1
Mindless actions for late night fun
Set in the future timeline inspired by Concrete Utopia, this Netflix originals film does little to retain that brilliant legacy, but instead turning it into a trashworthy bloody action B movie that's hot for streaming services. Gone are the deep level of social commentaries, here it's all about mindless actions for late night fun. Make no mistake, the fighting sequences are actually really impressive with striking martial arts techniques and crispy visual effects, but the storyline is such a huge disappointment which is going nowhere. The plot didn't fit well and it felt like they overdid most of the elements without sufficient reasoning, however for those who're ready to see Ma Dong Seok packing mighty punches, this could be great.Was this review helpful to you?
Seamless movie within movie
A film that focuses on behind the scenes in a classic movie production studio, where the movie director was inspired to shoot a retake for an alternative ending despite multiple challenges and restrictions ahead of it, while a new genre of cult classic was born in the making. The flow of the storyline is actually extremely complicated to execute, yet the script was able to handle the movie within movie seamlessly. A great proof of concept that works well though it may not be a crowd pleaser, luckily it's still pretty entertaining amid the chaos. The final act of that one take sequence is definitely the reason why this movie was selected for Cannes screening of this year, it's simply brilliant.Was this review helpful to you?
Caught up in its own cliché but ending was satisfying enough
The conclusion for the series is finally here and to be honest, it was caught up in its own cliché for quite a while as it continues its buildup upon buildup. The breakthrough only comes at the last two episodes but luckily the ending is sophisticated enough to provide a satisfying ending. The resolution is almost seamless even though the plot is highly complex and that's great, it's just that the lack of suspense is evident throughout the whole drama when everything is done as a matter of course.Was this review helpful to you?
Cliffhanging just because it can
It seems like the writer is still very obsessed with the world inside the game instead of the other way around despite of its narrative at the beginning was to focus on bringing down the game, but that got lost onto nowhere way until the final episode just for it to be served as the cliffhanger for the next season, and there's totally no resolution of any sorts while it keeps putting in more questions that overweights what the premise was originally intended for.Was this review helpful to you?
Stylish and gritty but weird plot choices
Not really that unique of a premise but it does what it does best, fine quality cinematography that is stylish and gritty, then the insane sound design which really makes the movie standout at most of the deadly silent scenes. Just as brilliant as the technical aspect is, the storytelling though simply suggests otherwise. There are some really weird plot choices that will eventually make things go south, the ending is especially one tough pill to swallow, as it only poses more problems to an already tangled collection of plotlines, leaving no room for any resolution but only a subpar twist for its closing.Was this review helpful to you?
The forefront of experimental cinema
Korean cinema is always the one that dares to take the leap and stays at the forefront of experimental cinema of the bleeding edge, the entire movie was done in the lens of live streaming POVs, and yet it was brilliantly executed in favor of that sense of internet surrealism and algorithm war. The plot is really hefty and well planned, the mocking of those sensational live streamers that could do anything for fame and monetization, while pulling effective plot twists in crime thriller fashion, the direction is just smart as hell. Meanwhile Kang Ha Neul who is the man of focus, his blazing presence as the whole spotlight shines through with his absolutely insane acting performances, this movie will definitely remain as one of his most remarkable works for years.Was this review helpful to you?
Murky line between the hero and villain
Great suspense from the start as the bomb threat started to activate right away and time is tickling down, but it took quite long for the grand reveal to uncover, and the reasoning behind the threat is a bit ridiculous to be honest. However, the way they murk the line between the hero and villain is pretty respectable, the intention of the villain is one that is easy to symphatize with, just as they faced with the biggest question on humanity, that right there is the whole vision the movie aims to present.Was this review helpful to you?
