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Ghost Voice is probably my least favorite of the 4 Whispering Corridors movies I have seen so far. The horror element is weak, the plot is both predictable and confusing at the same time. The last minute plot twist came out of nowhere and was not well incorporated into the story.
I also find it a bit of a miss to include “tragic lesbian story” into it, when similar story was part of the 3rd movie. Watching these one after another makes it seem like they ran out of ideas.
The acting was good, definitely more modern than in the previous movies. Seo Ji Hye, Cha Ye Ryun and Kim Seo Hyung did the best. Some of the line delivery from Kim Ok Bin seemed off, the overused pauses between words gave a robotic vibe.
Overall, I’d rather recommend Whispering Corridors 1-3 over this one. It brought nothing more to the table and does not even serve as an easy entertainment.
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If you look for realism, you won’t find it here. The plot is pushed to extremes at times, but it does fit the overall mood and story progression - I never felt like they were going so far just to shock the viewers, all the scenes seemed to match well together.
Surprisingly, with how grim the movie was at times, it left me quite happy and hopeful - we truly dealt with the pandemic way better in real life, compared to authorities in The Flu.
The whole cast did an amazing job portraying the characters - each representing a different reaction to an unexpected and dangerous event occurring. Different motivations led to different actions taken by them. The characters were smart and dumb in a realistic way, so even when they made mistakes, it was understandable.
If I had to complain about anything, I would say Kang Ji Goo was unreasonably heroic and the ending was not satisfying in one specific aspect.
Overall, it got my blood boiling. I was annoyed, but in a good way - I was supposed to be annoyed. Even though I wanted to throw my laptop out of the window, I still kept watching - it truly got me engaged. Would definitely recommend it, just remember: it’s not a realistic story.
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For someone who does not know anything about scientific methods, this would be a really good horror thriller focused on the dark side of humans and their desires, fears and obsessions, with the use of supernatural elements. It was well produced, the set design, costumes and the design for the ghost were truly nice and well prepared.
For anyone who knows a bit about scientific methods... it would be frustratingly dumb and unrealistic, and not because of the ghost and supernatural elements. Here's the thing: you cannot make the main characters people of science (I would call a person who finished medical school one) while making them conduct research as well planned and executed as flat earthers do. Writers should have either made the research more realistic (especially at the beginning, were Wee was not that obsessed and emotionally attached to it - hence he should have been more objective) or made main characters normal people who did not have much to do with science in the first place - then the poorly conducted experiments would make sense.
It was like watching people fight for who is going to get Darwin Award first - both deserve it equally. Since I was frustrated with the set up and the massively flawed and senseless research at the beginning, it was hard for me to connect to the characters and actually care about what will happen to them and how the movie would end.
Overall, if you either: don't know much about scientific method of research or are able to ignore that part of the plot and not put much value to it, you will most likely like it or even love it. Sadly for me, poorly done science done by people, who should know better, frustrates me to the core.
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Self-fulfilling prophecy
Whenever the producers and director of the show like it or not, they influence the end result a lot, and it makes the shows less entertaining to watch. With limited screen time, they have to decide who to show and for how long. Trainees who get more screen time at first get more popular. Because they are popular, the director and editing team adds even more scenes with them, which makes them even more popular - at the end of the day, they are the ones who will debut.⇢ Cast aka the contestants and mentors
I started the show for Lian Huaiwei. He was my favorite in season 3, so I wanted to check his “humble beginnings”. Surprisingly, the one that was the most entertaining was Lay. He was so unintentionally hilarious, it was hard not to like him. All the mentors did well. I could see they truly tried to help the trainees as much as it was possible.
For the contestants themselves… Only a few caught my attention, and it’s mostly because only a few got a fair amount of screen time. Watching the finale, I still did not remember the names of over a half of the trainees… I guess it says a lot.
⇢ Music aka the the performances
There were few performances I liked quite a lot, but for me, the buildup is quite important. I want to see them practicing the songs more, see the progress from the day one of forming a group, to the day they actually perform. Sadly, I did not get much of it.
⇢ Story aka the production
Let’s get real… they did not care that much about the international audience. They did not bother to translate into English the result boards, hence the only way I could find out who won in specific groups was based on the reactions of the trainees. Which is sad, because the competition is the core of the show… but I could not even follow the competition to the fullest because of the lack of translations.
