DO NOT WATCH IT!
The adaptation uses the fame of ORV. This isn't ORV live-action at all! The way they make changes, the disappearance of an important character, and the plot changes are awful. At this point, the director just wants to make an adaptation like he wants and completely forget the true story. This is disrespectful to the fans and the author themselves. Korea had better think seriously about taking a live-action novel. Shame on you!Was this review helpful to you?
WORST OF THE WORST
What kind of film adaptation changes the story so drastically from the original? How is that even reasonable? it called an adaption for a reason.The plot of this movie is a complete mess, it’s nothing like the original. How could they turn someone as precious as Kim Dokja into that? Every character in the original ORV is deeply valuable, and this film completely ruined everything about ORV.
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Waste of time
Waste of time, money and an awesome cast. This is the worst adaptation I've ever seen in my life. Feels like the cheapest, most stupid and laziest version of the story. This had so much potential! I just hate this. As a fan, if you only included a couple real fans in the decision-making process, this could've been so much better. This made me feel pure disappointment and resentment towards the director and the responsables of this mess.Was this review helpful to you?
Bland
Watchable if you're curious or if it's play during festive season or school break on tv. This is better off to be on netflix. Although I never read the webtoon, the film seems short for its length doesn't cover much cool storyline.I watched it because I like Nana and Jisoo. But watching it I was left bored and confused. Idk why they used gun for killing monster when they barely do any big impact, they always shows they're killed by swords anyway. The coins, the screen look silly and cartoonish. Maybe because I don't play games so I don't get the appeal? They should've given more time to Jisoo and LMH idk what their name are but I was told they're supposed to be mentor-student duo? Was excited to see these duo more tbh. I don't feel the chemistry between the cast but acting wise I think they just care about their parts separately. Not feeling the hint of bromance which also a loss. And I'm sorry, I couldn't connect with the male lead, Hyoseop in this story like why should I care about this loser character wanting to save the world no charm whatsoever but got lucky he knows the storyline. The other one is boring too but he got his job done I guess.
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Disrespectful to the authors and their beloved story
We were continuously told how the director was keeping the original message of the story and how it had been respected, but that isn't found at all in this "adaptation". It's fine to change some things especially in cases of adapting animated or fantasy stories to real life but its another to completely rewrite it and then arrogantly call it an adaption.For example, adding guns (the most useless weapons in the original story basically) was something quite a few, including myself, were willing to see how if it had been added in a arguably reasonable manner. Or to tell us certain character won't make an appearence (even if they were supposed to and not because they're simply character from way later in the story) is again alright. Why? Because maybe the director/script writers believed they deserved a more befitting entrance or something along those lines, and at least they'll still be in the story, with the same impact/backstory just at a slightly different time. However to then act as though Yoo Joonghyuk is a side character is beyond crazy. It shows us readers how you missed the point of his character, the importance and impact he had on Kim Dokja. Honestly, its not just that but to also completely change who the other character fundamentally are or undermine their connections with each other is distateful as well. Its now also incredibly evident this occurred, thanks to actor Lee Minho's recent interview highlighting how he wasn't aware of Joonghyuk and Jihye's connection.
I'll only briefly mention this point as its related to the previous on but its so incredibly misogynistic to have reduced Yoo Sangha, someone who stood against harmful stereotypes about women, to a healer out of all the possibilities in a fictional story ever. Better yet she could have been left just as she was, especially when you take into account that Lee Jihye was allowed to remain strong. When you consider that, it just doesn’t make much sense as to why she had to changed. Although, if I didn't know any better, I'd guess there must be some sort of "limit" to how many strong and capable women you can have as part of the MC's, according to this director.
Like you might as well, come up to each and every one of us to tell us you're a terrible director who cannot be entrusted with adapting a story that's finished already. Let alone being entrusted to write a new one because you aren't imaginative nor creative. Like I truly don't know how someone so unskilled and incapable has been granted such an opportunity.
