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When stupidity is scarier than the vicious virus.
Not gonna lie, at some point I kind of wanted the drama to end with the end of the world. Watching all these characters behave the way they did make me think: maybe the world would be better without people in it.That said, what a ride this show was. Not one episode was boring with all the zombies, scheming and danger. Adding great chemistry between the cast made this drama a pure joy. Sure, I wanted the majority of the characters dead by the end, but how much fun was it to watch the chaos unfold.
Happiness has this uncanny, surreal vibe to it - no one reacts to any given situation in a realistic manner, the society deals with it in the most chill way possible, there is little to no information about what the government is doing with the guy working for pharmaceutical company (given he is associated with military)making all the important choices that involve worldwide survival. Nothing about this show is realistic, little to nothing truly makes sense and yet… I liked it a lot.
Production value was top notch. Sure, they overdone the “zombies'' with funny eyes, but at the end of the day, the infected were not supposed to be the scariest part of the show anyway. For me, they were adorable and had many comedic moments. Face covered in blood, but they will be like: I’m fine.
Isaac Hong’s Pain was probably the best song of the whole OST. Listening to the soundtrack while writing the review, it hits me how dramatic it is compared to the drama itself.
The show sends a vaguely clear message - happiness is not defined by where and how, but with whom. It’s the people in your life that can make it or break it. That said, with all the awful characters in the drama, I rather stay alone and not risk it…
Overall, I started to feel far more frustration in the 2nd half, since some of the choices the characters were making (including our main duo into that mix) just made no sense and showed complete lack of planning and ignorance towards the obvious dangers, both in the form of the virus and the residents themselves. The last episode was a bit disappointing, not delivering a conclusion the show deserves. Even with all that, I would highly recommend it. The entertainment value was so high, I will gladly turn a blind eye to the things that bothered me.
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“I couldn’t properly embrace myself once, in my entire life. So I suffered.”
This review is extremely subjective. I won’t even try to pretend there is anything objective in it. Knowing there will be some kind of plot twist ruined the show for me. Before it happened, I was feeling a lot of frustration and impatience to know what it is, but since I predicted it early on, I just felt disappointed when it was revealed.Here’s the thing, while the show has some amazing moments, life lessons concerning treasuring your life, every little moment, appreciating people around you etc, I truly did not like the majority of the characters. The last episode sucked all the sympathy I might have had for Kim Hye Ja with just two or three scenes. That’s an achievement.
I do believe the show was unnecessarily depressing and sad. After 10 episodes of misfortunes that were multiplied in the last two episodes, the closing narration just completely missed the mark for me. It was like putting a plaster on a plane crash victim.
Talking about the twists - if you start the drama knowing there will be one, there is a high chance you will predict it. For me, the expectations of some unexpected, well built twists made me disappointed when in reality it was the most obvious scenario that could have happened. Because of that, the last episodes just had little emotional impact on me - the disappointment was too strong for other emotions to surface.
The acting was truly amazing. I was especially amazed by Ahn Nae Sang, Lee Jung Eun, and surprisingly Nam Joo Hyuk's performance. While Ahn Nae Sang and Lee Jung Eun aced the more subtle emotions, Joo Hyuk truly delivered with the strongly emotionally charged ones.
Overall, I don’t regret watching it. As I said, it had great messages and moments, many memorable lines and conversations. Yet, the primary emotion I will associate with it till the end will be disappointment.
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Here’s the thing - the cast is amazing, brilliant, funny, and has perfect chemistry with each other, but the concept of the episodes lack creativity and clever directing/planning. How many times can we watch an episode about food and restaurants? What is this, mukbang? All the episodes that focused on anything other than food were, just based on that aspect, better.
Many times the production team focused so much on making the fake place “bigger and better and more shocking” they forgot to actually make it “work”. This is not Pimp My Ride Restaurant Edition. They should focus less on the place/building, and work harder on the writing of the story behind the place and the people working there. Simpler ideas would be so much harder to guess.
