After this and You Are My Pet, I must say, Kim Ha-neul's sexy poster pose game is on point. Then later, someone will change the posters for absolutely no reason and this review will age like milk. Oh well. Anyway, that's an incredibly photogenic person right there.

>> "When exposed to room temperature, the vaccine turns into a mutative virus. Within 6 minutes, it will modify all living beings in the country and kill them."

Okay I have no idea who wrote that shit but I am VERY pleased at the mess it results into. Definitely my drift.

Except it’s not even that much of a mess, this movie’s actually pretty good and hella entertaining.

Well... for an action movie anyway.

But the action’s terrible.

So, it’s a good action movie with shitty action.

What?!
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Stunts - 72/100

Narrative - 69/100 | It’s South Korea’s Mr. And Ms. Smith. The plot, attention to clever details, and characters kinda make this work.

Fight Choreography - 47/100 | You can clearly see that the villain’s got some moves but they over-edited everything to death in this movie. Like I said, shitty action. But daring stunts, somewhat.

Enjoyment - 75/100 | Some parts of this movie are in “so bad it’s good” territory but the thing is, other parts are genuinely good. I’m a bit confused. I like how the main bad guy is a Russian woman who speaks Russian to South Koreans all the time and doesn’t give a damn that nearly nobody understands.

I should mention that this aligned pretty well with my (sometimes shitty) tastes. I just thought the sense-to-nonsense ratio in this film was quite on target (as if it was in any way measurable… ?)

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The Korean Superman Story

A super-powered handsome alien from another planet falls in love with a woman on Earth.

Hang on wait a minute, haven't I seen that kind of story before?

✔ Looks exactly like a young attractive human male, is actually from a far-away planet and is an immortal god
✔ Has superpowers like massively enhanced strength, reflexes, speed, senses, and resilience
✔ Tries to blend in with human society, mostly succeeds
✔ Falls for a human girl and wants to protect her

So I guess Korea finally made their Superman adaptation? But in the form of a kdrama! No wonder it was popular. Superman stories are always popular.

So yeah, this Korean Superman has a massive crush on Jun Ji-hyun (his Lois Lane, except she's insanely famous) for reasons he can't explain, the ONLY girl he's ever crushed on in his 400 years of existence on our planet.

Well, get in line brother!

It wins you over with a great and expressive performance by Jun Ji-hyun who essentially plays a much more famous version of her character in MY SASSY GIRL, which is always a delight. Since she was the most famous and highest-paid actress in Korea by the time this show came out, I guess she's basically playing herself? Method acting!

I can think of so many ways they could have slightly altered the script to fix most of the glaring issues (not making him an alien who speaks Korean as soon as he arrives on Earth would be one), but hey, to be fair, Superman doesn't make any lick of sense either and nobody seems to care.

It's a sweet story with lots of twists and turns about the lengths you're ready to go for love. The show starts off really strong with a killer first set of episodes, then meanders quite a bit before getting to the end, but it gets there. And also add a random psychopathic villain stealing the show every now and then. Male lead was kind of… too indecisive though. It became a bit annoying at some point. Even though it's kind of the point of his character, I thought he was mostly expressionless and lacked the charisma and magnetism of his co-lead.

Comfortably inserts itself in the My Sassy Girl Spiritual Sequels Universe (joining Windstruck).

It would seem Jun Ji-hyun can do no wrong.

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Now that's a proper revenge story.

Actual, visceral and nasty revenge that feels earned.

It's a slow burn at first, I must confess, but when the shit hits the fan… oh boy does it hit.

I really like the Korean show Kingdom and this is a great prequel. Of course do not watch this without having seen the first 2 seasons or you might be completely lost. Or ignore this and do so as it could be a fun little experiment? It kinda stands on its own but the shift near the middle part might prove to be quite the huge whiplash for viewers not familiar with the show.

Anyway, bold of Jun Ji-hyun to portray a role such as this.

Looking forward to seeing what happens next!

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Easily the most toxic relationship in all the kdrama I've watched.