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don't watch this please
The original is already peak, i love it so much, idk why they make it very different in the LA. And they just use famous actor for profit. Very disappointed for the novel fans of course. At the beginning when they announced they would be making an LA adaptation, i was very excited. But slowly i started to get disappointed when the title, the cast, the attack tools, the posters, AND THE STORYLINE are very different from the original. I feel bad for the author of this original novelWas this review helpful to you?
I LOVE IT. Just treat it as a Spin-off, fans.
LOVE THE MOVIE, personally, NOT a big fan of the manga. (sorry, the manga still ok)I love many of the isekai/transmigration game trope but just not this manga/NOVEL sorry~
I actually LOVE this FILM/movie more than the manga. I like the manga, but it's not in my top fave game-isekai's.
I understand got a lot of low rating due to the hardcore fans and may make people shy away from it. but i recommend those who did not read the original yet to watch the movie and give it a try. Interesting for the fantasy isekai world - trope fans people.
&& for those who read the novel or manga, and if u are too obsessive in getting right to the point, you should either skip this or watch this with an open mind, just pretend its a spin over. they are just people with the same name in a similar universe.
there's barely any isekai shows/movies (ok many villain or S.Charac-to-ML/FL kinds BUT almost NONE game trope kinds) out there already, we need all the support we can get so they can make more !!!!can't wait for solo leveling =X
please help the fantasy world get more dramas we need it to escape reality \\(>A<)//
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This review may contain spoilers
This is NOT it
As a reader and a k-pop fan, I'm truly disappointed with this. Let me break it down.1. I don't really mind the cast as long as they can act, but they genuinely wasted Im Siwan. He would've fit better as Kim Dokja, and all the Novel/webtoon readers agree with that.
2. They made Kim Dokja hate TWSA, which is literally the only thing that kept him alive.
3. They made Jung Heewon Kim Dokjas favorite character in the TWSA. Kim Dokja himself stated that Jung Heewon is just an extra who was supposed to die. Yoo Joonghyuk is clearly his favorite. If you read it, you can see that all he yaps about Yoo Joonghyuk being a "Handsome Bastard" and "Handsome Protagonist". If you notice how Kim Dokja looks at Yoo Joonghyuk in the webtoon/manhwa, you'll know that it's not just admiration.
4. What did they do to Bihyung?????? Bihyung is a terrifying creature that hosts for the constellation. If you can see in the first chapters, he is NOT cutesy. They literally made him into a labubu mixed with Doraemon.
4. They used Kim Jisoos fame as a k-pop idol to make the movie sell out.
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A Nightmare
Whatever the worst thing you can imagine, this movie adaptation manages to sink even lower, it's a catastrophe beyond your darkest nightmares.1/10 Stars - A Complete Betrayal of the Source Material
"Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy" - How to Butcher a Masterpiece in 120 Minutes
As someone who devoured all 551 chapters of the original web novel, I walked into this adaptation with cautious optimism. I walked out feeling personally insulted by what the filmmakers did to sing shong's brilliant work.
Where do I even begin with this disaster?
First, they completely gutted Kim Dokja's character. In the novel, Dokja is a complex, morally gray protagonist whose obsession with "Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse" stems from genuine loneliness and escapism. The movie turns him into a generic "chosen one" hero who's inexplicably confident from scene one. Gone is his self-deprecating humor, his strategic mind, and most importantly, his role as a "reader" who understands the story's mechanics. Instead, we get Hollywood Hero #47 who just happens to know things.
The worldbuilding? What worldbuilding?
The intricate constellation system that makes ORV so unique? Reduced to glowing tattoos that appear when convenient. The complex sponsor relationships? Streamlined into a basic "gods give power" system you'd find in any generic fantasy film. The scenarios that were carefully crafted psychological and physical challenges? Turned into mindless action sequences with terrible CGI.
Don't get me started on Yoo Joonghyuk.