One more thing that started to annoy me as the show progressed was the love line joke between Jessi and Sang Yeob. Yes, at first I found it hilarious, but at some point I felt like it went too far? I started to truly just feel uncomfortable with it.
That said, it was still overall extremely entertaining, all thanks to the cast. Nara was the awesome older sister trying to fight against her bad luck, So Min made me cry while laughing because of her unusual jokes and out of the box behavior. Jessi was the queen she usually is, with a straightforward attitude and Mi Joo was the pure chaotic energy and the master of body gags. And then there are Jae Suk and Sang Yeo trying to run the show and survive.
If you liked season one because of the cast, you will still love this season. Even with some flaws, I still believe it’s funnier and better than the majority of the variety shows I have seen.
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It’s been a while since I have seen a story as predictable as this, that still managed to surprise me with some ridiculous plot lines and reasoning behind the characters' action. We get to know rather stereotypical student Sky, brainwashed Sun with some serious issue of Stockholm Syndrome, Bank - a cute puppy and Pitch, the only redeeming quality of this drama. We follow their love stories, where every conflict (and I truly mean each and every one) is based on the complete lack of communication and honestly, while at the same time, the characters complain the other party is not honest and does not communicate their feelings ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
In the background, serving as a thrilling angst addiction, we have mafia schemes that led to our main boys being beaten up here and there, almost losing their lives too many times for me to care by the end.
For a romance driven show, the chemistry between Sky and Sun was not as golden as their blood apparently was. At the same time, I found it refreshing that there were more emotions and sparkles in the scene where they stood one meter apart, compared to all the kissing scenes.
On the other hand, Bank and Pitch were rather a nice surprise. The unsureness of their feelings and slow development of their relationship felt more grounded and reasonable. The playful chemistry of them bickering while smiles did not leave their faces was just bliss to watch.
The best acting for sure was served by Sugus - that smile alone could kill. Sadly, Gun’s performance was mediocre at best. Unintentional comedy bits that were the crying with no tears scenes truly made the watching experience that much more fun, but for all the wrong reasons. I could see how hard he tried to squeeze these tears, and I truly felt bad for him for failing each time.
Overall… I have no idea why I watched it, but I for sure do not regret it. It’s one of the cases of mindless entertainment, when you just accept nothing makes sense and the quality of the whole show is questionable at best, and yet you keep watching.
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The writing got me on a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. Some bigger, some smaller, but all executed quite well. With a limited screen time, they did a good job at giving enough exposition to ground you in the story, but not waste time on unnecessary details. The characters were interesting, and surprisingly I got attached to them quite fast. The chemistry and the switching dynamics and testing each other between Po Xiao and Feng Ren was perfect and by the end of the movie, I craved for me.
It’s definitely worth talking about the visual aspect of Wuliang - it was an aesthetic feast. Even if the plot was not as interesting, I would still finish the movie without skipping a second just to appreciate the beauty of it. The background music perfectly enhanced the atmosphere the visuals created.
The acting was also amazing. I felt everything the characters felt. Well, sometimes I went on more of an anger ride, when they felt sad, but that’s given. The emotional delivery was quite detailed. Nothing to complain about.
Overall, I highly recommend watching. It’s an old tale of “with great power comes great responsibility”, but it focuses more on the characters, building trust and understanding each other's motives, while trying to survive.
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"Art of Barely Making It" manual by Wu Xie
Time Raiders is the drama to start your The Lost Tomb journey with. Putting aside the fact chronologically it makes sense to start here, I also think the storytelling and directing is the most digestible of what exactly is going on and how this, at times chaotic, fictional world works.Yes, the whole lore is extremely complex and detailed. The story feels greater than life. The adventures are thrilling, exciting, sometimes scary. The plot is interesting, but for me I always watch these shows for the characters. They are what draws me in and makes me want to pick up different titles from “The Lost Tomb” series. And the versions of the characters presented in Time Raiders are some of the best and most loveable ones I have seen so far.
