Reviews

I watched this movie because my friend talked me into it. I expected it to be cheesy and cringey. I could have predicted the main character's naivety. Even though the actors did a good job, I think it was just a bad movie.

Teacher-student relationship? It's not wrong; it's cruel and predatory behaviour. I can't get over the fact that no one around the student thought this relationship was a problem. Her friend was obsessed with another teacher. Let's not glorify the relationship between teacher and student. A big age gap in a "relationship" at that age is really wrong.

Even after watching this film four months ago, I'm still disgusted by the plot. Maybe this type of movie isn't for me, but I don't think anyone should think of it as a romantic story.

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Epic Setup & VFX, but Soulless Adaptation

➥ TL;DR Review:
Best Bits: Stunning visual effects, solid performances from the cast.
Worst Bits: Everything else. Story, pacing, character depth—meh.
Watch It? Only if you’re killing time or have a soft spot for the actors. Otherwise, skip.

➥ Detailed Review:

I haven’t read the original web novel, so this review is purely based on the movie. My rating is honestly generous - entirely for the visual effects and the sheer effort the cast and crew poured into this otherwise clunky adaptation.

When the movie was first announced, I was hyped. I’m a sucker for stories where characters slip into fictional worlds—think W or Extraordinary You. Plus, it starred my OG K-drama crush, Lee Min Ho. His recent projects haven’t wowed me, but nostalgia’s a powerful thing. Then came Ahn Hyo Seop, one of my absolute faves. I’ve watched him grow from Splash Splash Love to 30 but 17 and of course, the delightful Business Proposal. With a cast like that, how could I not be curious?

I didn’t catch the movie right away, but I kept tabs on the reviews—and they weren’t kind. So by the time I watched it (Oct 2, 2025), my expectations were comfortably low. I was ready for a time-pass flick, nothing more.

And that’s exactly what I got.

The story had potential but felt rushed and undercooked. Honestly, it might’ve worked better as a mini-series. Some character arcs—Dok-ja, Hyeon Seong, Hui Won, Ji Hye—were surprisingly well done given the runtime. Others? Just filler. The emotional beats around teamwork and unity were nice, even heartwarming at times. I mean, who doesn’t want to believe that humanity can come together in a crisis?

But the pacing was all over the place. Exposition was thin, and the ending? It felt like someone hit pause mid-scene and forgot to come back. I kept waiting for a final twist or explanation… and then the credits rolled. The core message—if there was one—was murky at best. I think it was about unity, but that’s me guessing.

Some characters hogged screen time without adding much. The script was weak, and the storytelling didn’t do justice to the world it was trying to build. Someday, I’ll read the original work to cleanse my palate. Because this movie? Left a bitter aftertaste - sadly!

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A well-made live-action adaptation

The Korean film «Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy» («전지적 독자 시점») is an adaptation based on the still-ongoing Korean webtoon «Omniscient Reader» which itself is based on a Korean novel of the same name. (That was a long sentence!)

While many gave it a low rating and were not satisfied, I was very satisfied and gave it a perfect 10 ⭐. Here's why:

1. It's an adaptation of a very long and still on-going serial novel and webtoon.
2. Adaptation writers have literary freedom on how to adapt a work of art in a differeet medium and target audience.
3. Like it or not: budget constraints.

Most, if not all, who gave it a low score expected it will cover beyond the plot in the movie. It just is not possible. And if they dod that, they will have to skip a lot of critical moments of the story which will also earn far more negative reviews than what it received for this release.

The acting were good. The choice of actors were generally who one would have imagined while reading the novel or the webtoon. I'm not saying I agreed with all the casting but they did well for their respective roles.

The special effects and CG passed. It wasn't perfect, there were fight scenes were the different layers (real layer, green/digital layer) were not smooth nor clean, and were obvious. They need to improve their technique and technology if they plan on making a sequel.

The chosen parts of the story, I approve of it as well.

Last but one of the most complained about, I also approve of the obvious changes. It fits the film format, and the essence of this "chapter" of the story were maintained as it was in the original source material. That is the most important on adaptations. It is not about incorporating every scene, or having the exact likeness for the characters, or making sure the sequence of events remain exactly the same. No, that is just wrong in adaptations. What matters is keeping the essence of it. The feels. The aura. The message. What made the original material popular. That's what a real adaptation is.

A perfect 10 ⭐. Now, where's the sequel? The next "chapter" is one of my favourites.

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Officer Black Belt begins as a light, fast-paced action comedy but quickly shifts into a dark crime thriller. Directed by Jason Kim (Midnight Runners, Bloodhounds), it delivers a fresh premise with a charismatic lead and brutal fight choreography.
The story follows Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin), a young martial arts expert who ends up working with a probation officer (Kim Sung-kyun). What starts as playful adventures takes a sinister turn when they must monitor a repeat child sex offender, pushing the film into darker territory.
The fight scenes are visceral and impressive, though the abrupt tonal shift from comedy to tragedy may feel jarring. Still, it’s a gripping Korean thriller with emotional weight.

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the plot wants to be better

for everyone planning to watch, it’s worth noting: this is a typical japanese film that doesn’t offer a consistent plot or direct answers, although to me it feels much lighter than usual.
i really liked the concept itself, the idea is truly original. however, the execution left much to be desired. in my opinion, the film lacked unusual anomalies and scary moments, especially considering that it identifies itself as horror and thriller. unfortunately, due to the small number of events, it felt like i watched the movie in just a few minutes. still, the actors played their roles well, their performance really pulled the atmosphere together. there was also a decent overall vibe, but if the script had been more generous with events, the overall impression would have been better.

