical statement and it is talked about in the show. Now if we talk about the violence of this show then omg it was crazy but I’m twisted so I like stuff like this. The end episode was amazing and the love shown was truly remarkable… BravoWas this review helpful to you?
Unforgivably dark... just the way I like it
WHAT I LIKED:Pretty much everything. Despite the fantastical nature of events depicted in the show, one can easily draw a parallel between those events and reality. Pretty much every authoritarian system out there, which includes religion and the current environment of shoving everything down your throat for "your safety" because "they" know better, is succinctly and brutally demonstrated in the show. To me, the show is about death and the randomness of it, and how certain despicable opportunists have taken advantage of that phenomenon and contorted it to suit their mythical narrative and amass untold influence and wealth.
However, the best part of the show was the end. It's the most beautiful thing I've seen in a show/movie in a very very long time. That one thing balances out the nihilism and overall bleakness of human nature the show is spilling over with.
It's just six episodes long, as opposed to the meandering and repetitive 16 episodes that most Korean shows tend to be. I suppose we have Netflix to thank for it, as they impose that condition, and have managed to get some really good shows produced, e.g., Squid Game, D. P., and the entertaining My Name.
There's no point talking about the making of the show and other technical accomplishments. And those don't matter to me much. If a show can pull me in into its world, regardless of the nature of that world, and keep me invested in the characters and the events, then that show has done pretty much everything right. So was the case with this one as well.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
The show suggests there will be another season. In and of itself, the show is complete. It reaches its conclusion, and there are plenty of answers one can extract from it. The last-minute "twist" was unwarranted and made me go, "Oh, come on. Not you, too", a reaction identical to the one I had after watching another amazing show, "Squid Game". To me, the "twist" just overcomplicates the narrative, which clearly wasn't required. I guess the financials took precedence over art here, yet again. Or, maybe, the story was conceived this way from the beginning. Regardless, I don't like it. Too many shows and their impacts have been ruined because of this stupidity.
Another complaint, although this is just me nitpicking, is that one of the main characters in the first half of the show is abruptly dropped, never to be seen again in the latter part. He was a prominent character, and no reference was made of him in the second half. That just stuck out like a sore thumb for me.
BOTTOMLINE:
After a bit of world-building, the show gets going, and is relentless in its bleakness and just the overall repulsive human behavior. As mentioned, the beautiful end is the only moment you get some respite from all the doom and gloom. If you can digest all of this, then this show should be an unforgettable experience for you, just as it was for me.
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Basis or no Basis.
See, i felt it's gripping, it will keep you invested, you will be on your toes the entire time because it's very unpredictable, But it's Completely unsatisfactory.Like you will watch the whole thing and still won't understand shit.
It basically felt like a ground work for season 2 where we will get to know what the heck is happening.
The message that it is trying to send is pretty good and the execution is top notch but totally personal opinion.. i just felt empty after watching it.
People who judge the story with more than just script will love it cause everything else was mindblowing.
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