Regatul: Ashin din Nord (2021)

Thrilling: Beginning to End

I am someone who finished the 2 seasons of Kingdom very recently just to watch this sidequel in real time and I must say that I am so very impressed. I know all of us expected an entire season out of this but they had anyways said from the beginning that it will be just a special episode and I think it's because they had to delay for a 3rd season due to covid so to compensate the audience they came up with this. But who knows whether it was the case or they had planned it from the very beginning.

Anyways Let me review.
STORY & PLOT:
So, as it was clear that the episode will be of 1.5 hours, I expected lots of contents but it wasn't the case. However, I am okay with it since it's just a sidequel showing the backstory of the major storyline that we have witnessed in the season 1 & 2. And as the name indicates, this side story is all about "Ashin", the female character we had seen at the very end of the season 2 holding a sword. It starts with the young Ashin who lives with his family in a border village of refugees. His father is loyal to Joseon and works as an undercover spy for Joseon (Won't tell further details because it's just an episode). The story advances with how her father, family and the entire village is betrayed; Ashin approaching the wrong side to avenge the betrayal; realizing the truth years later and deciding to destroy everything with her own accord and power.

I feel it's more like a prequel which to some extent also clarifies how it all started in season 1. Just as a group of audience had suspected and made theories, the reason the plauge's starting has been made clear. And in the season 3 the main story will be combined with this back story of Ashin as we have already seen her in the ending of season 2.

CAST & CHARACTERS:
Well, there are only a few major characters from the major Kingdom story in this drama along with Ashin, which is played by our yeppo noona, Jun Ji Hyun. Let me tell you that, Ashin's character in this special episode is almost mute. She doesn't have much dialogue but as always, Jun Ji Hyun has proved her acting skills with her performance which is dope.

Other than her, the center of attention in this drama is Park Byung Eun who has played the role of Min Chi Rok, the righteous inspector general in the previous seasons. However in this season he's in a different position of an Army General fighting at the borders and was in somewhat negative character. 2 other prominent figures in this are Koo Kyo Hwan and Kim Roe Ha. All of them did a good job at their respective roles assigned.

DIRECTION & EDITING:
Kingdom has had us thrilled since the first season even though the seasons had only 6 episodes and less than 1 hour duration each. The kind of sound editing always had my heart beating fast and they never compromised with cinematography, which is very enthralling, we must admit. The direction and screenwriting by Kim Sung Hoon pdnim and Kim Eun Hee jakkanim is totally a top notch.

CONCLUSION:
There is not much to say about this sidequel tbh since it's only 1.5hours otherwise one would end up spoiling. Also, less scope of reviewing because it's just an insight or pov of a main story that everyone gonna watch just to fill in the gaps. Anyways, this is a thrilling watch and I definitely loved it. As someone who don't believe in ghosts what scares me are gore, zombie, mutant and monster apocalypse.

Overally, Kingdom just like it's previous has a n adept writing, stupendous screenplay direction and, amazing acting, fabulous performance and catchy editing which cab attract a lots of audience.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SEASON 3 AND EAGERLY WAITING FOR IT.

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True North

For fans of the critically-acclaimed Kingdom series, this is a much-awaited production that has been a long time coming. Officially designated as a Special Episode and “Sidequel”, Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a feature length film that serves as the prequel to and the basis of the upcoming season 3 (as I understand it at the time of writing). For viewers who are interested in watching the entire series and have not seen the preceding seasons, I would advise starting off with those before embarking on this one. Both seasons 1 and 2 released only 12 episodes between them so it won’t take too long for viewers to get up to speed with the complete sequence of events.

The production team remains the same, with Baeksang-winning screenwriter Kim Eun Hee as the creator and showrunner, as well as the art direction and special effects crew. The only notable change from season 2 is that Kim Seong Hun, who helmed the first season, replaces Park In Je in the director’s seat. The franchise is developed by AStory while the production and distribution rights are retained by Netflix. Unlike the first 2 seasons which were filmed on location in Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang Provinces, principal photography this time took place solely in Jeju Island.

In addition to the gorgeous panoramic vistas of the new filming locale, the overall tone is somewhat darker and more chilling, in comparison with the earlier seasons. Nonetheless we do get the exact high standards in production values and overall quality of the cinematography, set designs and, of course, the special effects encompassing the visuals and the zombie makeup, which is particularly praiseworthy. The action choreography and the stunts involving said zombies and humans alike deserve as much acknowledgment. The original score is composed primarily of dramatic orchestral music while the ominous BGM is generously applied throughout to great effect as well.

