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The film should be just named Song Joong-ki in Colombia…

It was just a normal wednesday evening when I decided that I would watch a movie. I knew about this piece for some time and it also has been in top 10 in my country so i just clicked on it and now Im disappointed.

But for the start lets name the positives of Bogota: City of the lost …
The sets overall look really aesthetic - the colours, the wild streets full of people and so on. The movie works very well with making the movie feel like it was a real Colombia (as far as I can tell). The main thing of the movie - the leading Song Jong-ki also didn’t disappoint with his skills in the “thriller”, “crime” genre. And that is about it if you ask me.

At the other hand if you tell me to imagine a “mid” movie this would be as of now on the top of my list.

Let me start with the bad aspect that in my opinion go hand in hand with the positives I named:

First the looks of the set made a good impression on me however the camera did not. It is a thing that I certainly really care about more than many people but hear me out. Every shot felt soooo boring, aside from few exceptions. The camera was still, and just wasn’t playfull at all - just concentrated on the people talking, and when they moved the camera moved and that’s it. If you have such a rich background why don’t you just film it properly? That is such a wasted potential - there were many repetitive smoking scenes, which could be at least filmed differently. Also sometimes I couldn’t just shake off the k-drama feeling - it was filmed just the same. Don’t take this the wrong way but I expect a bit more from a high-budget movie.

Next the screenwriting. I just got bored. The dialogues have no emotions in them, they just swear a lot and think this is the peak of acting as a gangster. The repetition of some words or phrases feels just forced - they always have to just remind us that we are in a Colombia, ok sherlock I had no bloody idea! The big flaw is also that the characters are flat as a piece of paper and I mean a white paper without any text on it. The screenwriter just relies on the actors but they have frankly nothing much to work with in my opinion - the actors in this movie feel like a single person, they all have kind of the same non-existent personality. Even the male lead dosen’t have chance to truly present himself and for me non of them felt relateable. Maybe that was because their whole personality was being a korean smuggler / seller in Colombia!

The story is nothing outstanding. It doesen’t even feel like the film has it honestly. There are few series of events that relate to each other but I don’t know if i can call it a proper story. That is the most evident flaw for me personally - the movie skips the most important events. Spoiler alert! For example the male leads father just becomec a hopless alcoholic but like when did it and why did it happen? Also male lead had grown into a very talented and powerfull smuggler with a load of conections on hand. When? Who knows, they even added a time skip in this case!
Maybe it is just me not really finding the movie interesting but the decisions of the characters are kind of a mystery unsolved and make no sense to me sometimes.

Lastly let’s just say it is a film you watch when you don’t want to think much. From this perespective it is fine I guess but from my perespective it has too many flaws, for a movie that i would call good. So do I think you should watch it? No, I can’t think of a audience this was meant for - the action is boring, the movie is filmed badly, the caharacters are non-existent, etc. I didn’t even need to deeply analyze this movie to tell that it is not the sharpest pencil in the case.

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Wasted opportunity...

I get why everyone is so upset with the show and how it all turned out but I still think that there are things that should be appreciated and people seem to miss that fact... (So I really felt the urge to write a review for the first time)

I watched this show in a marathon yesterday and I didn't get bored. That for me means that the story is catchy and that itself is a great thing in kdrama. I personally loved the atmosphere, cherry blossoms, red and yellow ... the scenery, and the work with a camera made the drama look like a high-quality drama. It is overall darker than season 1 but I honestly didn't mind that much.
So now the highlights in the cast. Many people were disappointed that Hye Yong didn't get enough screen time, well he got more than what I expected in the second season! So if you are team Hye Yong you should watch it. I honestly fell in love with Jung Ga Rams acting and I will be waiting to see him again in another drama. The next character that grew on me is Gul Mi. I think she made big progress from being a school bitch to a more responsible and appreciatable person.

Another thing that caught my eye is how writers tried to put reality into the story as well, like how people who like each other don't need to stay that way forever, that people can change. Also, I'm glad that they tried to avoid some cliches (- Gul Mi and Dok Gu for example don't end up together like in a fairy tale). There were some wise words that made me think too. The story itself is good.
And the most important thing... Have you ever seen a kdrama in which the second male lead doesn't end up being the second male lead at the end? I have never seen a thing like that and the writers have my respect for that decision because that really blew my mind! I have never expected it to turn that way ... BUT

A the same time (this morning when I got over the fact that my boy won) I realized how messed up this thing is and how they could have done a much better job when they kept us waiting for 2 BLOODY YEARS!

I will keep it short because many reviews basically already said what I had to say.
First thing, I am a Hye Yong stan but for the whole time, I felt so sorry for Sun Oh. They made him look like a wreck. He got only a little screentime, much less than he deserved. Also how he ended up was literary sad, he seemed forced into a relationship that didn't work for already a really long time, and in my opinion, he didn't look happy at all!
The story is a mess. Not only they didn't explain what happened at the end of season 1 it looks like a whole different show. And also what the hell was the thing with Hye Yong's dad I still don't get it and it is not the only one. Jojo looks pathetic and I just can't sympathize with her at all. I really pity her friend at the school. And the last thing WTF was the whole Brian Choi thing and what actually happened to Dok Gu?! These are the main things that really angered me and there is more.

I wrote this review because although this drama is not the best it has its highlights and I honestly quite enjoyed watching it!
I just feel that with what they had they could have done a real masterpiece... This all is just my opinion!!!


(I'm not English speaku master so if you find some mistakes I'm sorry)

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