Another thing that bothered me a lot were the volunteering and charity work bits. Don’t get me wrong, the idea was amazing, but it was wasted by adding it to the episodes themselves. It would be far better to make it a separate series like “Charity with Youth” or something like that, with full length episodes just showing the trainees work. By adding the bits to the episodes, the precious time that should be used on showing the teens working to achieve their dreams was wasted. With that, during the elimination, we weren’t even able to hear the thoughts of all the trainees that got to the next round.
What I liked though, was the addition of the Special mentors, who were able to promote the trainees to the next round, even if they did not get enough screen time. It’s fair to leave some space for the professional to “interfere”, since the production is not completely fair to all the trainees to gather the votes from the public.
Overall, I kind of had fun? I laughed quite a few times, even managed to cry here and there. I feel like I was just spoiled by season 3. Not only were there twice as many episodes, but also all the episodes were longer than the ones in season 1 - with that, I was able to get to know and get invested in the trainees and their journey far more.
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Entertaining controlled chaos.
The show was a really good way to get more accustomed to the trainees and get to know them better. Most episodes had a rather simple to follow 3 part structure: pre-game that allowed the trainees to gather clues about werewolves, werewolf game (which is basically mafia), and then the final game with two winners - everything portrayed in a specific setting (hence the costumes the guys were wearing).Not gonna lie, the werewolf/mafia game was my favorite part. I could easily just watch them play the game for one and half hours and it would be entertaining. Sometimes I was amazed how smart, intuitive or observant some of the trainees were, at times I was laughing on the floor because of their dumb mistakes.
The enjoyment of the show and the specific episodes might depend on how much you care and like specific trainees. I would be lying if I said I was equally entertained watching them all - sometimes I felt bored watching some scenes, in other episodes I was crying from laughing so hard and rewatching moments that made me almost die.
Overall, it was for sure fun. You can watch all the episodes, but if you are not that interested, just check the episodes with the trainees you like. Each episode has its own unique plot, so you don’t have to worry about not understanding anything if you skip one or two.
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On one hand, we are presented with a family drama plot that focuses on rescuing Hyun Seo, daughter of the protagonist. On the other hand, we are witnessing the inept behavior and planning from the government, which is too heavily influenced by the American presence. The at times ridiculous and uncaring attitude of certain groups of people did frustrate me to the core, but it was an important part of the storytelling that made the movie more impactful.
The performance was stellar. Song Kang Ho and Byun Hee Bong left such a strong impression on me. Not one performance felt off or below the standard set by the main cast.
I also appreciated the still camera shots that allowed me to truly grasp the situation and focus on the actors' performance and delivery. The directing wasn't distracting. It was a great balance of impressive and aesthetically pleasing shots (the visual aspect) and great storytelling.
Overall, even though the movie was made almost 15 years ago, it aged really well. It did not feel dated, the effects and CGI were good. To some extent, it is a statement piece, so reading about the inspiration and political background of it, makes it a better watch.
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Urban legends - crime edition...
...but there were not enough crimes nor urban legends. 2 out of 3 stories were technically driven by crime that is linked to the Futmalls.com website, yet I felt like there was barely any investigation going on. It wouldn't bother me much if we got to see more of the background story of said website and its products - did not happen. The mysterious products linked all the plot lines, but at the same time, the whole story led to nowhere.That said, I still quite enjoyed the drama. "Best-selling author" was a perfect opening for a short show like that, "No chance to grow" hit harder on the emotional side and "Air doll & Internet celebrity kidnapping" made a quite weird, but interesting ending. If we can even call it an ending.
The show does not have the greatest cast of the characters. Bai Yong Xin was the most fun and interesting one to watch. On the other hand, Zhao Xu Zhen, Yang Nian Jun and Li Zhong Wei were painfully stereotypical. I guess, these types of characters actually work well for the "urban legends" kind of deal. That said, Nian Jun was presenting some next level of poor and dumb decision making skills closer to the end of the show.
The quality of the production was quite high. I liked some transitions between frames, especially during the questioning of the witnesses/family members scene in the first episode. The special effects were nicely done too. I have to appreciate the makeup artists that worked for them, for the well done bruises that looked truly realistic.
The acting was good. The roles were not exactly that demanding nor required amazing acting skills. I was most impressed by Phoebe Huang during the "No chance to grow" story - her emotional delivery was quite nice.
If the news about season 2 comes out, I might add 0.5 to my story and the overall rating, since it seems like a nice introduction to a larger plot, but is questionable as a solo project.
