The Pirates 2: The Last Royal Treasure
17 people found this review helpful
Good source of fun and laughter
This movie gave me tons of laughter. Almost all of the comedic parts came from Kang Haneul and Lee Kwangsoo and they both delivered well. None of the cast did awfully. Everyone did a great job regardless of how big and small their parts. Even Sehun who barely had lines and just stood at the corner did well. The fight scenes between Kwon Sangwoo and Kang Haneul is so great. It brought a lot of tension to the movie. Han Hyojoo did well too as the pirate captain . I wish they showed more of the back story between Muchi and Bu Heungsu especially how they became rebels and bandits. But overall, the story was nice and easy to grasp the flow. The special effects are so good too. This is a good movie to watch even kids would definitely enjoy it.Was this review helpful to you?
The Pirates 2: The Last Royal Treasure
29 people found this review helpful
Very fun movie to watch
If you are looking for something to watch that will give you a good laugh, this is the movie you are looking for. A fun movie to watch with the whole family.This one is different from the first Pirates movie since everything is different.
The visual effects are better than the first movie and they made use of cg for the animals instead of using real ones. They've shown a lot of effects this time especially the fire, water, and lightning.
The actors are really great. All did their parts well even those supporting casts with little screen time. Everyone delivered well. Hands down most especially to Kang Haneul and Kwon Sangwoo. Their fight scenes are so good it will put you at the edge of your seat. Lee Kwangsoo is indeed really funny. Most of the funny parts came from him.
Highly recommended to watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Pirates 2: The Last Royal Treasure
1 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
A fun and delightful pirate comedy flick
I had so much expectations with this because of the trailer which looked pretty well made with the special effects and the star studded lineup of Kang Ha Neul, Han Hyo Joo, Lee Kwang Soo, Se Hun and Chae Soo Bin. I am not a big fan of Pirate flicks but this one was a fun and a delightful watch packed with amazing physical comedy by Kang Ha Neul and fun back and forth dialogue between the characters which made it funny and effective. The special effects is both good and bad, the good part of the special effects is how they made the sea which for me was realistic and somewhat beautiful but let's be real here that some scenes especially in the animals the special effect was bad and jarring maybe I'm just used to high end special effects from western movies that's why when I see a bad CGI effect it bugs me but it didn't really made a big impact for me personally. The story is quite fast paced, which for some might not be their taste but for me it's ok here even though, I really wanted to see the whole world develop, the character backstories and the antagonist be more fleshed out. Making this a series maybe 6 or 8 episode would be a delight but as a movie, it's great as well. Kang Ha Neul is obviously the star of the movie, such a great actor but Han Hyo Joon, Chae Soo Bin and Kwang Soo was also funny and great as well. I wanted to see more of Se Hun, I think he was just used as eye candy in this film which I'm not complaining, his little romance with Chae Soo Bin was cute. This was a fast paced, funny film jump packed with great acting but with inconsistent CGI and a story not really well fleshed out due to fast pacing.Was this review helpful to you?
The Pirates 2: The Last Royal Treasure
18 people found this review helpful
This review may contain spoilers
An awfully ridiculous plot
There was so much of hype for this movie, but in the end it failed to impress me.It's the classic case of "Great Cast doesn't guarantee you a good movie".
The cast of this movie was quite impressive and to be fair, all managed to do a very good job as far as acting is concerned. But when you stuff all these magnificent actors in one single movie, there's high chance that the script is not gonna do justice with all of them.
Can't blame the efforts of actors, though. Han Hyo-joo was very beautiful as a pirate, and so was Kang Na-heul with his witty lines and erratic behaviour. But the one who impressed me was Lee Kwang Soo. It seems like he simply can't leave behind his image of being a betrayer behind (*pun intended).
There wasn't much to do for Kwon Sang-woo and neither for Kim Sung-oh, which was kind of a bummer as I was really looking forward to their roles, only to be disappointed at last.
Now coming to the story.
It was just awful. Characters popped out of nowhere. There was no backstory for Han Hyo-joo and was very weak in the case of Kang Na-heul. It was just the plot of the previous movie, albeit with a bit of new ingredients. Let's compare it with its prequel:-
A Pirate - check
A disgraced soldier turned bandit - check
One evil general - check
One betrayer - check
And animals rescuing the pirates - check
The story might have been good if not for so much of stuffed characters. Chae Soo-bin's character literally had no importance at all.
