Endearing watch that could've been better
Firstly I will give you a little insight to the political situation in the movie's premise, as it might be difficult to understand for someone who has not heard this story before.
The King's warden is set in a tumultuous period of Joseon's history, where our titular king,Yi Hong-wi had already been forced to abdicate the throne by his uncle, Grand Prince Suyang. And after the attempted coup by the 6 ministers whom we see being punished in the beginning, the deposed Hong wi is sent away from the palace into exile at a remote village. And as I came to learn, the rest of the story, except some facts about Um Heung Do (village chief) is fictional or based on folklore.
The strongest point of this movie was the acting. Almost all the characters here are somewhat stereotypical, serving as a means but are likeable nonetheless. As someone who was already an admirer of Park Ji Hoon after Weak hero class 1, his acting was phenomenal as usual. The way his eyes transform from utter despair and emptiness in the beginning into quite strength and ambition like a tiger's afterwards. And also the village chief, though a somewhat stereotypical character still managed to make him endearing through the acting. Lee Jae Hoon was stunning and a delight to watch as Prince Geum Seong.
The only characters with some character development were the king and the warden/ village chief, whereas it seemed like a missed opportunity for the characters of the devoted court lady and village chief's son.
The music was alright I guess, but there was nothing memorable about it. It feels like this movie could have benefitted from a better soundtrack and cinematography. But it won't bother you very much while watching it as it is carried successfully by the actors. In the end, I have no regrets about watching this and it made my heart ache for king Danjeong.
The King's warden has it's heart in the right place and succeeds in being a heartfelt watch.
The King's warden is set in a tumultuous period of Joseon's history, where our titular king,Yi Hong-wi had already been forced to abdicate the throne by his uncle, Grand Prince Suyang. And after the attempted coup by the 6 ministers whom we see being punished in the beginning, the deposed Hong wi is sent away from the palace into exile at a remote village. And as I came to learn, the rest of the story, except some facts about Um Heung Do (village chief) is fictional or based on folklore.
The strongest point of this movie was the acting. Almost all the characters here are somewhat stereotypical, serving as a means but are likeable nonetheless. As someone who was already an admirer of Park Ji Hoon after Weak hero class 1, his acting was phenomenal as usual. The way his eyes transform from utter despair and emptiness in the beginning into quite strength and ambition like a tiger's afterwards. And also the village chief, though a somewhat stereotypical character still managed to make him endearing through the acting. Lee Jae Hoon was stunning and a delight to watch as Prince Geum Seong.
The only characters with some character development were the king and the warden/ village chief, whereas it seemed like a missed opportunity for the characters of the devoted court lady and village chief's son.
The music was alright I guess, but there was nothing memorable about it. It feels like this movie could have benefitted from a better soundtrack and cinematography. But it won't bother you very much while watching it as it is carried successfully by the actors. In the end, I have no regrets about watching this and it made my heart ache for king Danjeong.
The King's warden has it's heart in the right place and succeeds in being a heartfelt watch.
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