Genome Hazard (2014)

A co-production between Japan and Korea is already big in itself. We don’t see that every day now, do we? Being a mystery thriller is an extravagant bonus.

Depending on the angle you judge it from, Genome Hazard can be considered as a very engaging thriller. At the matter of fact, the picture was divided into several genres. I wouldn’t say they were in complete harmony but some of them worked out in a good manner. The mystery/thriller part was pretty well-executed; the build-up of suspenseful events was definitely able to trigger the audience‘s attention. At some point, you’d find yourself relating to the main character and trying to solve the puzzling equation by his side: a normal man with a double identity and an apparent amnesia, or is it? It’s a complete relief that the screenwriting didn’t try any mischievous attempts to out shadow its viewers.

The other part is Science fiction, I completely respect the idea of turning this into some type of a medical thriller with all of those virus/pharmaceutical schemes but I am sure that the screenwriter (or more like the original novel perhaps) didn’t know how to handle the part overall. Somehow, it felt a bit sarcastic towards science even in a discreet way. This opinion is not based on the fact that I am a scientist myself – although it did trigger me a little. I believe the outcome they resulted from that long science fiction battle was absolutely disappointing. I mean if you were going to go all out and crazy about a scientific fact then you should’ve proved that the trip was worth it. The scientific part obviously failed at portraying a deep meaningful issue.

Genome Hazard had attempts of building romance as well but I don’t think it was successful at that part either. There were too many love interests but none of them came out convincing. Well, it’s unavoidable because when you’re making a film that’s packed with different themes, it comes natural to fail some genres for the favour of others. The thriller/mystery part outclassed Sci-Fi and Romance by miles.

Nishijima Hidetoshi was the absolute star of the picture. That actor’s theatrical acting style and gaze always had me at the edge of my seat; he will always make his character so charismatic and attention-grabbing. His role in this film proved me how much I love to see him on screen. By his side was the Korean actress Kim Hyo Jin; this was the first time meeting her and I would say it was a pleasant introduction. The girl has some cool talent in her; I deeply respect her dedication to learn Japanese solely for this role. The rest of the cast were also fitting; Maki Yoko and Ibu Masato are few to mention.
This film’s directing was so fine. I am not so familiar with Kim Sung Soo but his editing style and camera angles were pretty well-handled. The cinematography was also good and rather catching. I don’t have a clear memory about the musical note though, I think it wasn’t so different from what normal thrillers use as their soundtracks.

Watch if:
-You like thrillers, Japanese or Korean style.
-You like intriguing mysteries.

Do not watch if:
-You don’t appreciate thrillers.
-You’re looking for a strong deep Sci-Fi.

Genome Hazard is a very captivating thriller at first sight but it’s true that it fails at building a coherent storytelling. It’s not perfect by any mean but it’s unquestionably entertaining and engaging in its own way.

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If you love both Japan and South Korea, this is your movie! What a delightful collaboration. We have suspenseful thriller between that develops entirely through the movie. If you are looking for the translation in English, you can watch in its entirety on Drama Fever. You do need to sit down and watch it without any distractions, as it can be hard to follow for some viewers. However, when the story comes to complete fruition, 00:00:00:00, you will gain complete appreciation.

Music gets a 5 only because well, there isnt really an OST. Its just instrumental, albeit wonderful instrumental.

This all around gets 9.5 for me. It is an amazing movie that I suggest everyone check out!

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The plot summary on the website that I watched it on was incredibly vague which made me a bit hesitant to watch the movie. However I don't regret giving it a chance, not at all. It doesn't beat around the bush and waste time with backstory buildup but is packed with a punch right from the start. Intrigue. Mystery. Suspense. All in the first fifteen minutes.The details are filed in as the film progresses in a believable and intriguing fashion. The plot-lines were cohesive, well thought out and the scenes were well shot. I hadn't seen Nishijima Hidetoshi in anything before but I can honestly say that I look forward to his next film. I was moved by his acting in a way that I hadn't expected to be. Great work. Very touching. His character was so convincing that I honestly hurt for him. The female lead was level headed and enjoyable to watch. She was beautiful, calm yet realistic. The previous user said that it seemed that they tried to pursue some sort of love-line and failed but I have to say that I disagree. Instead I would describe it more as a tragedy for all the parties involved. It can't be compared to the typical forced love-lines thrown in the usual action/thrillers just for the sake of it. For me, it fit quite well. If I went into any more detail I would spoil it for you so I'll just leave it like this: I would recommend this movie. Definitely. From the action, casting choices and the way they balanced the whole Japanese/Korean concept, everything was great. Just watch it. You wouldn't regret it.

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Suspenso, ciencia y química para descubrir la verdad

Una de las cosas más interesantes de esta película es que la producción fue una colaboración entre Japón y Korea, por lo tanto tenemos escenas tanto en Tokyo como en Seoul, y también escuchamos bastante uso de Koreano a pesar de que la mayor parte de la historia ocurre en Japón. Esta es una película de suspenso, sumamente emocionante, con muchas escenas de acción y persecución, todo con mucha adrenalina. La historia trata temas sobre química, pérdida de memoria, Alzheimer, ciencia, amor y amistad, y está muy bien desarrollada, todos los eventos ocurren en un periodo de 5 días96 horas apróximadamente y la película nos muestra un temporizador con la cantidad de horas que faltan para que se agoté el tiempo; este elemento me pareció muy innovador, ya que agrega una incertidumbre y curiosidad sobre qué es lo que va a ocurrir al terminar de este tiempo? La forma en que se van desarrollando los hechos, hace que uno vaya descubriendo junto con el protagonista, la verdad sobre su identidad; es altamente probable que a la mitad de la película, ya tengamos como 5 teorías diferentes de lo que puede estar ocurriendo, y como me pasó a mí, ninguna de mis teorías fue acertada!

La actuación estuvo a la altura, Nishijima Hidetoshi nunca decepciona con este tipo de personajes que involucra escenas de acción y peleas, en esta película en particular me gustó ver como su personaje perdía la paciencia y mostraba fuertes emociones, a diferencia de otros personajes que ha hecho en otras series y películas donde usualmente es más frío, aquí fue todo lo contrario, un hombre que no duda en mostrar su frustración a flor de piel, esto me encantó y demuestra su destreza como actor. Usualmente no veo series ni películas Koreanas, así que la actriz Koreana Kim Hyo Jin era totalmente nueva para mí, sin embargo me gustó mucho su papel, su personaje fue muy interesante, y fue una pieza clave para resolver toda la situación; cuando empezaba a hablar en Koreano de repente era bastante exótico para alguien como yo que no está acostumbrada a escuchar este idioma. Una de las razones por las que vi la película fue por Maki Yoko, sin embargo desafortunadamente no tiene un rol tan extenso, pero el poco tiempo que salió, se hizo notar como siempre, con su fuerte presencia. Los demás actores, todos muy buenos.

La película utiliza música bastante apropiada para las escenas de acción, sin embargo no tenía un tema principal.

En resumen, esta es una película que podría ver de nuevo ya que es muy entretenida, llena de acción en donde todo fluye muy rápido, aunque al ya saber la verdad de los hechos, quizás no es tan interesante verla de nuevo, pero definitivamente acompañaría a otras personas a verla para comentar.

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