At last, I will say some words for the VFX. It was childish graphics. Yes, the VFX certainly improved in the last act, but overall they were very poor and one can clearly see that there are just a lot of green screens.
Overall, I was disappointed with the movie, but the cast made it a bit enjoyable. Watch it for Lee Kwang Soo, Han Hyo-joo and Kang Na-heul. If you are seeking a good story, then don't go in that direction. Better to leave your brains aside while watching this movie, as this is certainly very logicless.
Was this review helpful to you?
Out of all the people you know, how many do you truly understand?
It's hard to put the film into words, my review probably will not justify how good the film is, however I'll give it a go.House of hummingbird refers to our main character Eun Hee, who we follow basically every single second of the film as a hummingbird and her search to find a house she can call home.
How much time do we spend on relationships that doesn't matter, those that doesn't enhance ourselves as a person or at the very least understand the things that are unsaid. Compared that to the time we take care of ourselves or heal wounds that are barely addressed by us.
Director and Scriptwriter Kim Bo Ra is amazing, directing, lines, and shot guides viewers to understand how ridiculous the requests of the adults were, through the lenses of our main character. That's what unique and unconventional about it, focusing on a listener's perspective for most of the time, pretty much looking forward for her next project.
Though the film focuses on teen girl Eun Hee, I thought that the main issue at hand is universal. As a teen boy I can relate to never being heard or finding our places in life, that makes it wonderful.
It was a calm subtle film, though provoking and a social commentary it was never too violent or explicit. Which is honestly good because it is able to reach much younger audiences like myself. nothing extraordinary ever happens in the 140mins runtime however you cannot take your eyes off it.
One thing I love about the film is the use of symbols, things are shown figuratively and literally, with each scene having meaning and not just randomly placed.
Despite the long screentime, it never felt like it dragged on and was paced nicely. Emotions was captured nicely without using force and was tragic and sad solely through it's contents and story.
Scenes might feel unfinished, rushed, and incoherent at times but was purposely done that way to show the psychological state of Eun Hee.
It's about imperfect people including Eun Hee, trying to find their ways in life. This is not to justify such actions but some characters might seem as bad people but underneath is earnest love, just people with flaws and unable to express.
Eun Hee went through all that pain and at the end was still standing strong. How can tell yourself that something's impossible knowing that?
Was this review helpful to you?
not my cup of tea
I tried watching this twice before but it doesn’t catch my interest, but for the third time pick it up again to get bored and had to watch this on 2x speed. The story is slow-paced and the eerie is not haunting to give me goosebumps.Because the story is developed on the son's trick who hides his father's psychopathic nature with the help of his girlfriend. Honestly, there was no haunting feel with that chopped head, maybe because I have seen more dead bodies than that. Keeping the head in the freezer is a simple thing because the dead bodies are kept in formaldehyde.
I felt bad for the doctor, his life turned upside down and he got framed into a crime he hasn’t done. He was not a likable character but the events happening to him were bad. I disliked how the cops treated him because they only believed in the testimonies and evidence. They didn’t do any proper investigation. There had been already deaths before his move but still, he got framed because this involved him personally. Isn't it their duty to find the killer?
The acting was OK, since I didn’t like the movie much, nobody impressed me. Only Doctor Seung Hoon is somewhat good.
As we all know music plays a great role in creating an atmosphere to haunt but it lacked here too. The silence was not natural so that part also didn’t work.
Was this review helpful to you?
Wow!!1 hour 55 min of bliss
New story? Nah,same old, friends to Lovers trope. Seasoned actors? Not even close.Did I enjoyed it? Hell yeah
What is so special that I took time to write a review and convince you to watch it?Execution, they made everything correctly. Charming cast, right amount of runtime, comedy and pain balancing each other. Coming to leads, Caramel played by Belle Mariano will sweep you off your feet into Cara's world which is full of butterflies and unicorns. She loves Ino passionately and has eyes only for him. What if Ino also has feelings for her? Is it enough for her happiness?