Finding back the love of learning
A lot of times people have slowly forgotten the purpose of learning like how we used to be. Education had somehow become a tool or an instrument just for the sake of competing for qualifications, to use it as a weapon to threaten others, or it's just another money game to further widen the class difference between rich and poor, as what has been depicted in the movie. In fact, learning should be an excitement of discovering something with the intention of interest in it, instead of just using it to survive, but sadly there's only so few people that do so. In this case, the movie tried to achieve a pure heart for learning mathematics with the chemistry between Choi Minsik and Kim Donghwi that is so impeccable because no matter if we're old or young, learning should be a fun thing as how it always should be from the beginning.Was this review helpful to you?
Powerful immersion of lifelike characters
A story about a North Korean defector who escaped from China en route to Europe, his journey comes with a handful of twists, and there are a few fresh takes on this genre. Acting performances are definitely the most powerful aspect of this movie, the level of immersion into the characters is just insane from all the actors. The story is quite fast paced and lots of details going around, plot development is effective in pushing the emotions to a higher ground every time when uncertainty takes forth. The ending could be a little too dramatic, but in a sense that the director may seem to have wanted to paint the characters some hope, given how lifelike they were written, weren't we all just wanted to be hopeful even during the dreadest situation happening in this unforgiving society.Was this review helpful to you?
Great conspiracies but too convoluted
Pretty interesting premise, the plot is really hefty just as its title suggests, there's a lot of brain power fueling within the conspiracies and it latches onto it until the end without stopping. As breathtaking as it may seem, the details are also too convoluted and it simply lacks the pivotal structure that could drive this movie into something more exciting. There's just too much to follow and it somehow closes with a lowkey ending that leaves a lot of questions unanswered, not a bad concept but a little too philosophical for a crime thriller.Was this review helpful to you?
Politics within politics
The movie is having such incredible depth in its conspiracy plot is so unbelievable, the politics within politics, to control the seemingly uncontrollable, and all the dirty tactics are all executed in superb clarity. Every little details in the scenes are perfectly designed, along with acting performances that are just top class, so much tension can be felt on the screen. This really tops the best korean movie in the politics genre especially those related to elections, it's so freaking dark and thrilling.Was this review helpful to you?
Double-edged guns
A premise that looks cool on paper and jam packed with actions, the setup of the two contrasting leads is great but how the story progresses at the latter stage is a little unconvincing, those manipulation plans are just far from reality. The whole politicized guns distribution situation at the end is even harder to believe, but what it does right though is the rage shown on suppressed individuals that is valid enough to keep the storyline moving. It's just that it became a bit too ambitious on the world building side of things, where logical reasoning slowly fades away and never recovers.Was this review helpful to you?
The whole drama went off topic
A supposedly social commentary drama got swayed away into making cult movie storyline and the decision making of the characters were never realistic to begin with. At first it was fine, modern human behavior was shown in this urban digital society, but when all the killing fest started, the whole drama went into downfall and became an unnecessary convoluted revenge drama that was totally off topic from its initial material. There were some quality scenes at the beginning but that's all about it, it's really confusing why the writers would take this route instead of making it into those tech focused dystopian story.Was this review helpful to you?
Ineffective dystopian worldbuilding
As much as its attempt on the dystopian worldbuilding, it never comes effective due to the largely sloppy plotlines. A world set in the recovery stage of a worldwide mass destruction after a comet disaster, most of the scenes and situations didn't feel believable as it lacks surrealism, the imagination it has is also pretty vague. The main villain is a resource hogging conglomerate heir, the protagonist is a rebel employee planning to wage a war to change the system for refugees, it's a great source material yet this Netflix adaptation was poorly done, the direction of the story is unconvincing, tension between characters is weak and everything just seems forgettable.Was this review helpful to you?
Large scale cinematic event
Korean filmmakers are really brave and fearless when it comes to making this type of huge blockbusters, the technological prowess and grueling effort required to produce such a large scale cinematic event is way beyond imagination, but it's safe to say that the outcome of this movie is satisfying enough with storytelling vision that is quite groundbreaking. The world building is extensive and very well crafted with stakes design that are significant right from the start to finish, that adrenaline pumped visuals and high octane fighting sequences really is something else to appreciate on the big screen, Korean cinema is just going to get more astonishing than ever.Was this review helpful to you?