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On one hand it's a story about the sacrifices people can make for the ones they love, on the other, how you cannot escape the destiny and story written for you. It had heart, tension and some good scares. One of the scenes, that I would probably pick as one of my favorites from any movie I watched this year relied only on the sound and was such a refreshing way of creating suspense.
The acting was quite nice. I was hesitant to start the movie because of Ok Taec Yeon, but since his character was not that complex, and served a purpose of guiding the viewers, I was fine with what he presented. He was more or less the exposition.
The movie is also shot in a beautiful way. Many scenes were presented from unusual angles and I could clearly see how much attention was put in the lighting.
There was one aspect of the plot I wasn't too happy about, but since it's a major spoiler I will write about it in comment section under spoiler. But even with that, I could appreciate the story for what it was. Another thing that was slightly off was the makeup done on Kim Yoon Jin to make her look older. Even though better than in many other productions, it was still not fully believable.
Still, would definitely recommend. Best to watch with lights off and headphones on.
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First, I don’t quite get the mother’s character. She switched from crazy to normal to crazy far too quickly without truly good reasoning. Matsuda Yusuke's massive love was at least weird. They tried to somehow explain it with the origin story, but even that brought more questions and annoyance.
So why do I have a problem with the origin of the newspaper? It had no place in such a short drama. With the past story, the whole new world of possibilities has been opened, but close to nothing was explored. The dynamics between characters have changed, but it was not organic enough for me to accept, it was a normal progression in the story. Sometimes not explaining every detail and keeping viewers in the dark till the end is a better choice. Nothing's more scary than the unknown.
The mechanics of the Terror Bulletin were also questionable: Can the same bulletin be delivered more than once? Why would past bulletins work? And wouldn't the last episode "cheat way out" not only not save her receiver but also create more victims?
I have to say though, I enjoyed Shiraishi Sei’s performance a lot. The character was well written and realistic. It showed some flaws and the bad/questioning choices were almost made. The will to survive and the empathy in her were a nice internal conflict that had me shocked a few times.
That said, the ending disappointed me greatly. It should have ended around 31 minutes in the last episode. That would be a nice commentary on how selfish people are, and the fact one good person cannot fight it on her own.
Do I think it’s scary? No. Not only that, but I believe some of the deaths could be seen as funny for few viewers. I found them disturbing and weird, but they never frightened me. The plot got a bit messy closer to the ending, but it was an enjoyable watch with a few good pictures created.
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I loved how over the top and slapstick the comedy was at the beginning, but as more episodes came out, they were less grounded in the situation and plot, and more of mini comedy skits. That's not exactly my type of a show progression, but I still enjoyed it.
I really liked the dynamics between Nott, Pun and Arm. This type of love line was overdone so many times, but here, a simple take on the story was perfect, since the surroundings were so crazy. Not only that, Nott’s character was quite well written. His “what is love” scenes were surprisingly heartwarming and deep. For a sitcom like this they, quite straightforwardly, talked about consent when someone is intoxicated. Big plus. Overall, lots of depth under all that silly comedy.
I must say, I was quite impressed with Yoon’s acting too. All the supporting roles were overacted (that was a stylistic choice for the comedy bits) so the tone down and more natural acting delivered by the main cast balanced it well. I actually wanted to rewatch some scenes simply because I liked what Yoon did with Nott’s character.
WARNING FOR VIEWERS! The whole show is quite an “acid trip” in terms of editing. There are many weird sequences with flashing lights and loud sounds. If you are sensitive in terms of visual stimuli, I would suggest skipping this show completely.
Overall, it’s a light (borderline dumb with some bits) show that should never be taken seriously. If you don’t like sitcoms, you most likely won’t like this too. It’s extremely unrealistic and silly, but that's the charm and the point of it. Even with some over the top elements, it has quite a few nice messages hidden between the comedy skits.
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This review may contain spoilers
While I usually love some complexity for crime driven dramas, the setting of this one made it impossible to enjoy.My expectation might have had a big impact on how I view it. I was hoping for a rather simple plot with some amazing characters to dig deep into. The sad truth is, the plot was "complex" but full of predictable traits. We had some amazing characters that were never really used to their full potential. It would be much better if the whole story truly revolved around the kids, and no adult was connected to the cases. If we could get the "kids can do evil, kids are not all innocent" kind of scenario.
The whole drama should focus more on what is happening in school, but it didn't. The more the plot progressed, the more side stories we've got: prosecutors’ story line, an investigation by the police, adults’ politics, corruption.