Domino played by Donny is convincing. He's a bit complicated with all happenings in his life but nothing cara can't figure out. Sky and Iris complimented well to the story, they are second leads but know their place, to what extent they can pursue their love, when to give up. They are genuine friends helping them get better in life. Infact their presence only push Cara and Ino towards each other.
1st half of film is fluffy light, a steady 8. Story of Cara, bright sunny girl and her crush who also likes her. What is stopping them from dating? 2nd half became bumpy making me anxious but taking risk for good things is worth it. They focussed on healing and self-love. Cara needs to love herself and learn to move on. Ino needs to let go of his past and heal his scars, only then will be our perfect happy ending.
The meanings they gave to colours and their significance is cherry on top. I hope you enjoy this film as much as I do, on that note state of mind also plays role on how much story effects us, so don't be too disappointed if it didn't meet your expectations.
Was this review helpful to you?
BAD Editing & Production overwhelmed the good
I enjoyed the story in the sense of the connection between Koi and Natsume, even the mysticism/spirituality they brought into it with the Fire dance and the ocean scenes.THE BAD: the camera work was terrible, editing was even worse or maybe it was just the Director was drunk the whole time. Moments that should have been shorter, dragged on; running around, walking around, etc. Moments that needed more time for story development were cut out. Scenes ended abruptly, where you think "that part ended up on the editing floor" and then a green screen at the very end that was so damn obvious. Zoom ins that were shaky and too close and too many times the camera felt like it was thrown around. No one seemed to know how to use a camera stabilizer! They wrecked the movie. And because of the terrible editing it got hard to understand what the hell was going on. The actors did the best with what they were given. Crappy Ending, with unexplained bits. I don't get the high ratings from those who have viewed it before me.
Not re-watchable at all. Even the music was not the great.
Was this review helpful to you?
A wonderful surprise
This movie portrays the story of a girl, Chie, who has been skipping school since the divorce of her parents, and she currently lives with her father, who is a paleontologist. One day, her father's team and Chie will go on an expedition, not knowing that they'll end up finding something different from their previous ones, and that will be a fresh dinosaur egg.From their first meeting, you'll be able to predict how the girl and the dinosaur will end up having a strong bond, since the girl will notice how similar they both are. The friendship that you'll be shown here between the dinosaur and the little girl is a wholesome one that I think it got developed at a perfect pace.
Chie was a really lovely character, and her whole development was beautifully done. She started as someone who had been seriously affected by the abandonment of her mother and that may her close and isolate herself from others, even her own father, who seemed to be more interested in his job rather than paying attention to her. I couldn't help but tear up at the last scene when I saw how much she had grown.
Our main character meeting Rex, the baby dinosaur, and all the things that will happen to them will be the start and an important part of her growth as a person. On the other hand, the amount of events related to her family will also help her to become stronger and a wonderful girl in the future.
This movie has some overdramatic moments that will make you roll your eyes a few times, and the villains were also pretty mediocre. Due to that, the tension in some scenes gets practically lost most of the time. However, I'm sure they intended to do this kind of light movie rather than something more serious. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. I can't share any complaints about this movie, as it honestly surpassed all my expectations, specially in terms of special effects and acting, the former being pretty well done for a 1993 movie. I was pleasantly surprised.
Finally, the cast's performance was great and Adachi Yumi did an awesome job here portraying Chie's character. I also want to highlight how good the background music and songs played were. I specially liked Toki no Tabiji, it honestly fit so well in all the scenes it appeared.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable story with a touching ending that I'm glad I came across with it today. A great story to pass the time!
Was this review helpful to you?
Simple and humble movie
Kyu-Man Lee directed The Policeman's Lineage, which stars Choi Woo-Shik, Cho Jin-Woong, Park Hee Soon, Kwon Yul, and others. The story follows a by-the-book police officer, Choi, played by Choi Woo-Shik, assigned to secretly investigate a team leader, Park (Cho Jin-Woong), who believes that the rules shouldn’t stop an investigation. As he investigates the officer further, he grows closer to him and starts questioning what to believe.The film was, at best, generic. It had some good parts to it, but ultimately, the bad parts just overshadowed the good ones. Now, for the good parts...
