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A whole premium ballad music video
The concept is actually nothing new but it does have the ability to uphold a high production value, despite it being quite a typical kdrama for most of the time. The cinematography is amazing, which looks like some really premium ballad music video, the calm and soothing feel is the whole highlight of the drama. The storyline has good direction but basically the logical sense can be ignored for good, fortunately it was able to capture the essence of how a public figure has to sacrifice their private lives in order to maintain their image for business. The ending is so heartfelt and realistic for both of the leads, which is intensely intriguing and delicate.Was this review helpful to you?
Well made but almost similar to the original
Not sure why would they remake a legendary film when they have almost no new input to an already well established premise, which the original version itself also blew up in Korea some decades ago, but really this script has proven to be successful so it's hard to go wrong with it. At least the overall quality is very well made and decently acted, though they've tweaked it with a different ending that feels less tragic, which somehow takes away a significant part of that sorrow and grief, now it's more like a respectful tribute to sweep up that waves of nostalgia in this untold melody approach, still a satisfying watch nonetheless.Was this review helpful to you?
Could be more impactful
An artistic sci-fi movie that ponders about existence and subconscious, cinematography is very delicate in making those futuristic scenes look ethereal. It has high level intelligence for its setting but the story it tells doesn't seem to have the scale to match that. There is no overwhelming cinematic climax due to limitations on the character design, but what it has to offer is the wholeheartedly affection of someone important in life. It's still a beautiful film that's excellent enough to be anticipated while the untapped potential remains to be explored.Was this review helpful to you?
Korean cinematic phenomenon
Extravaganza cinematic visionary that is more extraordinary than ever, this could very well be the most monumental achievement ever done in a war film. The naval battle sequence lasted for an overwhelming 100 minutes in hyper realistic visuals and intense actions that are totally out of this world. The well arranged narrative is also mind-boggling enough to maximize the tension of the political struggle alongside some really insane acting performances, everything is simply too phenomenal in this movie.Was this review helpful to you?
Promising premise but less impact
Extremely mundane style of storytelling, most of the scenes were done using silent suspense but sometimes it's really a little too much for such a simple story to be stretched this long. Visuals is the stronger aspect of this movie, that seemingly permanent grease and greyish hue smudges the small suburb which doesn't look like having much of a future, it really sparks the underlying pressure for the poor to abandon their morale just to survive the unjust in this corrupted society. It's a promising premise in gritty and stylish low tone, but can't really say the same for its lukewarm impact towards the ending.Was this review helpful to you?
More complex storyline, but weaker fight sequences
Guy is back again after a year, whether it is an upgrade this time around, the answer is both yes and also no. The story building is more intensive in this third installment as they go for a more complex structure of a three way conflict that involves a lot more thought process, and the implementation of the characters are great along with the flow of the story. Now onto the weakness that this movie had, which sadly should be its main selling point, the action choreography. The franchise that was known for having masterclass martial arts sequences, somehow turns out not as powerful as the first and the second movie, fight scenes here were a little plain and dull, punches get simpler and battles get shorter, which feels like a rushed production. The previous two villains also fare so much better in terms of fighting skills and the pure charisma on screen, whereas the villain here is just not that intimidating and thrilling. It also has a weird tone that relies on too much humor to push the plot forward which almost becomes a full blown comedy. Well i guess sequels are just not that easy to preserve its excellence but I hope the next installment could really do better than this.Was this review helpful to you?
The meaning of meaningless life
Huge appreciation for the writer to be able to speak for every lonely person out there, providing a little meaning for the meaningless life. It may not be a lot but it's already enough for that little happiness and understanding to happen through its literal storytelling along with its heartfelt characters. Every dialogue and choice of word fits perfectly into our harsh reality, the acting is so deep down it calms every wandering soul like a true companionship. Even though it's densely packed in 16 hours of runtime, it's able to contain almost every modern societal problems out there that you could think of, and also tackling life progression at different kinds of stages. It may be tedious and tragic, but the sad and melancholic instinct within us will always ponder questions on why we exist, why am i here, while working hard to adapt into this familiar yet uncertain world. After completing this drama feels like covering in a warm blanket and having a great listener beside us, that little comfort is exactly everything we need.Was this review helpful to you?