If you set your drama in the school, you should use this place to its full potential, and that's what they did at the beginning. We’ve got to know the dynamics and rules of their school life, the background for the main characters, how they interact with adults, who is the top dog and how they use their power. But the further we got into the plot, the more unnecessary grown ups doing adult stuff we've got. The drama switched from being "school" to "crime/corruption" kind of story.
How amazing and tragic of the ending we would get, if they didn't show Beom Jin's father much. If we weren’t sure if he was connected to the case, it could have been only Beom Jin's view of it. And when we finally get that last court scene, he truly was just helping Soo Ah and there was nothing more going on between them. We could see how Beom Jin's obsession about his image ruined him and his family. How the lack of communication and keeping secrets can lead to a tragedy. It would have more heart and value. The true ending was simply disappointing.
Overall, the drama was kind of enjoyable, but definitely not because of the plot, but rather a few characters I liked. I skipped some scenes, especially the investigation ones, which I often watched at 1.5x speed. The trend of mixing everything in the plot and making it more complex than it has to be is really popular lately in dramas, and this one is not an exception.
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It felt a bit like nonalcoholic drink when you crave some percentage. It was so short, it did not really have time to set the mood, vibe and hit me in any way.
I still appreciate how they managed to give some nice and relatable messages that can apply to many different contexts, not just a specific one presented by the customers. Universal takes that could make your life better.
The acting was also good for a short web drama like this. Especially impressed with Kim Wook in episode 2 and his quick and effective change of performance.
My biggest issue? Lackluster production. The music was too loud, the cat sounds were cute, but at some point overwhelming. I was bombarded with different auditory stimuli, I struggled with focusing on what I was watching.
That said, I loved the fake cat paws. That was probably one of my favorite small details from the whole show.
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One too many twists.
Honestly speaking, I don’t even think the story was bad. the directing though, missed a lot of basic elements.The scenes simply do not transition in a smooth way. Everything feels so out of place. Random private naked yoga classes turned into kamasutra scenes, a random detective story, which technically makes sense (people are dying after all), but never matches well with the main story. It honestly felt like they stitched scenes together without actually taking into consideration if they create a cohesive picture and explain the story well.
By the end of the movie they present one too many twists so rather than an interesting (though slightly overused) turn of events, it all becomes confusing.
The acting was bad. Lee Chae Young easily did the best, but all the rest of the cast was questionable at best. Felt like the actresses were cast for their bodies and not their acting skills.
Overall, skip, don’t bother watching.
(more about the directing fail in the comment below)
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Good execution of a basic story.
While the movie has high production value, good writing and great cast, it brings exactly nothing to the table. We have seen this story in a similar setting quite a few times.These are always the same questions: What does it mean to be human? How far can we go to survive? What can we do for power and control? What makes some movies tackling these ideas stand out more than the others are cast/performance and the unique setting. Medical trials on clones is not exactly an out of the box idea. And with that, the movie is interesting and enjoyable, but easily forgettable. Sure, a few scenes showcasing Seobok’s special abilities were fun and more unique takes on the typical clone scenario, but surely not enough to make this production outstanding in any manner.
Gong Yoo carried the whole film on his shoulders. The performance saved a rather stereotypical character. On the other hand, as much as I like Park Bo Gum, he made me feel exactly nothing as I was watching Seobok. What’s worth mentioning - the small beef between Chief Ahn and Kim Cheon Woo was probably the most entertaining aspect for me.
The production was great. A high budget movie delivering high quality effects and action scenes.
Overall, a good watch, one that most would enjoy. Will I remember it to later recommend to others? Probably not.
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Expected a goofy horror, got a tragic tale.
I did not expect a semi-solid plot when I started this movie. The last 30 minutes makes the film worth the watch. Don’t get me wrong though, there is not much depth. It’s tragic, sad, and at times infuriating, but there is no social commentary about what happened, and the ending might seem a bit disappointing.Still, there was a lot of potential. Especially surprised by well constructed plot twists that added layers to the story. It was also visually great - none of the special effects seemed cheap, no typical ghost with long dark hair creeping around. There was a clear vision on how the movie was supposed to look like and what story it was supposed to tell.
It’s worth knowing there are some triggering scenes in the movie - a few more clearly shown than others, but they might be too much for some viewers.
The acting was decent. Honestly speaking, except for Cheryl Yang, none of the other cast members had the opportunity to even start flexing their potential skills.
Overall, surprisingly nice, way better than I expected just based on the synopsis and my previous experience with randomly picked Chinese horror movies.
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