Tharr

Low IQ mystery thriller drama about how useless the Korean NIS is

For those who don't wanna read it all and just wanna know: don't bother with this drama. Unless you were dropped on your head as a kid. Then, you might enjoy it. How much? It depends on how many times you were dropped.
It has a feel of a nowadays tv show. They are assuming people are watching it on a 2nd monitor, or playing on their phone so the characters must tell you what happens and why. You will get flashbacks over flashbacks, meant as "remember this scene? See? Its about that thing. See, it all makes sense". Basically, they also assume you were dropped on your head...
Everything is full of plot devices. I'm not trying to make it bigger than it is. Every fking action is: people staring at each other instead of moving, ducking, doing something, anything; low IQ special agents; plot devices, it just so happens that people do this or that, it just so happens that events take place just at the right moment, it just so happens that a new piece of the puzzle drops from the sky; and so on and so on. Basically, you must ask yourself "what it'd be the worst possible action to take?" and thats exactly what it is going to happen. Why? because any other way would mean the drama would've ended. And we can't have that now, right?

The acting is sht. Or more exactly, there is no acting going on. People yelling, people dropping exposition dialogue, people trying to look smart, people trying to look evil? Sure. Acting? No. Ok, there are a couple (maybe 5, mostly involving the kid or about him) of scenes when acting does take place, but that a drop of water into the sea, so its easier to say there isn't.
Next. The cinematography is meh. Apart from a couple of super good shots, everything else is meh. The fight-choreography is bad. In a drama where ML knows taekwondo.... He mostly spins and he pushes his opponents. Oh, opponents with guns that miss him btw... Any "action" scene is filmed as "shaky cam" scene. Also, a lot of deceiving film editing, trying to make you believe one thing, only to reveal the "truth" in a flashback. So, visually nothing is good.
Audio. Decent enough. The mixing and selection of tracks is made accordingly to the scene occurring. The OST is ok, might even say thats on theme with this drama.

And now the "good" parts. Everything is sht. As mentioned earlier, plot devices everywhere. You need something to happen so that the next scene can occur? Don't worry, it will, no matter how dumb or unbelievable it should be. The ML will deduce things he's not supposed to, based on one general thing, "I've saved your like then". How? Why? Which time? *insert flashback of a specific scene, the character had no idea of, because he wasn't there yet, but the viewers know it* Now, the ML also knows. How? Don't know, don't care. Then red herring all around. Characters talking by themselves, aloud, so other people can hear their "thoughts". Then, "every" piece of dialogue is mostly a expo dump for the viewers. "So we can't do X cause Y will happens? Ah, I see." Even though all the people involved in said discussion already know (or should know) all of that. Also, the "evil guy speech"... Geez...
What else? Character development. Yeah, right... World-building, pff. Oh, the pacing. Right, right, the pacing. Well, the pacing is... Just is. I mean the drama is supposed to be a non-stop action thing, so it is supposed to have a high pacing. But nothing important happens, also its empty calories, so basically it just makes you dizzy.

Yeah, I should stop here. I can't say more without spoilers and I don't wanna. Maybe someone really really wants to see it. Why? Don't know. I wanted to binge it and quickly be done with it, but I started a game of taking a shot for every right guessing of "the bad person escapes now, this person is evil, he'll foil their plans, this is a red herring, she'll turn around, they'll talk nonsense for 3 minutes, its a trap" etc. Needless to say, I got hammered pretty quickly. Also, the next day I had to rewatch it..... *Sigh*
Its a weak drama, with low IQ events. From the synopsis we learn that an accident happens, blah blah. Well, I was bored when watching said accident. And after, too. I know it was supposed to be sad, but after all that bad acting and dialogue I was just bored and waiting for it to end already. A feeling that was applied to every following episode.
So, it gets a rating of 3. Mostly for the audio and some tiny bits and pieces of other good/meh stuff. No rewatch value, obviously. If you're here for the actors, watch some of their other work. Luckily I've watched this drama later than when it aired, so I can say it never got a second season. Btw the 1st season ends in whats supposed to be a cliffhanger. They hoped this sht would get a new season :)))))
Have a lovely evening.

