An excellent and thought-provoking exploration of society
Honestly, I find the ratings on this site to be insanely skewed in one direction or the other, so when I first heard of this show, I wasn't super interesting. The cgi was a little on the ugly side, and I'm generally suspicious of any bias when it comes to religious media, but this drama truly deserves your time and attention.If god was proven real tomorrow, what would you do? The drama throws us right into the beginning of the end, and what follows is a two part drama detailing society's response from the perspective of ordinary people who suddenly have to deal with their world as they know it, crashing down around them. This is arguably one of the best things about the show, that they're able to portray an array of small, personal stories that intersect with each other, and the grander story at whole.
Personally, the real standouts of the show are Kim Hyun-joo and Yoo Ah-in, however the cast as whole does a very good job. The former plays a dual role of the badass you want to support and the more quietly moving hook that anchors you in emotionally with her empathy for others. The latter plays a modest and humble religious man who clearly has more going on under the charming surface. He balances the multifaceted role of a new religious leader (red: cult leader) extremely well, and may be my favourite from the whole cast.
Understandably this isn't a show for everyone. It's bleak, darm and certainly grim, but also has a lot to say about religions, cults, empathy and how the general public can turn on a dime against anyone who they perceive to be a morally bad person. Rarely do people think to give nuance or context to delicate situations they aren't a part of, and mob mentality is enticing in its own right. Add in the supernatural becoming natural, and all level thought goes out the window as people scramble to find meaning and direction for themselves.
Overall a great drama, I would personally advise you watch it in two parts, at 3 episodes each, as they are two different situations connected by one timeline.
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prolonged vapid mess with an explosive finale
At this point, I've seen a couple of Takashi Miike's films, so I wouldn't class this at his Gorleston or most messed up, but I understand if teenagers dying isn't your thing, then don't bother watching (although it should be fairly obvious that this is what is going to happen, plus it's no more 'out there' than your standard slasher).The runtime is atrociously long, so much of this film feels like filler that is a painful slog just to get to the last explosive 40 minutes. Sadly, it's hard to enjoy even the 3rd act, as all the side characters that have been shown thus far have already been removed from the story, thus there is no real tension or investment for us as a viewer. the plot is all over the place for seemingly no reason, and is interspersed with random flashbacks that are jarring, to say the least.
In terms of acting, the character Hasumi has to carry this one on his back, and while I think he does a good job, it doesn't save the film. Hideaki Ito is able to the toe line between crazy and overly comedic fairly well, despite the random English he has to work with. Sadly, no one else really makes any kind of impression on the viewer, and generally aren't around for long anyways, so it doesn't really matter.
My favourites? Honestly the soundtrack isn't too bad, and the few standout songs our characters listen to are pretty fun and catchy. There are some great shots throughout, and the 3rd act is bursting with colour, which leads it to being a great visual treat. Maybe if I'd consumed the media this film is based off of, I would've enjoyed it more, but as a standalone? I wouldn't say it's worth your patience.
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