Stylish and chilling
Surprisingly outstanding, it's one of the most mindblowing Korean horror movies ever, the storytelling structure is really solid and the logical reasoning just makes so much sense with plot twists that are unexpectedly brilliant. The cinematography is stylish and gritty, horror elements are actually extremely chilling down into your skin, definitely not for the faint-hearted as the level of horror here is quite high, but this is the exact gold standard for what a horror movie should be like.Was this review helpful to you?
One-off roller coaster ride
Great setting for a political action movie, but it limits its scale towards more of a one-off roller coaster ride instead of a full fledged heavyweight storyline. Characters design are kept at surface level only, some of the escaping plot also felt like fictional gimmicks to purposefully drive suspense, not necessarily a bad movie but it's just not a very deep premise itself, though acting performance is one of the strongest aspects here.Was this review helpful to you?
Well-chilled suspense
A really well-chilled horror film with quite a straightforward setting but the suspense buildup is extremely well refined and the pacing is highly engaging. The gore and scares are so refreshing as they have plenty of new tactics that were never seen before on screen, most of them rely on naturally occurring objects such as stones and trees. The shooting style is also pretty complex and the panning of the scenes are so good in inducing fear for shocking visuals. The most astonishing highlight is the bloody red tone that was gushing sharply with a shattering blast, those scenes were so well blended it almost tasted like some fine aged wine. This movie will definitely let you leave the theater feeling eerie at the end of the path.Was this review helpful to you?
Intense war along the way but ending was tame
The script is extremely well written, most of its dialogues are very detailed and able to live up to its tension. The pacing is great and the storyline spreads out incredibly, the social media war was well thought out and it's quite informative on how the social media business works behind the scene, the main lead who starts from the bottom and eventually becomes a vigilante that purges everyone else stepping in her way. Every trick and stunt in the luxury market reflects on the current society where humans are divided into rankings or levels, it's all highlighted with contrasty cinematography like a wide spectrum of colors. It's just that the ending is a little tame and expected when the war was fought so intensely along the way, but overall it is already one of the better kdrama this year.Was this review helpful to you?
Extremely mundane but also very surreal
The overall tone of the drama is extremely mundane but also very surreal on depicting the social class struggle, which is so triggering to see when the society exploits them, the whole system that fails the weak since beginning of our birth, and nothing will ever changes in this ongoing hell controlled by predators. Suzy's performance is just perfect for this role, the emptiness in her stare, the hopelessless in every emotions, putting on a fake face and lied through every expressions, when nothing really matters anymore in life as we watch the world burns.Was this review helpful to you?
Need some serious tweaking to perfect it
The premise of this drama is actually an extraordinary one, but the treatment it has gotten lacks precision which limits its potential of being a brilliant drama. Some of the plotlines got really unrefined and the handling is just messy, but the mystery of the crime in it is really thrilling and that's appreciable. They are really close in reaching the level of the legendary Netflix's Extracurricular, but the details of the story need some serious tweaking to perfect it. Still, it's quite remarkable for what they've achieved and the acting performance in here is noteworthy.Was this review helpful to you?
Remarkable milestone for Korean war movie
This movie is a remarkable milestone for the most visually impressive and energy intensive Korean war movie ever focusing on naval battle in ancient warships. Although it's loosely served as the prequel of Roaring Currents and a younger Yi Sun Sin on deck, the naval battle sequences in here that lasted for almost an hour is bigger, bolder and better with enormous clashes due to cinematic advancement. The battle scenes are so realisitic it's unbelievable how they've manage to shot those scenes that contains sheer amount of power in great precision. The intense story buildups for the war campaign, the emotional acting and explosive soundtrack, this is certainly the perfect package for spectacular cinema.Was this review helpful to you?
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