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Don't bother

Wow, this is even worse than the first part... Its a spin-off or something. Or you could say its a sequel but the main character is someone else. Don't know, don't care. I tried watching it sober, I tried while buzzed, nothing worked. Barely 30 minutes in and I felt like hitting people.
So: sht script, sht dialogue, no cinematography, bad acting, cringe, plot-driven everything, low production value, cheap vfx, bad fight choreography, sht action taking decisions, sht physics, no soundtrack (i've noticed it for the 1st time 30 min in, it was trying to convey something), one-dimensional characters (and no real development, obviously), the pacing is all over the place. Maybe the only thing ok is the fact that they've used decent cameras and lens, it is filmed at a good quality (weird flex, I know). Oh, and some (very few) good tactical decisions while fighting, from trained special ops kinda guys.
Zero re-watching value. I wouldn't do it even if the chicks were naked. If someone tells you nice things about this one, they are trolling you or they have sht taste in movies. Don't bother. Watch or re-watch something else.
Have a lovely day.

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Keep clear

I'll keep it very short. This drama is sht. I don't know why it has such a high score....
Plot-driven story. Everything happens because the writer intended for it to go exactly that way. And in order for it to happen, the characters do dumb things, act in strange way, otherwise the next step in the story wouldn't be possible. And even more weird, new plot elements are introduced and dropped later without any real reason. So basically the story is dumb and it gets cluttered with extra stuff, for no real reason. Beside that, cringefest. Lots and lots of cringe moments. Probably that was supposed to be comedy. Well, it missed.
Next, character development. Too few and not where it should've been. The chemistry is ok, mostly because of the ML. The FL tries too hard. Even her acting is a little bit off (and the "sexy" scenes are cringe and used only to boost the viewing numbers). I've seen her in other series and she wasn't this "bad". Of course, a lot of it can be blamed on the script and maybe even the director, but still.
What else? Annoying soundtrack. The production value is decent. The pacing is awful. Well, you get the idea. Give it a wide pass. The ML made all the heavy-lifting ( I even suspect some improvs from him, to make the scenes a little bit sweeter), coupled with some of the supporting cast. But not even the cast should make you curious about this one. Clearly the people who gave this drama a high rating did it only because "Omg I like X actor/actress. I'm so happy I got to see them again" or something like that.
Have a lovely evening.