》The Good《
☆1. Cho Jin-Woong Giving His Best
This film would have been dreadful if Cho Jin-Woong had not given a strong performance as the leader of a team of investigators. The film presents itself with two lead characters, the first whom played by Choi Woo-Shik, who was okay at moments and bad at others, but Jin-Woong, on the other hand, was consistent and solid throughout. Whenever he was onscreen, the scene instantly got better. His efforts were reflected in the script as well. While other characters were just generic police officers, they crafted his character brilliantly and made him intrigue to go along with his performance. And he was committed to the role. He gave his best to make you like, hate, and feel sympathy for him all in one film.
☆2. Solid Idea for A Film
It must be difficult to come up with a new premise for a film about cops, criminals, corruption, or any other topic relating to law enforcement. However, the screenplay writers for this film managed to find one. Focusing on the donations and funds South Korean police officers receive from sponsorship and how they have been used for and not for the purpose of investigation was quite unique. If only it were executed well enough. Speaking of executions...
》The Bad《
☆1. Muddled Execution
A solid idea comes to nothing if isn’t carried out well. For some unknown reason, the filmmaker did a poor job of delivering the message of the film. The message and the premise were there to be seen. It was obvious, but they decided to dance around it and added scenes that just don’t add anything to the overall story. The film should have been 30 minutes shorter as the story itself demanded such a runtime. But the filmmaker decided to make a 2-hour film, and to make it even worse, those 2-hours wasn’t even filled with moments of side characters development. A chunk of scenes from the film felt long and not needed and that muddled the execution of a solid idea.
☆2. Just A Blend World
If you have ever seen any police centric film from South Korea, then you have seen this film. Besides its strong core idea, the rest of the film was mediocre. The world presented to us was dull and uninteresting. On top of that, you have several police officers’ characters that are just so shallow and don’t bring anything to the film. Even the score was forgettable. The action was poorly crafted and shot. Basically, nothing about this film, other than the story itself and one good performance, was outstanding. This was saddening to watch, as it makes the film feel cheap despite the budget it might have had, considering the blatant product placement shown throughout the film. In general, the film had this blended way of presentation.
☆3. Who was The Villain?
In any film ever made, there will always be a villain or an antagonist to spoil the hero’s plan. This film sort of has a villain in Na Young-bin, played by Kwon Yul. He did his best to bring the character to life, but the script department let him down. The character was just there to fill in a check mark that a police-centric film needs a drug kingpin to be taken down. Indeed, you can’t write a perfect villain for every film. But all you needed to do was make him an obstacle for our heroes to overcome. The more difficulty the heroes face, the more likable they become. If that is not an option, then make us hate him with despicable actions and decisions so we can like the heroes who come in and try to stop him. Instead, we get a one-dimensional villain. Sure, the film tried to present the idea of whether the police are really the heroes in the story when they themselves use questionable methods to prevent crimes, but even that part was poorly executed. All the audience that would be left after watching this film would be someone they could truly hate and feel happy about seeing them receive their comeuppance.
》Overall Thoughts《
As mentioned earlier, you will forgot you have ever watched this film once the end of the year came. Despite a solid performance from one of the actors and a solid idea, the poor execution and poor writing resulted in a mediocre and forgettable film.
Was this review helpful to you?
Still One of the Best
I am sure that there will be some out there that disagree with my assessment. No matter what, this is a great summary of the two series and it helps us see them way into the future. There is just SOMEHING about these two that will forever be enduring and hold a special place in my head (not heart). They for me, define BL. They have done more to advance the whole genre of BL and undoubtedly introduced millions to this form of art. I am without question one of those. I think in a sense this puts to rest 2GETHER as an entity. They will always be 2GETHER even 30, 40, 50 years from now. They have embraced it and accepted it. A fitting tribute to what has changed the direction of BLs.I, for one, look forward to what they will do in the future either individually or as a couple. Their mark is indelible and kudos for embracing it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
First, it was very hard watching Cha Tae Hyun play the 'special' young man in this movie.Even though I have to give him credit for being able to play various roles in other dramas and movies, it was still hard to watch him play the role here. I would have been able to watch it easier had it been a newcomer actor who I had not seen act before!
However, I finally was able to get over the fact that it was hard watching him play such a role, it was a great movie!
Seung Ryong (Tae Hyun) had an accident at night while asleep inhaling carbon monoxide for a period of time when he was young; the same incident killed his father, who was also asleep in the same house where the incident occurred. After that, he was picked on by the students in his school (the same school where his little sister later attended) and he was also accused of things which were not his fault. Fortunately his mother believed him but he was still removed from school.