Another one to add to the "pretty good early episodes but that's it" pile. Except this time, the 1st episode is actually hot garbage, then the next few episodes become surprisingly great once the script is flipped on its head, and after that, we're back to bad again.

Amazing to me how typical kdrama have had the same format of 16 episodes of 1 hour each for decades at this point…

And yet, most writers continuously can't manage to hit the 16 episodes count without adding pointless bloat. It's really not that complicated, just add side story elements that are relevant to the main narrative instead of boring slapstick that has nothing to do with it.

This one also has the additional problem of wanting to delay the main romance so much (because they hate each other) that eventually it becomes entirely impossible that they'd ever fall for each other. Their mutual dislike has been a central part of their character for too long, which is also an undesirable side effect of my point above on bloat. If they had properly mapped the story, this wouldn't have happened.

But it was doomed to fail anyway because they made the male lead way too toxic, like irreparably so. Somehow even worse than in Secret Garden and that's saying quite something.

It's a bit of a shame because the lead actors Kim Jae-wook and Krystal Jung were great, but their characters sucked. Unless your thing is emotionally and psychologically abusive men (I'm not judging)... don't watch this.

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Get yourself a man like Kaga. A true gentleman, on all fronts.

Switched is a member of the "Movies that undermine their own messaging by the end" group, except only as an honorary member, obviously, since it's a short TV series. Without delving into spoilers too much, the show makes a point of saying that looks don't matter, and yet completely disregards that beautiful messaging by the end. Just like 200 Pounds Beauty, and a few others.

It also doubles as a school bullying story.

The lead actress looks so much like the actress who plays Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill Volume 1 in some shots, it's actually uncanny. She is also terrific, and the range she displays in this show is a sight to see.

So yeah it's sadly just a fine body swap story but that's it. Only fine. For genre enthusiasts only.

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Essentially a long time loop mystery

The series starts in a really interesting way and it makes it very hard to predict what's going to happen next because of that. However, there are some weaker and slower episodes in the mix. The acting overall was really on point.

The girl is so level-headed, and just generally smart and astute, while the guy is somewhat annoying sometimes, especially when he goes all melodrama for no reason. Like, dude… shut up with that shit, it'll all just gonna reset anyway? None of what just happened matters! That's time loops for ya.

The last few episodes weren't up to par though, in my opinion. They were stretched out and really dragged.

It's still pretty neat, but for me it didn't deliver what the great beginning episodes promised. The romance was cute though.

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What I really appreciated was how any computer/technology use in this show was very accurate

The opening episode was so utterly amazing, so well shot, and where interesting storylines abounded. But then there was a lull where it wasn't going anywhere for a short while.

I'm glad I stuck with it though because it got a lot better after this short-lived lull.

It's kind of the way it goes with Kdrama in my experience; either they get you, or they don't, so it makes for a polarizing appreciation after-the-fact. Since they're generally all-in on the interpersonal parts and the character relationships, when you're not invested it suddenly starts to fall apart. Yet, when it does work, it's a unique watch experience that you can't really reproduce easily with other media from other countries, at least in my humble opinion. It's why I watch them (also makes for a nice change of pace from other genres).

So what about this? What I really appreciated was how any computer/technology use in this show was very accurate. Everything looks legit. I'm somewhat savvy with computers and it often drives me crazy how computers/hacking is portrayed in films and TV shows. It's always a farce just how ridiculous and not realistic it is, while here it's actually quite accurate. Maybe not as accurate as Mr. Robot, but real close. Real effort was put into portraying actual technology usage and the way it works, how developers actually work, like with Windows for instance, etc., so that was nice.

However, there is a huge problem with this show: It's got a bit of an acute case of capitalist propaganda (I say this only half-jokingly), and… they get bought out for $3 million. Sure they are sad because their dream has been taken from them, but at the same time… $3 million. You can do a lot with this. It's hard to relate to them when you know they just received a $3 million payout, even if it means they are separated. It opens up a lot of doors! So here we have a rather extreme example of a first world problem I would say.

Nonetheless, this drama has interesting story writing and character evolution that both manage to push its story forward in ways that are surprising and creative. Plus, the characters are a fun bunch to follow even though the whole thing is emotionally manipulative at times. Add to that a killer OST by Red Velvet (Future is stuck in my head).