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Try to avoid

After watching this, I came here to see what others think. And after reading some reviews I felt the need to write something. And yes, I know this drama is old and Im late to the party. And yet....
From the start: this drama is sh*t. The writing is really horrible, full of plot holes, with things happening the way they do because it was needed to push the "story". There is nothing resembling logic. Next, the acting. Omg! It gives you headaches. The directing, lousy. The cinematography, really bad. From the bad mixing (there is one scene where someone is turning and leaving, they change the angle and he's still sitting face to face, only to turn and leave in the next second) and the bad soundtrack trying to "tell" you how to feel ("look, its a funny scene, you need to laugh. Now its a sad scene, you need to feel for the character"), to the bad way it looks visually. And I mean it really looks like a soap opera. The lighting, the angles, the low quality of the filming... It looks and feels like something from the '80s, maybe '90s.
And now lets start digging. I don't know why I wanted to watch this... this "drama". Might have read somewhere, on some other drama, that its amazing, that the chemistry of that main couple was on par with the ones from here. And I dont know how, but I managed to find this and I've remembered that comment. So lets start full power, shall we? The film synopsis at the top is wrong. The thing with "the grandson is put in charge with educating" starts from ep 6 (or is it 7) and lasts until ep 10 I think. From a total of 16 episodes.... I've paused in the 1st 15 min, i guess, and I thought "Wtf is this?!?! Am I being trolled?" And to fast-forward this review a bit, I've paused and paused all 16 episodes. It took me 6 days to finish it. I've watched 2 episodes first day and the next day another 2, and then I kinda wished to just get over with it and forced myself to keep watching. But I still paused and sighted pretty often.
i dont know who the screenwriter is but she shouldnt be allowed to write ever again. And Im assuming its a "she" because the whole story is about a princess. A dumb and stupid princess who has moments of clarity and wittiness (is that a real word). And that you wont see in real life and it is clearly a projection of the writer's frustrations. I'll continue. The FL cant act. And thats not the worst of it. I dont know how or why ppl think shes a beauty. To me she looks like a frog. The shape of the mouth, always with the corners down, the neck, the eyes... Always yelling, looking sideways, the mouth semi opened... Thats no beauty. And the acting is one emotion. The kid playing her younger version is a better actress. Im sorry, I should phrase it better: its not fair to compare these two, because the kid is a really good actress. Lets make it even more obvious why the FL is bad. You want beauty and acting skills? Then I'll say watch "Crash Landing On You". Saying both are actresses is like you're making fun of that one (I dont know her name, sorry).
Next, the ML. A bit better. Not much, just a bit. And the chemistry is not there. Or not the chemistry that ppl think about when using that word. And if we're here, a good actor, looks and charisma: the professor. Ofc I cant say if he's a really good actor or his skills were displayed more obviously by being next to his colleagues on set. And along the way the "story" makes him a loser, cause things need to happen. But for the few first episodes (at least), it was a joy when he was in the scene. The other female actress, the Museum Director, another lousy one. She has only one face in all the scenes: constipated, mouth tight shut, teary eyes and a lil bit looking cross. She looks like a chimp. Even if the acting wasnt that much better, at least the support actresses were better looking.
So, in short, terrible story, bad acting (apart from the professor and the young princess, where again I must say "wow"), no chemistry, bad directing (oh yes, I'll get back to that), bad soundtrack (the theme might've been good but I dont remember it , so that good huh), terrible story ( yes, I had to say it twice). Then why do some ppl say its a good drama? Who tf knows. Im assuming those persons have no idea what makes or breaks a good film. And if you still need more proof....
A dumb and always yelling stupid girl is told that she's a princess. You'd expect her to be a little clumsy, to make some mistakes, to have some hidden talents, some sparks with the ML and in the end, happy happy joy joy. A pretty simple, straightforward story. Right? He he heh, you little innocent one... Ofc not! The "writer" went for the snooze fest story. Things happening because it needed to happen that way. The MF (the frog face one) taking all the wrong decisions because she's a simple common girl and a orphan (im not joking they use that motive. a lot). Both ML trying to help her, while both of them letting the other FL, Museum Director, (the chimp face one, come on, keep up) doing all sorts of bad sht until the end. Thats the main road, if you will. I wont delve on questions like "why the fk would the Chairman (grandpa) keep a wimp and incompetent such as the Museum Director's father as his right hand?". And ofc the story is full of things from Korean culture: reporters, badmouthing, sheep-like mentality etc. I mean if you are watching k-drama you know that and you will not be bothered by it. What can I say? I just hope this writer wont work again.
And now, before I forget again, the director. Even if the script isnt stellar (yeah, im trying to be funny), a decent director should at least be decent at directing. Hence the name. Actors who cant act for sht? Make them do something that at least lessens the blows. Change the angles. Try a different look. Use the lighting, the decors... Something. Anything. Or while mixing, try doing a decent job. And Im talking about the flow. Putting in the same scene, shots from two different cameras without some kind of flawless transition (and by that I mean not repeating itself) should be basic stuff. How hard can it be? You put two cuts together, you hit play and you see that second cut starts with the last 2 seconds of the previous cut. You hit pause and you crop more from one segment, the end of 1st or the beginning of the second one. That simple. I mean it feels like basic stuff. But then again, we also have scenes ending with headshots of all the chars, no one talks, the camera changes every second from one to the next, three times. 15 seconds of nothing. No one talks, all looking "intense", 2-3 times on a loop. Thats the director trying to tell you that something important is happening. I guess I should also mention the flashbacks. Especially the one where something happens in a scene with the princess, the next scene is with someone else and it goes for one minute maybe, then the next scene is with the princess who is having a flashback of what happened 1 minute ago. I kid you not!
So: bad directing and mixing, bad story, 98% bad acting. Forgettable soundtrack. And yet some ppl gave this drama a 10..... I guess my recommendation would be to watch the 1st episode (if you really want to try it). You will get an idea about how bad it is really quick. Just dont get hooked in by the professor. And forget about "maybe later it will...". Nope. It wont get better. But hey, if you like it, what can I say? Im so sorry for you. The life is long. Im sure one day you will learn what good cinema is. Eventually. Maybe. And even if you do like it, pls dont compare it with some other works. Even if you cant judge it correctly, by saying it reminds you of x and y, you're just making fun of an supposedly good drama. Its like saying Hitler and Mother Teresa are both good ppl. Do you get it now? Thats the simplest way I can put it for you. So, pls dont.
Re-watching value? Oh please... Only if the definition of that is fast-forwarding through the scenes and finishing all the drama in one hour. And not even then.
Thank you for reading this.

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Huh, unexpected

For those who don't wanna read it all: not as bad as I would've thought. You can see it once and forget about it. I've seen some critics as to why this one is worse than the first part, but thats wrong and I'll talk about that too, at the end. People got super-hyped by the "cameos" of all the known characters (no matter how sht the story itself was) and now they are sad for different motives. Basically, they went from "oh, wow, I know this one. And this one. And this one!" to "wait, what? I don't know this story, it seems new. I don't like new..." :))
After the sht-show that was Part 1, I wasn't expecting much. But its a lot better. Still not "good", but better. And I'll say this here, because I must say it again and again. I'll talk about the movie's quality, not the enjoyment factor. Those are NOT the same. You can enjoy bad media, and thats ok (aka "my guilty pleasure"). Just make sure you know it is bad.