In case anyone’s forgotten, here’s a quick refresher. During the ending scene in the final episode of season 2, our protagonists Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji Hoon) and Seo Bi (Bae Doona) find themselves in a creepy, dilapidated and seemingly deserted village in the northern borders while investigating the origins of the saengsacho, the source of the scourge that plagues their kingdom. Cue the dramatic entrance of a new character right before the end credits begin rolling - the mysterious female figure in a dingy room filled with chained up and boxed up creatures, presumably zombies. Who is she? Is she a villain who created or started the outbreak? Why is she smiling? Well, now we finally get the answers to all our questions and more.

She’s none other than the titular Ashin of the North and this special episode chronicles her origin story. From her humble beginnings, the calamitous circumstances that ensued thus setting off an irreversible motion of fate-altering events that kicked off in the North before eventually engulfing the whole peninsula of the Joseon Kingdom. Epic, cataclysmic, action-packed, thrilling, evocative, and incredibly brilliant. Kim Eun Hee has done it again and expanded on the original concept within the space of 90 minutes to set up a new direction for season 3. You’d expect nothing less anyway from the screenwriter who brought us Signal.

The main cast this time around is headlined by the wonderfully experienced and award-winning Jun Ji Hyun as the eponymous character. With a screenplay that is fully devoted to her character, she carries this show with consummate ease as she projects an aura of darkness and conviction alongside her dynamic range to breathe life into the mysterious Ashin. During a recent interview with Kim Eun Hee, she stated that the role of Ashin was written specifically with Jun Ji Hyun in mind, because of how impressive she had been in the films The Thieves and The Berlin File, incidentally both of which I had watched some time back. Although she is most well known for the dramas The Legend of the Blue Sea and My Love from the Star which established her reputation as a romcom specialist, JJH is extremely versatile and adaptable to diversely multifaceted roles than people give her credit for.

In any case, I thought she utterly nailed her portrayal here that enabled viewers to be engaged in the story and invested in her character’s journey of evolution. Acting chops aside, her action sequences are quite realistically executed as well. She appears very fit and certainly looks the part of a fearsome bow-wielding warrior. I think she has lost even more weight as can be seen in her recent photo calls promoting this show. Meanwhile the talented and prolific child actress Kim Shi Ah portrays the young Ashin while Park Byung Eun returns as Min Chi Rok of the Royal Commandery.

No amount of words will do justice to the spectacle that is Kingdom: Ashin of the North, because seeing is absolutely believing and there is much to be observed in this production indeed. The only downside for me was that it was too short - I wanted...no, needed more! 16 months was definitely worth the wait, especially now that we know for a fact there’s more to look forward to in the horizon. I only hope the wait won’t be as long.

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A Good Side-Story…

We’ve all been there . The show or production which won our hearts, ignites intensified hope over news of a sequel or spin-off in the making, hype is sparked online and by word of mouth and then when we act will then receive the actual final product, it is often with mixed-results.

‘ Ashin: Kingdom Of The North’ could’ve easily gone in either of these directions. An official spin-off by original director Kim Sung Hoon and screenwriter Kim Eun Hee of the hit zombie period-series ‘ Kingdom’, ‘ Ashin: Kingdom Of The North’ had a lot of excitement and worry by watchers around the delivered result of a whole production focusing on a side character only shown briefly at the end of the second season.

As a character, the special is quick to cut short to the chase about her past without feeling disregarded or predominating screen time. The daughter of a secret spy who is devoted to Joseon in a border village, Ashin’s revenge becomes more prominent as the story plays out and takes her down many wrong paths. It was intriguing to see how the production could balance out between actually developing Ashin as more than a one-dimensional shell, by duelling this onscreen tale with the threat of the zombie outbreak beginning to take root. Yet viewers should not worry as the production balances out the two storylines as two sides of the same coin; different, yet helping to interchangeably motivate the events of one another as the production progresses.

As this was shown from Ashin’s view of the world at times, it was intriguing to wonder whether any original characters from ‘ Kingdom’ would pop up in the storyline. Sure enough, actor Park Byung Eun took a fairly central role again as Min Chi Rok, the heroic inspector general from the main storyline of ‘ Kingdom’. Intriguingly unlike in ‘ Kingdom’ and as prior events to the main storyline it was fairly astounding to see Chi Rok in a more antagonistic light. Whilst ‘ Ashin: Kingdom of North’ was merely the necessary foreground in order to establish the titular character properly before later seasons and there is still a lot of potential with understanding Chi Rok’s motives, it would have been equally interesting to invested a little bit of side time here within understanding Chi Rok’s shift from villainous to righteousness between the two storylines.

