Wonderland (2024)

why do people hate this?

i waited so long to watch this movie and when it was finally available for me i saw that people rated it rather poorly...
i personally thought it was a very interesting movie with a really cool concept that explores something serious and interesting. i also think the actors did a great job, all of them, however i must admit that the storyline was a bit questionable at times and there were definitely some plot holes. i don't think like i fully understood some parts like bai li's husband and i can't tell if it is because they didn't explain it or because i just didn't get it. i would rewatch because it was the perfect amount of tragedy in a movie with a happy ending. the most important part for me was that the movie's idea was really beautiful and provoked me to think about what the future holds in terms of AI and the concept of death. it had its flaws but it was by no means a bad movie.

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Disappointment

Just spent 1 hour and 55 minutes to watch Wonderland and received a disappointment😥
The story of the film is about people reuniting with their lost relatives through Wonderland - a video calling service that uses AI technology to revive the deceased.
Listening to the content and cast, I thought the movie would be quite worth watching, but in reality, nearly 2 hours of watching the movie was boring and drifted out of my mind, not retaining anything.
The film's ideas about AI and humans are very close, which is also a topic of interest today, but the film's flow and plot development are slow and predictable.
The movie has 5 main characters, each with their own story and their story lines are not connected or intertwined, leading to emotional disconnection when watching the movie and making it difficult to immerse yourself in the story.
Another bad point is that the film's message is not conveyed clearly.
Summary: Disappointing.

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Interesting plot but the overall impact falls short

This is one of the rare shows I occasionally watch impulsively after seeing a short-form video highlighting Suzy and Park BoGum's story. At first, I actually thought it was a series and thought that the main story was about Suzy and BoGum but as it turns out, their story is just one of the mini-stories within the bigger picture of the movie.

Personally, I think the premise is really interesting and I do love sci-fi. I've watched a couple of K-movies that made me change my mind positively towards their films (like Space Sweeper, etc.), but this one falls short for me. The plot seems to be underdeveloped. I didn't feel as immersed as usual because I think the key with the sci-fi genre is the storytelling that makes you believe it can be a reality -- in the not-so-far future or even if it can't be, it's at least emotionally relatable. I feel like I needed a lot more context to feel the characters fully.

It was kind of disappointing specially seeing some star-studded Halyu star faces. I felt like their potential was not maximized more than how we usually see them on other shows. Still I feel like it's a decent watch. The CGI is definitely high quality -- not the best but better than most.

This still could be a good weekend watch. Might be something you would enjoy. Personally, after watching a lot of shows, I felt like being a critic that minor details feels off for me.

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Weak

The entire concept of the film confuses me and I have to wonder what was the point of each of these stories. I don’t understand why people’s whose subconscious was uploaded can’t be aware they are death or in a coma. It seems like the people that invented the Wonderland system is setting it up to fail.

Despite its star studded and incredibly talented cast, this film is flawed on its storytelling. They could have done something interesting with the concept it is based on, and about human nature, love, grief and how to move forward. Instead there’s a lot of unjointed nothing.

Overall the film is well produced. It’s not a bad or good film, it’s okay.

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Time restriction playing dirty

The concept is great for this movie, plus the excellent artists in it could have made this an interesting watch but I think with this kind of concept, it should have been a mini series to be able to tell the story clearly. It started right in the core and went on halfway without me understanding how the system works for these family. Then there is a character that until the end, I wasn't sure who he was until after reading some articles online about this movie. Even then, am still not sure because it didn't make sense to me still. (talking about the guy appearing beside Bai Li supposedly her dead husband but how come during the emergency computer problem, woosik and that girl called out to him for help?) Maybe someone can enlighten me.
I plan to watch again hoping I will catch parts I missed that might explain this movie better.

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A movie with wasted potential for an important topic AI

I was looking forward to the movie because of the actors/actresses and the plot, but I was very disappointed. The plot and the subject of artificial intelligence have a potential that is not reflected in the film (they should have made a series of at least 12 episodes)..Artificial intelligence is neither fantasy nor science fiction, it is the current and future reality of the world (personally I am afraid of artificial intelligence and not because I not technologically but from the dangers inherent in it if it reaches destructive governmental and private entities).
The plot was very confusing at first. (Less in the second part, but the film still suffers from many plot flaws) such as a lack of understanding of processes, which also resulted in the waste of talented actors who barely had screen time..

As for the soundtrack...the truth is I don't even remember maybe because my mind was busy analyzing the confused plot

*** And just for general knowledge, the actress Tang Wei (Chinese) is married to Kim Tae Yong who is the screenwriter and producer of the film

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what and why?

1. what happened in the past credits roll scene? like, i didn't understand why hyeonsoo (wooshik) and his mother were laughing at the end.

2. couldn't understand how the wonderland program worked. the dead people's mind were there in their AI versions or weren't?