Recommended!

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girl revenge

Way too generic. Girl's mom gets killed, then she wants revenge. It's a TV movie (split into 3 episodes) so it feels fairly cheap when watching, mostly because of the sound mixing.
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Stunts - 65/100 | Han Groo doesn't have what it takes to be an action star. She does try and she can take hits though, I'll give her that.

Narrative - 40/100 | Cheap writing will always remain cheap writing.

Fight Choreography - 66/100 | There was an attempt. Just about decent, if I'm being generous.

Enjoyment - 30/100 | C-tier knockoff drama of La Femme Nikita. Only for genre completionists.

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Ballerina is a perfectly adequate female-led South Korean actioner.

Korean revenge. Another one. I'm this close to making a list!
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Stunts - 79/100 | Some fine stunts in there, but the actual award here would go to the sound editing in this movie, which was really on-point.

Narrative - 71/100 | It's pointless to try and reinvent the wheel in the revenge genre. Martial arts movie lovers want their martial arts movies to end in a fight scene. Revenge movie lovers want their movies to be about revenge and to end in revenge. That's just how it is. In this one, we've got both, but the movie didn't excel at either.

Fight Choreography - 70/100 | The ending fight scene, although a bit brief, was delightfully chaotic. The rest was messy but still managed to be decent. This is an example of how you can still have good (but definitely not great) fight scenes even if they're over-edited. We can follow what's going on through the cuts.

Enjoyment - 70/100 | If my job as a Producer was to hire a director to make a Korean revenge story that's representative of the genre as a whole with decent action and visuals and a story that's engaging enough, I'd hope and hopefully expect to receive about this in terms of end product. And I'd be fine with it and consider it a job well done and money well spent.

So, basically, thumbs up

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Classic for a reason

This is such a massive underhanded criticism of homophobia that uses heteronormativity to make its point, I love it.

Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye. They're so cute! No wonder the former became such a big star in Korea.

The secondary leads are the main reason why I can't give this a perfect score. The character played by Lee Sun-kyun (RIP…) was annoying and the actor didn't do a very good job in my opinion. He was over-acting his scenes and he never came across as believable to me. That was one of his first roles though, as he would go on to have much better roles in the future, namely in Parasite.

However, the others did a good job.

I love it when people mistakenly answer the phone with something other than the phone itself. This time, it's a toy cube. If I remember correctly, the other times I've seen this so far are in Dreaming the Reality (1991) (Sibelle Hu answers a Coca-Cola can) and The Stunt Woman (1996) (Michelle Yeoh answers a brush). These are the only other such instances I can recall right now. Fun gag.

It's strange because, although the writing is a bit forced, contrived and overly dramatic sometimes, I would still praise the writing in this show, mainly because they managed to make realistic, believable characters that feel human and unique. They all have quirks that make them endearing, even if sometimes the story forces them to act in a certain way. It's an odd dichotomy but it is what it is. Imperfect writing can still manage to be absolutely great when it sets its aims high enough.

If you're trying to flee the soap-opera cliché nature of kdrama (especially the OST, this one is refreshingly silent in all the dramatic moments), then this should be your next destination.

I'm not queer and/or LGBTQ+ so it's hard for me to say whether it's good representation.

But it's a killer gender-bender story for sure. Hella hard to beat on that front.

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The leads make this show

More Zombie content, except now it's… also weirdly a love story. Contrary to other Korean Zombie stuff there isn't much action.

And it's just strange. These stories don't usually go like this. Basically, it's a kdrama with a Zombie backdrop. There, let's go with that.

I'm not surprised in the slightest that this was lovely. It was directed by Ahn Gil-ho who was also behind the camera for The Glory, another favorite of mine.

It's a show that keeps you guessing for most of its runtime, lots of twists and unpredictable turns, and although there are a few plot contrivances, and annoying characters, they were never too much for me. I enjoyed how varied and chaotic the characters were, and well, I really liked the leads, who make the show.