Starting with Wuxie. What’s to love? He was amazingly animated, hilarious, but also resourceful and less of a damsel in distress than in other versions. It’s one thing to have all the skills, it’s another thing to have a survival instinct. While he might have lacked in some areas, he for sure had a strong will to live. You don't have to go full martial arts in dire situations. Sometimes a simple “stab stab” with a knife is enough. He did what he could instead of standing there scared hoping everything will miraculously solve itself out.
What’s more - even though it was obvious he lacks some skill and expertise, they made it abundantly clear he has so much potential to grow. That’s how the opening of any story should be - starting with a character we can witness the development of. With each adventure he gets better instead of being this unstoppable force since day one.
On the topic of unstoppable forces, we need to chat about our lovely emo boy Xiao Ge, who in this version felt like an actual human being, even if he still had his supernatural emo magic qualities I love. The number of times he actually used his words was amazing. Some of these instalments are determined to turn the character into a silent film edition. Not here though. He still has this mysterious aura about him, speaking only when it’s actually necessary - man of few words, but many actions, but it feels more like a persona than performance.
Short note on bromance - great set up. You can sense there is a connection between them before they even know it.
For the other characters, similar to Wuxie and Xiao Ge, this is also the best Pang Zi - dude was actually funny and not annoying. Some of his lines and reactions were almost the highlights of the episodes. But as funny as he was, they made sure to present him as a skilled and useful addition to the team.
Francis Ng aced his performance as Wu San Xing - what a natural delivery. Even when he was in the background he used 100% of his abilities. Not a second nor a frame was wasted.
On the frustrating side - A Ning will forever be annoying, why not just let her die? She would have zero issue leaving them all for death. Sometimes you just need to stop being a gentleman if being one makes you a dumbass.
Plot wise, I greatly appreciated the actual stakes that made me tear up a little bit. Unexpected to be honest. I don’t exactly watch these dramas to be moved, but to be entertained. I expect magical over the top solutions for serious troubles, so it’s refreshing to see characters lose and there is nothing they can do about it. Seeing them deal emotionally with the consequences of their actions, witnessing how it affects everyone around them, making plans to lessen the impact - great way to add emotional weight.
Time Raiders somehow was able to deliver even pacing - 18 episodes for two stories seemed like the perfect choice. We had enough time to explore the area, lore, witness different interactions between the characters, and enjoy both the fun and the scary parts of the adventures.
The comedy was flawless. The funny lines, little moments, or even longer scenes focused on the hilarious set up were incorporated into the script effortlessly, lightening the mood without taking away from the tension completely.
As for the production - great. The CGI was actually mostly good. There was one scene that went a little bit (a lot) over the top, but it was hilarious to witness. I loved the sets - the caves, dark corridors, awfully tiny spaces that triggered my claustrophobia. I loved the lighting - well balanced when it was realistically dark for the setting, but bright enough for me to see what was happening. Good balance between realism and the accessible presentation for the viewers. And god bless these underwater scenes, because these were some of the best I have seen in any Chinese drama for ages.
The soundtrack perfectly accompanied the drama - got me tense when needed, hyped up for some cool action scenes that were about to happen. And they also knew when to not include any sound at all, which is in fact a valid and sometimes correct choice many directors forget about.
To add last note about the performances: Sometimes in dramas acting and the chemistry between actors is so good you start to question how much of what is happening is actually part of the script and directing, and how much is just the actors vibing and it just working together well. The delivery was so good if you told me they just let the actors act like themselves for realism, I would believe you.
Few extremely random thoughts I had while watching I don’t quite know where to place in the review:
We got a borderline Bollywood action scene and I lived for it.
Can we talk about how good at throwing Cheng Xiang is? Or how well Xu Zhen Xuan runs? What I mean is - I did not have to convince myself what they did could happen, because they committed to present it in a realistic fashion. Things need to be thrown into the ceiling? We are running away from something dangerous, or towards something we really want? We will be using all the muscles in out body. We are sprinting like an athlete, not half jog like it's a PE we don't want to be in. I hate when characters throw shit like a 5 year old kid using as little muscles and movement as possible and we need to pretend it was a great aim and strong throw.