3. couldn't even understand if or how the characters had feelings for the AI versions of their beloved ones. we can clearly see that they hug up the phone calls without saying goodbye or anything, showing that they don't really care cause the AI people aren't real at the end of the day. so why they signed up for the wonderland program anyway?

4. why taejoon (bogum) was totally different when he woke up? why jeongin (suzy) ran to taejoo only when he was far away? why taejoo was mad or confused (didn't get how he felt) when jeongin showed his AI version?

5. why sung joon (gongyoo) had romantic feelings for bai li (tang wei) if she was dead?

6. if sung joon could enter in bai li's program, why they didn't bring her child to see her? and as they had the possibility to enter in the AI world, why this wasn't the main program instead of the phone calls one?

7. when haeri (yumi) canceled jingu's (jungsang) program cause apparently his grandmother was dead, why she told him instead of just stopping the program? and she was being serious or just wanted an excuse to end his program cause he was bad towards his grandma?
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besides all my doubts, i didn't felt any compassion for the characters as they weren't well developed.

i just rated 5.5 because the cast was full of amazing actors and they did awesome. it's a pity that the screenwriter didn't gave them a good story and development.

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Felt like a second chance

It has been a few days since I watched Wonderland, and I can’t help but write a review. Hopefully, this will help me process my feelings about it. I don’t have any strong negative emotions toward it, but there’s something unresolved about it that leaves you feeling like you're in a daze. I often find myself reflecting on the different storylines.

I wasn’t expecting to watch this movie, but the preview featuring Suzy and Bo Gum was so captivating that I had to give it a try.
The movie starts by giving us a glimpse into the lives of several characters: a mother following her dreams but is willing to do anything for her daughter, a couple in a long-distance relationship, and two program creators, one of whom seems to have feelings for the other. We eventually learn that some of these characters are only able to communicate through a phone. It is later explained that, for this to be possible, the individual is either in a coma or has passed away, leading to the conclusion that the person they communicate with on the phone is generated by AI.

I initially watched the film because of Bo Gum, but I stayed for Bai Li’s story. Reflecting on it, the film feels like a second chance at life for those who have lost loved ones. Everyone grieves differently, and for some, Wonderland offers comfort.

However, some viewers may find the lack of backstory frustrating. If you prefer clear explanations, this might not be the movie for you. Personally, I didn’t mind this aspect, as I filled in the gaps with my own theories based on the scenes shown. For example, I believe Hae Ri’s parents have passed away, and she was likely an early user of the system, as suggested by a comment from Hyeon Su.

One aspect I really appreciated was the portrayal of Bai Li’s mother’s grieving process. Despite knowing the full truth, her struggle felt real. Bai Li's character felt so genuine that she even caused a glitch in the system, which added an emotional layer to the story. I think Wonderland would have worked well as a miniseries—there's so much more that could have been explored, though I am still happy with the movie.

The only downside for me was the aftermath of Suzy and Bo Gum’s storyline after he wakes up. I struggled to understand Suzy’s character and what she was trying to portray. Her acting felt disconnected, and it left me confused about her emotions. For this reason, I’m knocking off a few stars from my rating.

I’d recommend Wonderland if you’re looking for something new and are interested in AI. As I mentioned earlier, it reminds me of the idea of giving life a second chance. For those who are alive, we keep the memories of our loved ones alive by thinking about them and wondering what they would be doing. For some, Wonderland might offer that kind of comfort. In this world, individuals are living their dreams and are in a happier place. We all have our own stories, and sometimes, through loss, we learn to rely on others. We come to appreciate the small things our loved ones do for us or even the things they might hide from us.

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Great acting working in a really short movie.

It's good, I really enjoyed it and I cried like a baby bc of Tang Wei's arc. Meanwhile, it lacks time to construct each storyline they showed to us through the movie.
What exactly happened with the woman who created it and her parents? What did Gong Yoo mean to Tang Wei in the movie? What happened with Suzy's and Bogum's arc? Did they start to work out their problems? It left us hanging onto something we won't know and it's kinda frustrating. I don't really care about the sci-fi aspects, yeah it's very fantasious, but like nothing serious, it's still a very touching movie.

And what really happened with the guy and his grandma like???? I get it, she died, but how did the system turned out to be that person when it, at least, should have a personality base? It's confusing.

I really liked the movie, but I wish they worked better with a longer time, it would be better to show about all the storylines they introduced.

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A beautiful concept

Wonderland,I found the concept intriguing, but the execution left much to be desired. The film would have benefitted from more backstory on the main characters. For instance, with Jung In, it was hard to empathize with her when Tae Ju wakes up and acts differently because we have no context for what he was like before. It felt like we skipped the entire first half of the story and jumped straight into the second. Additionally, the film hinted at Tae Ju being insane and potentially dangerous, but it never clarified who started the fire, leaving important plot points unexplained. Overall, the movie had potential, but it needed more development and clarity to fully engage the audience.

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