Of course any critique of this production would not be complete without mentioning the brilliance of Jun Ji Hyun as Ashin, as well of course younger actress Kim Shi Ah as Ashin’s younger-self. However , Ashin's character in this special episode doesn’t have a lot of dialogue opportunities. It is understandable this is meant to reflect Ashin’s sense of character, and Ji Hyun is really good with the source material ( even without as many speaking opportunities), but this is certainly a more critical point to note.

‘ Ashin; Kingdom Of The North’ was an outstanding move by the director and screenwriter to establish and bring to life Ashin as an individual in her own right, without straying away from the violent, historical or political undertones of past seasons. Although the storyline sometimes wobbled underneath the problem of with scenes over the long duration time, drawing away from the more thrilling adrenaline-infused rush of action shots, the screenwriter was by no means a mess. The special intensifies the warring troubles of political instability amongst the people, a spine-tingling soundtrack accompanied by beautiful cinematography, historically accurate onscreen costumes and dialogue that is further captivated by the brilliant performances of the main cast. A good watch.

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Thrilling, haunting and beautiful

Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a much worthy Special episode and Sidequel to the original Kingdom series, and is a must watch if you enjoyed the preceding series.

If you haven't yet watched the first two seasons of Kingdom I highly recommend you to do so before watching this one. The seasons only have six episodes each and are easily devoured in a day or two. Watching it will give you everything you need to enjoy this Special episode and its splendour to the fullest.

Compared to the original series this one feels even darker. Together with the beautiful cinematography and excellent storytelling the Kingdom universe truly comes alive in the most chilling way during these 90 minutes.

Jun Ji Hyun is perfect for the role as the mysterious Ashin. With a main character with very few lines she still manages to deliver Ashin to the viewers in such a convincing and raw way. Jun Ji Hyun's potrayal of her makes Ashin feel less of a character in a fictional world filled with horror and monsters, but more like a real person dealing with pain and betrayal in a world filled with darkness.

There is no doubt that Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a well-written high quality production that lives up to the anticipation.

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THEY DELIVERED !!!

First off, this is Jun Ji Hyun's comeback after 5 years and she did not disappoint. Her acting is so on point and she is so perfect for the role.

This spin off is somewhat disappointing for so many because it's only 92 minutes after a year of waiting. But don't be mistaken, this is worth the hype and wait. It has told how the plague really started.

I love how they took their time to tell her story. The pacing is great because it the story has escalated beautifully. You'll understand why Ashin did what she did. The production is top notch, you can't ask for more. Knowing that this will only be shown on our small screens but they did not disappoint.

This spin off is just worth its hype.

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Queen of Zombies

This is the first review I wrote, I hope it is useful.
....................................................................................................
A TRAGEDY

This Spin-off is so sad. SO SO SO SAD.
I cried so hard when she was standing alone in the stable after that soldier r*ped her.
Those generals use and abuse her and her trust all the time. If they actually protect ppl and done what they were supposed to do, things would never turn out like this.
They turned her into a crazy vengeful woman, Someone who can no longer even think logically. She lost all her feelings except one feeling, revenge. Revenge is the only thing that keeps her alive.
Basically they made her into a monster by betraying her like that.
Jun Ji Hyun acts SO GOOD. she doesn't need any dialogue, her eyes, expressions, body language,... show her feeling. MINDBLOWING.
10/10
Can't wait for S3.

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What was the point of this?

The point of this kinda special episode seemed to be fleshing out the character of newly introduced villain by the name of Ashin.
And it failed spectacularly at it.

Rather than giving her character depth, and making her into a multidimensional character, 90 minutes were wasted on just showing that she's cruel and insane and literally wants to destroy the world then kill herself.

But even that was done poorly.

If they took the "slow descent into insanity and despair" thing, and did it right, I could possibly like or even sympathize with Ashin even if I disagree with her endgame. But the movie failed to make me empathize or even care about her at all. Because instead of going the psychologically realistic route, the directors/writers/dunnowhoistoblame decided to go for cheap shock value instead.

Am I really supposed to believe that kid resurrected a whole village of dead people, including her family, then kept them chained as undead in a shack that no one found over all these years, while hunting, working, having sex, and otherwise living the life of huntress/spy in a castle-town as if nothing happened?
The entire twist of this movie seems to be "haha you thought she broke when she found her father but surprise she was always crazy". And somehow, with being crazy, came hypercompetency that allowed her to destroy not one, but two settlements without being stopped or interrupted by anyone. Because you know. Psychos are superhumans immune to stress or hardship, amirite?