They cast him as a brooding pretty boy and stripped away everything that made him compelling. His 1863 regressions, his trauma, his complicated relationship with Dokja - all gone. He's now just the "rival who becomes ally" with zero depth. The movie completely misses that Joonghyuk isn't just strong; he's broken, desperate, and clinging to hope through repetition.
The supporting cast might as well not exist.
Han Sooyoung gets maybe 10 minutes of screen time and is reduced to "sassy female character." Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewon, Lee Gilyoung - all the bonds Dokja forms that make his journey meaningful are rushed through montages. The found family aspect that's central to the novel's heart? Completely absent.
But the worst sin? They fundamentally misunderstood the story's themes.
ORV isn't about being special or chosen. It's about finding meaning through stories, about how fiction can save us, about the relationship between reader and protagonist. The movie turns it into a standard "save the world" plot where Dokja is special because... he just is. The meta-narrative elements that make the novel brilliant? Completely ignored.
The ending is particularly insulting - they clearly set up for sequels while completely missing the point of the novel's conclusion about stories, sacrifice, and what it means to be remembered.
Technical aspects? Also terrible.
The pacing is breakneck, cramming multiple scenarios into poorly edited action scenes. The dialogue is exposition-heavy because they have to explain a complex world they didn't properly establish. The special effects look like a mid-budget video game from 2015.
This movie exists solely to capitalize on ORV's popularity without understanding what made it special. It's the cinematic equivalent of someone reading a plot summary and thinking they understood the story.
Do yourself a favor: skip this cash grab and read the novel instead. Or better yet, read it again to cleanse your palate if you've already seen this abomination.
Bottom line: This isn't an adaptation; it's fan fiction written by someone who skimmed the wiki page.
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That's why Japanese and Chinese adaptations are way superior
As fan of the original work, I can't express my disappointment in words. Don't know why, I had a bit of hope with this one, but they totally messed this up. The ones who didn't read the novel may have enjoyed it though, but as an adaptation it is horrendous. And what the fish is this CGI? Feels like filmed on iphone 7 edited on capcut!I don't have any complain with the cast, most of them did a good job. Everyone on twitter was on Jisoo's ass, but she did very decent job. Did great for the chunk of screen time she got.
Hyo-seop also done good, though lee min-ho could have dine better. The most fu*ked up thing is the plot. But its totally on the director and screenwriter. Seems like they only cared about big name actors and haven't even read the novel.
I don't want to watch any future part of this s###
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This script is painful.
It was very difficult to watch until the end. Truly sad and disrespectful to the original work. The entire budget was spent on hiring famous actors, and the production was poor. The only thing worse was the script. The actors and writers of ORV aren't to blame for anything. The film's terrible and that's not their fault.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
ok... i don’t think this deserves the hate it is getting
As a novel reader, I knew this would be vastly different from the webnovel and it should not be treated as an insult to the OG.You all need to realize that a web novel and live action are two entirely different dishes. The author had the liberty of using many constellations that have some real influence in many cultures and pitted them against each other. There were even instances of turning an actual god into a despicable villain. There were also instances where they used actual historical figures who were part of the Japan vs Korea history (I am talking about Lee Ji Hye). A web novel can get away with all this because the target audience usually overlooks such things when they come across certain sections (I am from India, and the author just off'd a few Hindu gods). A webnovel doesn’t cause controversy at a large scale that would actually impact how it is received/rated/monetized.
Now think of a movie that you want to release worldwide with a star-studded cast, a predominantly CGI-based shoot. Imagine the millions that go into the pre-, during, and post-production. They would need to tread carefully with the historical and mythological figures; otherwise, it might just get banned or get embroiled in a controversy that derails its collections. I wasn’t surprised that they were just showing us the constellation of Jung Hui Won among so many constellations.
Coming to the point of being too fast-paced, it's a 1.5-hour movie, unlike LOTR. If you put too less chapters and focus primarily on character development, you would end the movie at the first station itself.
You need to first understand why such decisions were taken and then give reviews. Game of thrones would have got trash reviews if it were a 3 part movie. This is definitely not a sub 7 movie.
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