The whole “oxygen issue” in the second story was an intentional comedy when you find out you have from 3 to 7 hours of oxygen left even when you are buried alive in a coffin. Ain’t no logic in that high stake, but I did not care.
I just love how every Tomb drama ends on the note that leaves you in a complete state of confusion, more questions than answers.
Overall, I’d say this is the perfect drama to start your Lost Tomb journey with. The story is presented in the most digestible manner while also making sure you understand there is a bigger picture behind these 18 episodes - you just opened the door, you did not even take a first step into this wacky and fun journey.
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This review may contain spoilers
Braincells left the room…
I honestly feel like whenever there was a choice between right and wrong writing wise, they took the lightspeed towards the latter.I did not even hate the premise. Was it ridiculous? Yes. But it could have been fun if executed well. It was not though. Which is sad, because friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes.
We have Akk and Theo - cute best friends separated because of evil forces of emigration. They also are brainless amebas. The number of “I knew, but didn’t tell” and “I didn’t know, and didn’t ask” and “I was confused so I assumed” was ridiculous.
When the big reveal happened, that it was in fact Theo who acted as Enchanté, I already checked out of reality, but then they tried to explain his reasoning, and it just killed the 3 remaining brain cells I had. You made this whole ass ploy to get attention from Theo? That’s just psychotic. They could have just given him DID.
Akk was not better - not surprised with a mother like that. I still cannot believe that 20 minutes before the drama ended his mother LITERALLY told him Theo probably likes his friend from France more, and that this friend is better for Theo than her own son. Wild. And then the next day when Akk said he does not deserve Theo, she did not even try to deny it. Who needs enemies when you have a mother like that.
Then we have musketeers of fake romance and one “artist”. Natee changed his crushes more often than teenage girl, Wayo legit needs to go to rehab, because he has serious gambling issues, Phupha who was borderline stalking Theo and Saifa was who was so chill he literally barely existed.
Last two episodes? Fever dream. Conflicts coming out of nowhere, resolutions being even less logical. My boy Akk having lower self esteem than poor female leads from early 2000s kdramas curing his issues with one 20 seconds chat with a friend. Divorce, separation, emigration, break up, proposal… damn they truly threw everything at me hoping something will stick.
Till I see true improvements I’ll keep saying it - maybe during the workshops they should practice other scenes not just the romantic ones. Yes, all these BL boys aced the “I’m in love” and “I’m pinning” look, but the moment they need to deliver any normal everyday line, they fail… painfully.
One thing I did actually enjoy was the music.
Overall, fun for the wrong reasons.
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Who are you - the question we don’t have an answer to.
Realistically speaking, I understood around 80% of the movie. There are many things that are just hinted at, especially about the details of the resolutions/conclusions. Does it bother me? No. If anything, it makes me more interested in potential rewatch to see if I missed anything. The movie presents a lot of questions, but not all the answers.How much do we change and curate ourselves to match social expectations and responsibilities set by the roles we decide to take? On the other hand, is following our desires the true freedom or just another cage? Driven by desires or led by society - where is the freedom in both, where is the place for personal choices?
These are the questions I kept thinking about while watching Cure. It also reminded me that we as humans love to simplify everything - binary thinking is easier. Extreme solution to mundane problems - that’s how I saw the freedom Mamiya was spreading. Momentary freedom that led to more restraints. Because living is not as simple as always doing what others expect you to do, nor is it simply following your current needs. Forcing others to adhere to your narrow definition of freedom is not setting them free, it’s just taking the leash in your own hands and controlling them by your own standards.
Cure is a great psychological mystery that masterfully crafts the tension. The longer I watched, the more I wanted to get the answers, but by the end, I was fine with still wondering. Strangely it felt as if I was given the freedom to find my own conclusion. It’s not a typical crime movie where we want to know who did it. Rather, we desperately try to figure out why it was done. It’s slow and atmospheric.