Han Hyo-joo in a military uniform… damn girl! What a looker. She's so on point in this. Great leads, in fact. They form a sort of power couple (with Park Hyung-sik playing the other half) and us following their story as they deal with all the bullshit happening around them in the middle of a virus apocalypse is why this show works.

Gonna have to watch Moving now because I need more Han Hyo-joo in my life. She's like a stoic but equally as intense variant of Jun Ji-hyun.

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Different kind of drama - fast and unpredictable

Starts off nauseating for a few minutes but then settles down quite nicely into a comfortable position.

So what does it take to become a celebrity when you've got nothing? Apparently: Instagram, lots of luck, and being hella pretty.

This kdrama puts forward very actual problems and stakes today in 2023, some even coming up as a complete surprise. This series has great plot twists for sure, hard to predict!

The lead mainly acts with her eyes, it's rather interesting. Definitely a change of pace, as generally kdrama stars are all about outward expressiveness, so might not be everyone's cup of tea on that front since she's more reserved.

Unfortunately as exciting and engaging as this drama is, it still has its share of problems, most notably main story events that just plain make no sense. Some characters are tropes on legs while others… subvert those tropes really well? Just uneven all around.

But I'd be lying if I said this show didn't hold my attention from the first episode to the last. It doesn't devolve into excessive melodrama, it's actually fairly tightly paced and well acted. I could have used a couple more episodes to flesh things out which is something I rarely say with kdrama.

But the writing… damn, so contrived. In all, I'd say it's pretty good, but be ready to nod a few times like "ooooookay…?"

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Classic lovers in opposite camp story done right

imagine wanting to kill yourself in Switzerland but then years later when you actually want to live you're stuck in... North Korea

Lmao

Now, this drama isn't perfect, but this is the couple to end all couples. If you didn't believe in the power of love, this drama will rectify that. Their love was so deep and absolute it transcended enemy country borders and could conquer any adversity, and even... break the fourth wall, as apparently being together on-screen wasn't enough for them! Their chemistry was too good.

And so Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin got married afterwards in real life too. Makes the whole thing even more wholesome and heartwarming.

Life goals.

This is an emotionally stirring drama. Very earnest.

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We lack proper setup for the characters, we're dumped right into the story and it's all over the place. I know it's kind of the point as we are led through past and present in a quest for information, but I found it a bit odd.

The script is needlessly convoluted (but kinda neat sometimes to be honest) and also hella bleak, which makes for a weird experience.

But it managed to win me over with an engaging performance by the lead played by Son Ye-jin, and interesting editing.

I'm kind of expecting more with Korean thrillers to be honest. The directing was… uneven.

More focus on the characters and why I should care, please.

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Awesome premise, could have been done better

You know, the premise for this drama would make for an absolutely riveting, nerve-wracking, and captivating horror story. The potential is immense!

What would you do if you found out that you were a useless side character in a comic book, and that you're basically destined to die soon and that your actions are determined by the writer? Moreover, whatever you do and tell people when you're in control, they won't remember it in the next scene. Unless they're special like you... which is rare

The grim implications of being forced to play out scenes against your will, while still fully and actually living through those scenes, are kept to mainly surface-level quirks and drama in this story. But in the hands of someone else this could have easily gone… uh, sideways.

Like a character who has to walk toward her own drowning scene, and drown right there, knowing full well what's happening, despite not wanting to. It would be a real horror show!

But since this is a kdrama obviously the romance drama aspects are dialed up to eleven while the rest rests on the sidelines. But I had a good time because of the quality of the premise. The story-within-a-story opens up all kinds of potential plot points although sadly, a lot of genuinely intriguing ones are left unexplored. I also enjoyed the style of the cuts (imitating a story jumping all over the place while you read). They were often unpredictable as sometimes characters are suddenly and abruptly transported to new scenes, even mid-sentence!

As much as they poke fun at kdrama clichés, they also equally indulge in them which I found comical. Pacing was also meh as there are some redundant scenes clearly there just to pad the runtime.

The ending was also lacking a bit, we definitely needed more closure.

All in all, had huge potential, but has to settle for "pretty good".

You can add it to the pile of "kdrama with awesome early episodes that can't sustain that level of quality".

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