So. Visuals. Meh. That weird filter is gone, but now its just passable. The colour palette is a bit better. The cinematography is a bit better. VFX are meh. So, basically, those 3 (ok, maybe a couple more) super amazing shots and effects from the first movie are gone, but now we get a lot more mid stuff. Don't get me wrong, still lot of sht/meh, but the ratio is a bit better. Oh, still here, the fight choreography is meh, still lots of dumb techniques and clearly wire-moves. Because I forgot to say that it was sht in my Part 1 review :))
Audio. Meh/decent. Definitely an upgrade. Because now there is one. Also a couple of decent songs.
World-building still sht. New characters appear and you must acknowledge them, no matter what their backstory is. Period. The pacing is a bit better. It feels like a proper story. The production value seems high, again.

And now the main stuff. The script is meh. A lot better, for sure, but it is meh. At least now a couple more stuff makes sense. Yes, still some plot devices, plot contrivances and plot holes, but fewer. Also, some plot points were predictable, you can see what they'll try to do from the first 10-20 minutes. The same for the ending. Being an Chinese movie, I was expecting it. But a very big surprise: there is character development. Yes, I was shocked. And they tried to do it for more than one character. Are they amazing, or even good? No, not really. But at least there is something to be working with. Basically, the story got a tiny bit better, the storytelling got a tiny bit better and some execution got a bit better. But is it good? Still, no. You could call it not boring. If you're watching it right after the Part 1 with and all that "all glitter, no substance" approach, its at least enjoyable. Yes, the Part 1 had 1 extra amazing acting and VFX, for the same one, but the rest was just fluff, whereas now we got a somewhat "decent", if you will, movie.

Lets talk about something for a minute. A lot of criticism is that this movie is not the same as the source. Well, I haven't read the source and I can't say, but: the source and the new format can't and shouldn't be the same. What works in a book, it might be difficult to render in animation. What works in animation, might look silly in live-action. Every format has its pro and cons. A good (I won't even say "great") storyteller (producer/director/screenwriter) should be capable of such feat.
And I'll give some examples for easier tracking. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings. The director (that also had a part in rewriting it) made some changes. Two chapters became an whole arc, the ending got axed, complete character make-over, and so on and so forth. Jurassic Parc. The movie is completely different than the movie, because the director used character development. You would've assumed that the visuals would've been the most important part, but the director understood that a great story must also make us care about its characters. Another example: any movie adaptation of books by Stephen King. It is known the the author hates at least one movie, said they changed his book. Guess what? He make a TV show, the way he wanted to, and it was sht. His way of writing is very difficult to put in a movie as is. Because as I said earlier, what works in a book, it might not be doable for a movie.
And back to this movie. Was a lot changed? I don't know, it could be. Does it matter? No, not really. Sure, a point could be made that if you're gonna change it that much and not resemble the original work, you could just NOT do it at all.

So, to wrap it up. It gets a rating of 5. Kinda meh all-over. Re-watching? No, not really? Enjoyment value? I don't think so. The "fans" will hate it because it was changed, the "normal" viewers won't care enough. So it really is up to you.
Have a lovely day.

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Fluff, no content

For those who don't wanna read it all: this movie is sht.
I'll keep it simple, because I don't wanna waste more time on it, and spoiler free, so you can still watch it ofc. And I'll say this here, because I must say it again and again. I'll talk about the movie's quality, not the enjoyment factor. Those are NOT the same. You can enjoy bad media, and thats ok (aka "my guilty pleasure"). Just make sure you know it is bad.

Visuals. Meh, or yuck. Like a kid who just discovered the "Contrast" slider, overusing it on everything, not knowing that "less is more". The story happens in a couple of places, all look kinda the same, as setting, same filter plastered everywhere. The colour palette is meh. The cinematography is also meh, when there is any. Just a couple of interesting shots and great visuals. The VFX are meh. Extremely good just for one thing, the rest it resembles what you might've seen in the late 2000s.
Audio. Nothing special, or at least it didn't bother, so maybe thats a plus??
The world-building is meh at best, mostly there isn't one. You're supposed to come with basic knowledge, I guess. The pacing is rushed. Stuff keeps happening. I'm sorry, I meant "no context" stuff keeps happening. Scene after scene, lets go, lets go. Its not a short film by any means, and yet it felt like some scenes were cut, thats how janky the story was. Again, you're supposed to know the myth and fill in the blanks yourself. Character development? Yeah, right. Overall, kinda high production value.