With a script like that you need charismatic actors to pull it off. And I was blessed with Yakusho Koji’s performance as Takabe Kenichi - a detective and husband, who struggles with maintaining these two roles, slowly cracking under the pressure. Hagiwara Masato as Mamiya Kunihiko was simply terrifying. Something about that detached, but piercing presence made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
Editing and production was truly perfect. From longer and uncut scenes that created the tension, or the quick cut flashes of moments and frames, that in addition to giving important clues, served as a good indicator of the shift of perspective and the connections the main lead made.
Overall, highly recommend to all the folks who liked to be asked questions and not get conclusive answers, making your own brain do the work. Less investigation, more philosophical. Slow pace might deter some people from watching - proper watching conditions might be the key to enjoyment.
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When learning how to lie is a good character development, and more on the blind righteousness...
I did not expect to like this drama this much. From righteous heroes, gray leads, vile villains and broken antagonists - it serves a variety of great characters that drive the plot forward, keep the tension high and deliver many laughs.Name me a drama where the character development that is seen as a positive one is the lead actually starting to learn how and when to lie - that’s the unicorn we’ve got here. My sweet child Zhang Ping had an OCD level of truth seeking. Not only did he ignore the danger, he did not even see the danger when he was investigating, blinded by his pathological need to find and speak the truth. Adjusting the approach to the situation was not part of his innate pattern of behavior. At first annoying, later endearing. Taking into consideration how easily other characters turned their blind eye to the truth, it was also a source of many comedic moments.
I never knew watching characters gaslight another character could be this entertaining. Lan Jue and Wang Yan made that magic happen. The way they initially tried to sway and manipulate Zhang Ping was low-key evil and yet, the moment they stopped, I started to miss it. Throughout the whole drama these two truly radiated the “tricksters with solid skills” energy. Easily my favorite relationship of the show, whenever you call it friendship, partnership, bromance, or like me: married couple.
Then we have a sweet potato Chen Chou. I’m so grateful they did not write him as a generic best friend to fill the space in the scenes. He had an adorable personality, he was loyal and brave when needed. He tried his best to support Zhang Ping, but also was not afraid to call him out when he came out with an especially dumb idea.
Gu Qing Zhang was quite a surprise. Could not wait for him to show up, and when he did, the tension skyrocketed. On the other hand Wang Xuan brought this balanced energy to every scene he was in - gave me the impression that things will work out fine no matter what, even though he did not really do that much…
What’s important? These fine gentlemen do not really form a Scooby Doo Gang to fight crime and corrupt officials. All of them interact with each other in various moments, but they are never one united group. Did I go into the drama expecting and wanting to see them going full Power Rangers against Rita Repulsa? Sure. Was I disappointed it never really fully happened? No. Them having conflicting morals, ideas, goals and approaches to reach them is what made the drama so interesting in the first place.
The acting was almost perfect. Song Wei Long was a bit stiff and emotionally restricted in his performance for sure. Compared to the other actors and actresses, he lacked the depth needed to truly sell his character to the public. My favorite performance? Shi Yue Ling as Empress Dowager - what strength and power she showed with just some tiny movements and stares. The character was truly scary with how approachable she felt. Shi Yue Ling also did an amazing job showing the subtle change in the character’s feelings when something did not go the way she wanted - enough for the viewers to see it clearly and understand, hidden enough so we can believe the other characters did not notice.
As for the plot itself: the pacing of when and how they dropped the hints was so good, even though at the end of the day the plot was rather simple, it was presented in quite a skillful manner. While watching you will most likely always be one step ahead of the show, guessing what’s about to happen, but not necessarily the whole mid side picture. Why mid size? The past, conspiracy, crime - all do not feel that grand, even if they concern the people of the highest power in the country.
The story showcases the differences between justice and revenge. How trying to seek punishment on the people who hurt us can turn us into the same people we hate and want to fight. How while we are hiring, we can become blind to the pain of other people. Can we justify all of our actions just because we are victims?
What’s more to love? The visuals! So many beautiful scenes, good special effects. What I especially appreciated is how they knew how to film performances. A few scenes showing plays were a perfect balance of artsy and straightforward.