Later, his dying mother told him that he needed to care for his little sister for the rest of his life; which he did although his sister never appreciated it until it was too late! He prepared breakfast for her every morning, but remembered that his mother told him not to not bother her until she got up herself. Ji In (spelled Jee-in in the Eng sub movie, played by actress Park Ha Sun) never ate the breakfast he made her, but later regretted the way she treated him.
His 'simple' mind could not learn how to make anything except toasted egg sandwiches, something that any 6- to 7-year-old is capable of making at home when they begin to learn how to cook for themselves. Working out of a small street vendor's booth near the school where his little sister attends, he faithfully sold sandwiches for $1 apiece every morning to the students and staff and other customers (including JI-ho's father/local doctor, actor Song Jae Ho), and watched for his little sister to arrive for classes every day.
Afternoons saw him again at his toasted sandwich shop; selling his one and only sandwich and again looking for his little sister to leave school and head for their home by herself. The money he made went to pay for her school supplies, her school clothes, her other expenses, utilities...and all he had was one change of clothes and a bunch of shoes, which he always lost one out of every pair!
Seung Ryong liked a little girl by the name of Ji Ho (adult character played by Ha Ji Won) but since he was accused of a crime which destroyed her piano, she told him to " 'get lost' and never see me again." Even though he waited all his life for her to return, he remembered and still tried to keep away from her afterward, until he told her what she had said a decade ago and she removed the request.
Ji ho received inspiration from Seung Ryong when she froze in front of a school recital when she was a kid; suffering from stage fright, and stage fright again struck her at a European concert a decade later. Ji-ho left the stress of her European recitals and returns home for support from her father, and it seems also, the love and support that Seung Ryong had given her in her early days of her playing piano. Ji-ho had forgotten that he wasn't always 'special' before the home accident, and re-establishes her friendship with him after her aunt reminds her of how he became the way he was.
Unfortunately, Seung Ryong's best friend, Sang Su (spelled Sang-Soo on the Eng sub movie, actor Park Hee Soon) ] runs a low-cost 'booze and women' establishment in the vicinity, where women are forced to "work" to pay off debts to a mob boss. Sang Su/Sang Soo was actually the young kid who caused the fire that Seung Ryong was accused of in school! They were best friends however after Sang Soo finished school.
A girl that Sang Su likes is working there by the name of Hee Yeong (Park Gri Na). Hee Yeong is tired of working at this 'job' and threatens to quit, only to be told that the boss has photos of her! After a beating of the boss by Sang Su, the boss sends goons to teach him a lesson; and as Hee Yeong comes back to warn him to leave Sang Su alone, he tells his goons to "follow her" and she would lead them to Sang Su. Unfortunately he also tells them that they will know Sang Su by the 'bandages on his hands'...
Unfortunately, Seung Ryong has fallen asleep in his business waiting for his little sister to come by his shop after school a day earlier; she had taken another route home and he falls asleep at his griddle and drops his hand on the hot griddle accidentally, burning it enough for the hand to have to be bandaged (by Ji ho). The next day, with his hand bandaged, Hee Yeong stops to talk to Seung Ryong before going to find Sang Su, not knowing the boss's goons are following her, and looking for a man with his hand bandaged.
Earlier that very day, Ji In/Jee-in is taken to the hospital by Seung Ryong, after the kids are talking at his toast booth and casually remark that his sister was bent over in pain at school that morning; he runs to the school and carries her to the hospital. He tells a teacher trying to stop him that he is her older brother, in a way that showed his inability to communicate effectively.
Running without thinking about anything but getting his little sister to the doctor, he loses the pair of new shoes that Ji ho had just purchased for him; Ji ho waits in the visitor's lobby with him, letting him lay his head on her shoulder and sleep.
In the hospital, Ji In/Jee-in's doctor (and Ji ho's father) tells Ji in that she should be proud of her big brother and that all the money he makes from his toasted egg sandwiches goes to pay her bills and keep the utilities up; he points out that her big brother has NOTHING of his own except one pair of clothes. The doctor is a regular at Seung Ryong toasted egg sandwich booth, supporting him since he knows where Seung Ryong's heart is, a 'special' man with a 6-year-old brain who doesn't want or need handouts.