And now the good stuff. The script is sht. OKi, I'm sorry, I should give it the benefit of the doubt. Either the script is sht, either the Chinese people are re****ed. Because thats how the script is portraying them. Oh, thats how it really happened in the old stories? Then the screenwriter should've made a better job! Just to make it clear, you knowing the basic knowledge and filling in the blanks, assuming how the story will end, its bad writing. Period. The dialogue is also horrendous, same as before, banking on the fact that you already know the story.
The acting. Fking amazing for ONE character. Just one. Even with my very very veeery basic knowledge about the myths, when that character started "acting", I was "oh, is that supposed to be X character? Oh, wow". And across the movie, you'll really believe it. The way it talks, the mannerism, everything. Apart from that, one other good actor. And maybe another, but it appears for just a few scenes (sadly, only two scenes, plus a previous one where it just is). And thats all, everything else is sht. Over-the-top acting or just purely sht. From an entire cast, just two (or three) people.....
And now..... Like I mentioned earlier, the script is sht. Plot devices, plot holes and plot contrivances everywhere. Everything is "it just so happens that, it just so happens that, it just so happens that". Why is the story happening like that? Why are the characters reacting in one way or another? "Because thats how we wrote this, don't ask questions. Don't you know how the story is supposed to go? Why are you here?" *sigh* Even just talking about it drains the life out of me, that bad it was...

Lets finish it here. It gets a rating of 4. Barely. For some amazing performances, some visuals, and... thats all(?). Wow... Might you enjoy it? Could be. The re-watching value is low. Skipping scenes, fishing the ones where the acting is good? No, ty.
Have a lovely day.

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Decent at best and not for their reasons

I'll try and keep it short. A barely decent k-drama (without the last episodes), but not for the reasons they wanted it to be.
The story is a bit Korean-like, aka everything is related, aka fate. It doesn't make it bad but it does make you roll your eyes, cause you can predict some plot points. The script is decent, or mostly not bad. Yet, weird. Some cringe moments. I wont talk about the last episodes, those are pure sht. They wanted something to happen so the writing was done poorly and forced things to go how they wanted, no matter if it made sense or not.
The production wants to make the headhunting a legit, good-hearted business and you can see it in every episode. If you agree or not with it, thats a subjective matter. So I wont mention it again.
The acting is decent. Nothing mind-blowing, but still very enjoyable. The chemistry between leads is not there. Not in the conventional way. The FL is not the greatest actress or charming, but I'd say she was good for this role. The script made all the heavy-lifting. Also, the script has a lot of plotholes exactly because of that. Although its not that bad as per the usual k-drama, the script for this one is plain, linear, and because of that all the bad stuff tends to be noticed more easily. Lots of questions or weird decisions. A simple example, what about his ex-wife? I wont spoil more, but if you'll watch this drama, you'll understand what I mean.
Anyway, back to the main stuff. The chemistry is not there. ML and FL make it work, barely, but there's no chemistry. I'll even say that the second FL has more chemistry with everyone around, or the chemistry (not romantic) between colleagues, or the kids. Anyone but those two :))) The character development is ok for some of the cast and very non-existent. yet heavy-pushed forward for others. And by that I mean they tell/show us: "look, she got better, don't ask, get over it". The story presses a lot of "social injustice" (dunno how else to name it) upon us, a cheap trick to make the viewer sympathetic. yet, I've felt more in some other scenes. Like I said, a weird script. Good, but not for their reasons. The supporting cast did ok. The soundtrack is meh at best. Forgettable. Lots and lots of whispered, soft-breath mumbling. Sorry, I meant singing. The production value is mid. The cinematography is mid, with some few moments of "good". And lastly, dunno about the pacing. A bit slower, sure, but thats the right way for this script. It helps with the development. And yet, it goes too slow sometimes, and next it gets to a normal (our normal) pacing for no real reason. And yes, every episode will feel like it took forever, so be patient.
And I guess I'll stop here. You could give it a try, but don't mind the synopsis, because what makes it decent is not it. It gets a rating of 6, barely. Mostly because some character arcs, some nice acting from the supporting cast and things like that. Return value? No, not really.

PS: Oh, I just remembered another thing that makes no sense. I'll write it here. In the first episodes she is shown like a "klutz", always bumping into stuff, forgetting stuff. Guess what? She gets magically cured. Nice char development. Yeey. *sigh* Yeah, definitely not a 10 rating :)))

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