At the same time I cannot wrap my brain around the EXCESSIVE use of blur in the edges of the scenes. Why oh why? They used it even during scenes when the important character for that specific scene was standing closer to the edge of the shot. It also takes a moment to get used to the grainy filter for the “flashbacks” - not all flashbacks. In that aspect the drama lacked consistency.
One thing that made me lower the rating was the confusing scene that blurred the motivation of the main villain - what did they want to present with it?
Overall, fun and addicting. Best at showing the diversity of the characters which led to many entertaining, moving, thrilling and at times frustrating moments.
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All overshadowed by Kunou Totono.
I have adored Kunou Totono since episode one. I was highly impressed with the way he was able to think outside of his own mental box and see situations from another perspective. Not getting completely clouded and sidetracked by our own experiences and feelings is a rare ability most people do not possess and it’s not as highly valued in society as we might think. It’s great when you can understand your family, friends, neighbors, but what if we also can understand the logic and reasoning of a murderer? Arsonist? Kidnapper? That’s when people start to give you weird looks. With that, I truly appreciate how the drama made sure Kunou Totono’s ability was an asset people valued, not a weird characteristic that made people avoid him.The character had almost amazon comedic timing. The number of times I laughed at his unexpected reactions and lines, completely flipping any given situation upside down.
On the side note, the drama has an “eccentric male lead” tag, but for me Kunou Totono was autistic. On one hand I wish the show was clear about it, on the other hand I know how giving specific labels brings a lot of criticism concerning the portrayal of autism.
The performances were great. As the title of the review says, Kunou Totono stole the show and Suda Masaki’s acting had a lot to do with that. To make a character so unique and yet so relatable is a skill. His character never felt empty and it was clear that even though he might have not shown a lot of emotions, he was feeling deeply - all thanks to the subtle changes in the facial expressions. My favorite bits though? His “surprised pikachu” face.
While the cases were fun to watch, they were not exactly that complex or unpredictable. The writing was not vague about the clue - you’ll see what’s coming before they actually show it on screen. Similarly, the special commentary was both interesting and disappointing. The abuse was a subject that kept coming back, but I never felt like they went deep enough into it to make it more meaningful.
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If I had to state what the biggest flaw of the show was for me, I’d have to say: the satisfying ending. It’s not a “I wish the second season happens, I want more”, but rather a “Second season needs to happen, I need more answers”.
I also found the commentary about women in the working environment (in this case police) rather confusing. What exactly did they try to tell me? With how on the nose many “messages” were, the lack of clearness in this bothers me quite a lot. I didn’t really like Furomitsu Seiko as a character either, and I feel like the writer struggled a bit with finding her a fitting place among other characters.
Overall, extremely enjoyable, with interesting directing and editing and a lead that is impossible not to love.
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We are shaped by our circumstances.
Preventing abuse is not a matter of personal choice, it’s a collective effort put into shaping the society so we won’t become numb to other people’s pain and ignore cries for help. Getting out of a toxic environment is only the first step, getting help and support to deal with the trauma is just as important. Without it, we will most likely than not continue the cycle of abuse, becoming perpetrators ourselves.This perspective is clearly visible in the drama. The characters that, after facing traumatic events, were embraced by supportive people, felt a sense of emotional security and grew in a caring environment did not grow up to be abusers themselves. The less fortunate ones could not break the cycle, never learned how to cope with their piling issues, all they knew was how to project their problems onto others - in this case, children.
If you truly sit down and think about what was presented, you will feel uncomfortable. It’s hard to both feel bad for the villains for their past hardships, regret for them not getting the help, while also seeing them for what they now are - abusers. It’s extremely hard to comprehend the idea that a person can be both a victim and the perpetrator at the same time. It’s hard to root for rehabilitation of the offenders, when children suffer. The constant question: do we want revenge or justice? What does justice mean? What’s the goal of the punishment? What should be the goal of any action? The drama does a great job at making me think about these questions and what my answers would be.
Another aspect worth mentioning is the exploration of the role of mothers. The variety of different perspectives was beautiful to watch. The struggles, pain, but also the happiness and fulfillment one can feel when they are a mother. The fact that just because you gave birth to a child does not mean you can call yourself a mother.