No other character than her is relevant. The nameless commander seemed to have the most character depth or complexity in the movie, but it doesn't matter cause he was just an extra and will never appear again(for obvious reasons....).

What does it spell for kingdom season 3? Our heroes will have to face an utterly insane and one-dimensional villain who could have been so much more if the writers were more competent. I'd prefer even the bitch queen and her suicidal maids to that.

As for production values, they were quite good. The costumes, music, weapons, scenery etc. were good. The acting was good too(except for whoever played the young Ashin, her crying was bad). The CGI used for animals was pretty obvious tho, the animals in normal Kingdom looked more real, but here it seems even pigs were computer-generated.

That being said, tiger chase scene and Mongolian throat singing are few good things I'm gonna remember this movie for. Definitely won't rewatch it, there is no point. Just like there wasn't much point in producing this. The writers NEED to step up their game, I liked Kingdom and I hope they won't ruin it by writing such "villains" and "tragic stories" again.

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Hell is other people

First of all: If you're looking for a zombie movie, Ashin will disappoint you. It is the story of a woman and her solitary quest for vengeance in an unforgiving, cruel world - zombies do show up at some key points in the story but they don't even feature for most of the movie.

Once you accept that this isn't a movie about people in the zombie apocalypse, as you might expect from Kingdom, it is a very enjoyable dark tale about bigotry, selfishness, and the true evil being people.

The latter is my problem with the story, it is too dark and grim, with nearly everyone being some flavor of terrible and no hope, no goodness, only despair and every goodness being punished by the narrative. Ashin herself is the only character who feels truly three-dimensional, while everyone else only exists to drive home the message of the world of the living being a greater horror than the zombies.

I enjoyed it for the story of Ashin growing from a child into a lethal warrior and clever spy, all the while suffering greatly. She has quickly made it right to my list of favorites among the Kingdom characters. It is also very interesting to get more backstory on the plant and to get more on this bigger plot the ending of season 2 hints at. I didn't even miss the familiar characters, though I wish more characters besides Ashin would have stood out distinctively.

Aesthetically, I didn't miss the splendor that the royal plot lines of Kingdom provide, the grime and mud suited the atmosphere of the story well. But with this movie nearly completely set at night, a few scenes early on aside, I got very annoyed with the lighting. It's tiresome squinting at your screen trying to see something amidst all that darkness for most of a movie.

That aside, I love this movie and it was exactly what I would have wanted from this kind of backstory tale. Something which tells a new, unique story within the universe and exploring a new part of our heroes' world instead of retreading familiar ground. It also stands very well on its own.

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An utterly brilliant prequel that captures everything we love about Kingdom, while filling in the backstory in a powerful and original way.

Both Kim Shi-ah and Jun Ji-hyun put in mesmerising performances as Ashin, the Jurcheon child whose family is slaughtered in a border clash between their people across the river and Joseon where they have settled. A brutal, bleak and dark study of poverty and disenfranchisement, Ashin of the North continues Kingdom's study of those who fall between the cracks of a system that cares only about sustaining itself.

For those who want zombies, they may be somewhat surprised they only really turn up in the last third of the film. But like the best zombie stories, Kingdom has always known that it's not really about zombies at all. This is an origin story to the Ashin character introduced in the final episode of Kingdom season 2. And after watching this bleakly atmospheric film about the character's journey from sun-kissed childhood to stone-cold killer, I can't wait for season 3.

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Vengeful Arrows

Story start slow, but picked up eventually, movie settings is like the scene in heaven sword of mount summit where hellfire annihilated everyone in the village, some goods and some questions remain

now we know a deer started it all, LOL , the plant works differently with animals, acting was superb, bringing back some characters from season 1, good cameos,

Questions arises as the story unfolds
how they used the tribal leader, what happen to the general ?

Second movie that will continue the north story until the prince was born, then start the season 3 with a bang
good prequel to the kingdom universe.

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Brilliant origin spin off story

Kingdom Ashin Of North is a brilliant spin off of critically acclaimed Kingdom series which tells the story of Ashin and the origins of the undead.

The story was great along with the lead cast and overall production of this special episode. From the very beginning till the end, there was no boredom whatsoever. A story of survival, betrayal and revenge, Ashin Of North serves a great plot that will eventually tie up with Kingdom storyline. Jun Ji Hyun was brilliant as Ashin.

The 3rd season will probably the ultimate showdown of humans vs the undead and I am waiting eagerly for it

My Rating : 9/10

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