Ji ho buys Seung Ryong a new pair of shoes, warning him not to lose this new pair (again). As always, Seung Ryong smiles on receiving them.
Going home after the fateful meeting with Hee Yeong, Seung Ryong gathers things from his and his little sister's house which he thinks she will need in the hospital; on the way to the hospital the goons, thinking he is Sang Su/Sang Soo, beat him to within inches of his life. He barely makes it in front of Ji ho's family residence before collapsing.
Earlier he had asked Ji Ho to play her piano for the stars to appear; to show themselves while his little sister was being operated on.. When people die like his father and mother, Seung Ryong was told, they become stars! He doesn't understand that the stars are always there, but were being hidden by clouds that evening!
With Seung Ryong's insistence, Ji ho finally finds the nerve to play again, and as Ji ho begins playing again after a long hiatus, Seung Ryong is shown bleeding to death in front of her house, listening to her play and looking at a photo of his parents and his little sister in his hands, and trying to recover the shoe he just lost a few feet behind him, the last pair that Ji ho had just bought him!
The music was basic but very supportive to the plot when used; the cinematography, the locations, the ambiance, everything seemed perfect in this movie! All...except the ending, that is!
The main cast seemed interested in each other but as I said before, it was so hard watching the main male lead in his portrayal of a 'special needs' person here. Ha Ji Won had taken piano lessons as a child, and another professional actor/piano player brushed her up for the scenes where she needed to look like a professional pianist; her treatment of Tae Hyun's character grew throughout the movie as well: she played her part here well as in the other movies I had seen her in after this one: Ditto (2000), Sex is Zero ( 2002), 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004), Sex Is Zero 2 (2007), His Last Present (2008), and Sector 7 (2011).
She, JI-ho, recovered her ability to play in front of crowds and she is seen in the last scene after a magnificent piano performance with a symphony in what I believe was Europe, recovering from her stage fright, and I believe remembering
Seung Ryong afterward in the process!
The support cast played their roles magnificently, supporting the main characters and the main plot.
However, in my opinion, Park Ha Sun as Ji In/Jee in stole the entire movie in her last scenes!
After the doctor told her how her older brother took care of her, she treated him nicer when he came back to visit her again, not realizing that this would be her one and only chance to make up for years of treating him poorly!
After her big brother's wrongful death, Ji in reads all the notes that their mother had made to tell Seung Ryong how to take care of her, his little sister, because 'he' is all that she (his/her mother) had to offer her daughter: make her food every day for breakfast; don't wake her up, don't bother her though; etc.
However, the scene that stole the movie from Ha Ji Won was her trip to the Recorder of Deaths office; I am not going to tell you about it, but I would have moved her last scene to after Ha Ji Won's last scene myself.
After seeing it, let me know what you think!
This is a two boxes of Kleenex movie...
If you are in the doghouse with your girlfriend/wife, watch this movie with her and she will forgive you for whatever you did to make her mad at you to begin with!
RE-WATCH VALUE: Definitely!
Cha Tae Hyun movies I have seen already are My Sassy Girl (2001), Lover's Concerto (2002), Windstruck (2004), Sad Movie (2005), and My New Sassy Girl (2016).
Was this review helpful to you?
A surprisingly warm story about love and family
First, the cinematography is precious. The color scheme used in this movie is really pleasing to the idea and it makes you feel quite warm. At first, I was afraid to watch this movie because I didn't really understand what it was supposed to be about, bear with me, I am very slow when reading premises. It tells the story of a guy who is dealing with his ex-lover's wife and son. The wife is struggling because she doesn't want her husband's lover to end up with the insurance money and the her son is kinda of sticking like gum to this guy. Anyways, the story flashes back and forth between the present and the relationship both men had together. I think this movie will make you cry and at the same time make you feel all giddy inside.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I guess it's a fine remake
Since I was on a roll and found out that Blind had a remake (actually there were two more but I haven't watched the Chinese or the Hindi one), I thought that I might as well watch this remake as well. Since I'm no stranger to seeing remake of Korean movies or dramas into Japanese (and vice versa) I do get curious as to how the remake would turn out. Especially as Japanese remakes do try to give their own spin to the shows they were based on. But since I've already seen the original, it's unavoidable that there will be some comparison to the original.Like the original movie, Blind Witness also deals with a serial kidnapper who killed unsuspecting women and crossed paths with a blind woman and a young boy who ended up witnessing his deeds. Safe to say on that level, the original and remake share a common trait. But aside from that, this movie was as different to the original as it was similar.