Sadly, there were also aspects of the show I did not like. For example, for a show so well written, it’s a crime to have such a stock character serving the purpose of plot device and savior only - Jeong Jin Hong. He did nothing and presented nothing except for helping FL when the plot needed that.
Another aspect I didn't not quite like - the lack of presenting the society and media’s reaction to the kidnapping case. The show had a strong message about social awareness, but they did not really do much to show different social takes and perspectives on the issue. The middle part of the drama could have been a bit shorter, so the trial would last more than half an episode. That’s when you present the ideas and debate worthy takes on the issue.
On the bright side, the performances were amazing. Lee Bo Young obviously delivered a heartbreaking and touching portrayal of Kang Soo Jin, but we all know the true star was Heo Yool. Extremely hard role for a young actress, yet she carried it with amazing skills.
Overall, a beautiful and touching show presenting heavy topics. It was not easy to digest everything presented, there were moments that made me angry, sad, uncomfortable - but it’s the charm of this title - it evokes raw emotions and makes you reflect on presented questions.
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The plot twist by the end made sense, but also came out of nowhere since it was not really set up throughout the film - it was the ending that simply felt flat.
When I watch movies like that I always wonder, how did this cast end up here? These are not unknown actors who have to take any project thrown at them. What made them think these were roles worth taking? How can one see a script to a mediocre movie like that and gladly be part of it?
There were a few aesthetic shots, but overall, the movie did not really offer much to be praised.
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Those That Follow tells a simple story of regret, guilt and fear - the past can literally haunt you. We are introduced to two characters that start with the same baggage, but as the plot progresses, take different paths to deal with it and face the consequences of their actions.
Realistically speaking, the strongest point of the movie were the visuals - it’s simply beautiful. Being an ad for a phone, they took all the steps to make sure the final product can wow any possible customers. Surprisingly, the fact it is an ad made the movie better, since it pushed the director to use a variety of different shots to show he all the capabilities of the camera.
Acting was good. It did feel like some reactions were exaggerated, but nothing that would distract you from what was happening on screen.
Overall, truly a great short horror movie. Simple, but effective.
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There are many good aspects of it. It’s rather unpredictable - it has quite a few twists and turns that all felt understandable (at least to the extent a short length allowed). I also appreciate when at the beginning the built up tension is broken by a joke/one liner from a new character on screen. Delivering scares each time the tension is high is not a way to go, because the viewers start to know what to expect. That’s why I appreciate when movies take a step back from time to time.
Drowned out sounds and slow motion used to indicate the distorted perception and fixation on a specific situation by a character? Love it. It’s always effective and I wish more movies used it.
The acting went from good to decent for a smaller production like this. I’m not the biggest fan of Ha Joon’s character, and weirdly I enjoyed a bit twisted Min Woo more.
All that said, I appreciate the movie from the objective standpoint, but I did not quite vibe with it subjectively.
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Surprisingly good tale on dealing with trauma and growing up.
I did not expect all the emotional depth and tears. I got in thinking “evil kids with powers”, but I could not be more mistaken.The overly sweet and sugar vibes created this unnerving, uncomfortable atmosphere - everything seemed unreal, over the top and stomachache creating. I would not even classify it as a horror movie, but rather fantasy drama with horror elements. Something along the lines of Pan's Labyrinth. The focus is the story and the characters, not the cheap scares.
The visuals were quite stunning for a movie from 2007. Starting with more bright and light colors, something you could see in an over the top Christmas commercial, slowly turned more dark and grim as more of the mystery started to be revealed.
Performances? Quite good, especially with how young the young actors were. Shim Eun Kyung did the best job and the powerful emotions Yeong Hee was feeling were delivered in a convincing way. Was not as much of a fan of Eun Won Jae performance - the character felt flat.
Overall, I would for sure recommend. Lee Eun Soo was a bit of a mess as a character, but realistically speaking, he was just a tool to tell the children's’ story so I don’t mind it that much.
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