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mantis e os sentimentos dos assassinos

se você procura um filme apenas de ação, sem foco em diálogos, mantis talvez não seja para você! antes de assistir, tenha em mente que é um spin-off e que esse é um filme que exige atenção do início ao fim, por conta dos diálogos e dos cortes rápidos das cenas. os três personagens hanul (mantis), jaeyi e dogko são movidos pelo desejo de superioridade e pelo ciúme. quando vi o trailer, achei que seria mais focado na ação, mas enquanto você assiste fica nítido que o filme opta justamente por mostrar as motivações e mágoas de cada um, e não focar apenas nas cenas de luta.

o elenco foi impecável, e inclusive foi um dos motivos para eu assistir. siwan, hyunwook e gyuyoung deram um show de atuação em todos os momentos. as lutas foram muito bem coreografadas.

no fim, mantis começou a trabalhar para jaeyi e a relação deles ficou só nisso mesmo, o que eu já esperava. achei que poderiam ter explicado mais sobre a sumin. mesmo que ela não seja a principal, queria saber se ela só ficou no negócio do mantis porque gostava dele ou se teve outros motivos. além disso, a dinâmica dos dois foi legal de assistir, mesmo tendo sido pouco explorada.

apesar de ficar confusa com algumas partes —acredito que tenha sido porque ainda não assisti kill boksoon — foi um bom filme. com certeza vou assistir de novo depois de ver kill boksoon para sanar minhas dúvidas.

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who actually survived

the movie was really beautiful the story starts out soft and eventually builds up into complexities, pay attention or else you'll lose sight of what matters, the relationship between the twin was bitter sweet, sort of sad and laced with envy and obscurity. somewhere down the line you wonder what does identity mean, is a person's personality all that there is to them? do we love a person because of who they are or what they mean to us? what does it mean when we say we love someone? it's not entirely a love story neither is it one that can happen anywhere as stated by the director in literal sense but the figurative meaning hidden in each actions and words can Indeed happen anywhere.

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Don't expect any cute moments nor just love in this movie.

I just don't know what to say about this movie I couldn't watch the whole movie so I just skipped to the end of the movie. I'm so shocked because I thought we wouldn't see real porn in this movie I was expecting something else but I got disappointed.
The acting in this movie sucks and the mains don't have any sparks nor the love because that love was just sex and then out of nowhere the "lonely guy" was in the relationship or it was his ex I couldn't know it. Then the man from the start just go around the city just trying to find "love" and later he just goes and make out with random people. And the start was shocked too.
And the end what the heck was that he comes back because he realize that the "lonely guy" was the one he was looking for meaning he found love and he really though that he would still be there.. I am not sad about the sad ending I am more mad that I watched this movie I never in fact gave this low rating but believe me don't waste your time if you're not into watching 2 hours of porn.

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oh the melodrama

Algorithms surfaced this while I was searching for something else. With English subtitles no less. Not in the MDL database and almost no information on letterboxd, so the best way to decide if it was worth the time was to just watch it =D

Was it worth it? There are better films. It's very melodramatic and feels like it belongs to an era far earlier than 2005. I was initially thinking 1950s, but now that I've seen a few from Film Archive Thailand's holdings, it's very different. What it most reminds me of in feel and tone is the 1959 Mae Nak Phra Khanong, although the only available version of that I've found has a very strange redub so perhaps the (unknown to me) redub date is a better comparison? It doesn't feel like anything I've seen from early 2000s Thailand so far, though I do have some leads for possible comparisons. Apologies for geeking out here. I enjoyed the sense of stepping back in time, not just in the content but in the very style of film-making.

It's not long and it moves at a good clip. Lots of things happen even though there isn't all that much story or depth of characterisation. I like melodrama and learning new things, and found it entertaining, so all in all it was worth my time. Would it be worth yours? If you have a spare hour forty minutes and a curious mind, give it a go and find out =D

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Waste of time

I watched the movie Sweet and Sour and honestly, it felt like a waste of 1 hour and 24 minutes. The trailer seemed promising, which is why I decided to watch it, but it turned out to be a disappointment. I believe in true love and value true sacrifice, so I was rooting for the main couple’s chemistry from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the male lead ditched her and got involved with his colleague.

Towards the end, I thought he would realize his mistakes, go back to her, and apologize. Instead, the director ruined the ending, leaving me confused. The story didn’t have proper closure. It showed him blaming his boss and then proposing to his new girlfriend, asking her not to go abroad.

I really disliked the movie. I felt deeply connected to the female protagonist, but the story failed to do justice to her character.

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Craziness mixed with heartfelt moments.

A fun, crazy watch. I quite enjoyed this film due to the craziness and the funny moments that came out of it. It was entertaining to watch all of the crazy moments between the two leads. On one hand, it’s creepy and mysterious, with Gil-Gu experiencing all these bizarre, mind-bending situations as he tries to figure out what’s happening to Sun-Ji. On the other hand, it’s surprisingly funny and heartfelt at times, especially as he goes from being just curious to genuinely caring about her and wanting to break the curse. Although, it doesn’t offer much of a rewatch value it’s a great one time watch for a romantic comedy.

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