For starters, this remake showed us a bit more of Natsume's former life as she undergoes several trainings as an officer. Unlike Soo-ah who we're already introduced as a police officer in-training, we barely get to see what she's like before aside from a childhood memory and a past recording of her university admission with her family. In contrast, the remake didn't really show much about Daiki before he died aside from Natsume dragging him home from an outing with his friends and the sequence leading up to the accident. The relation between the two were also different. While Soo-ah and Donghyun weren't actual siblings, Natsume and Daiki were. The same can be said for their mother. The accidents that killed the younger brother was also different. The accident in the original was much more traumatic and tragic to Soo-ah but in this remake the accident played out to be much more simplified. In both cases, Soo-ah and Natsume blamed themselves for their brother's death though Soo-ah was expelled from university while Natsume quit.
The circumstances in which the witnesses cross paths with the killer were also different. Unlike Soo-ah, Natsume wasn't targeted by the killer; and instead of a hit-and-run case, the victim was already being kidnapped in the car as Haruma ended up being the one who was almost hit by a car. While in the original the police had reacted much quicker after finding out that a missing case coincide with a statement given by Soo-ah, in this remake, the realisation that this is a criminal case happened much more slower due to the different setting in which the missing cases were unknown to the public. Social media also was much more prominent in this remake as the original dealt with a much more conventional method of gathering information as well as conventional media reporting. Unlike the original, Natsume and Haruma did a lot more investigation by themselves instead of aiding/leaving it to the police. And the biggest difference of all would be the kidnapper himself. While the general MO of the killer still remained the same, the identity of the killer was different. The murders were different as well: in the original it was a typical serial kidnapping and murder while in this remake, the murders were actually a copycat murder from another closed case involving kidnapping and ritualistic murders.
Nevertheless, there was still some elements and plot devices that remained the same. Although the order of events and outcomes were written differently, there were still some familiar scenes. Mainly the killer's attempt to kill the secondary witness, the confrontation between the killer and the first investigator, the chase at the subway station and the final confrontations between the killers and the two witnesses.
Regardless, this remake had its own charm too. Though if you have seen the original movie, this remake may feel a bit underwhelming for you. In any case, it's been a long while since I saw any of Mahhi's recent acting works since his Gaim days. so it's a pleasure to see him in this movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This movie was amazing! Having watched Midnight, I had more interest in looking for other stories that feature a similar scenario. And lo... this movie came to my attention. And considering the movie also feature Seungho as one of the leads as well as this movie turned out to be Bogum's debut work... well I have to say that my interest was captured.I have to say that this was the first time I'm seeing Kim Haneul in a crime thriller and I'm really loving it. She really did a great job portraying a blind person who used to be a police cadet. I have to say the same regarding Seungho. While I think I recall somewhere about him feeling that his earlier acting works weren't that much good, I'd like to say that I disagree. I like his character here as Giseob. And I also like the dynamics between Kim Haneul and Seungho as two unlikely witness to a crime in progress who later grew closer in a sibling-like relationship.
There are quite a few things that I really liked about this movie. First thing though, was the fact that Soo-ah had not given up in readmitting herself to police university after being expelled for breaking rules and using handcuffs on her brother (which leads to his death). I like the fact that the people around her (like her head mother, Detective Jo and later even Giseob) were also supportive of her, believing that her disability was not a weakness and that it was those words of encouragement that kept her back on her feet when she almost lost belief in herself. I like how the suspense element and conflict were written in a very realistic and believable way.
The mystery and suspense was quite thrilling as our witnesses and attending police officer join together to identify the serial killer. Any fans of psychological thriller would be able to enjoy this movie. And this movie, like Midnight, also gave us a glimpse of how people with disabilities live their life and deal with the challenges that arise from it. Aside from the crime thriller element, the writing on the characters were done well and allows you to relate with their life stories and plight.
Was this review helpful to you?




