MovieRankingReviews

  Sony Pictures Animation has delivered an outstanding original animated film, something that’s been sorely missing from Disney and Pixar lately. The movie features a stunningly beautiful animation style that seamlessly blends 2D and 3D, compelling world-building, fluid and thrilling action set pieces, and a fun, lovable main trio. To top it all off, it boasts phenomenal K-pop music! While the plot is fairly predictable and the third act feels a bit rushed, the film would have benefitted from being about 10 minutes longer. It also leaves a number of dangling plot threads that seem to be setting up a sequel. Still, this was an absolute surprise! With a title like that, I wasn’t expecting something so thoroughly enjoyable.

  Gi-Hun’s return to Squid Game comes to a frustrating conclusion. It’s hard to believe this season was written by the same mind behind the original. The tension, clever twists, and emotional depth are all gone. No-eul’s subplot, which initially seemed like it might offer a fresh perspective by showing someone working within the Squid Game system, ultimately goes nowhere. It ends up feeling like filler, a meaningless detour that adds nothing to the main story and only serves to pad the runtime. But the most insulting narrative choice involves Detective Jun-ho. After two seasons of building intrigue around his investigation and survival, his arc collapses with an underwhelming thud. His presence in Season 3 is so useless it borders on parody, a complete waste of potential. And then there’s the ending. It’s not just unsatisfying, it’s blatantly designed to keep the franchise alive at all costs. It’s less of a conclusion and more of a corporate strategy, and you can feel...

  Five years after winning Best Picture for Parasite , Bong Joon-ho returns with Mickey 17 . The big question is: does this live up to his previous work, or is it a disappointing step down? What initially drew me to this movie was its intriguing concept. The idea of a person whose sole job is to die repeatedly for the sake of humanity—thanks to cloning technology—is both fascinating and disturbing. For the most part, the film explores the political, religious, and ethical dilemmas that would arise if such technology existed. Bong Joon-ho uses this premise to craft a sharp satire on American politics while exploring deeper themes about identity and what makes us truly human. The writing is strong, filled with clever comedic moments, subtle jabs, and a genuine message. At its core, Mickey 17 also functions as a quiet coming-of-age story for its protagonist, leading to a satisfying and well-earned conclusion. Visually, the film is stunning. The production design—from the se...

  In 2021, Squid Game became a cultural phenomenon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was a great addition to the Battle Royale genre. The story does end on a mild cliffhanger that feels like it was tacked on because Netflix wanted to make it a franchise. Now here we are in 2024, with another season of Squid Game. Does it live up to the hype? Despite feeling like the creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk was forced to make more seasons of Squid Game, he does not half-ass it. He does push this season in new directions and adds new elements to make the story exciting. For example, they added a new rule to the games by making it so they can vote to leave with the current money after each game. This new rule is a fun addition as it creates an exciting rift between characters who want to go and those who don’t. Turning Gi-Hun from a scummy guy in Season 1 into an all-good hero sounds bad on paper. However, it adds a new layer to the games as Gi-Hun now has new challenges with his ...

  Ma Dong-Seok is one of the coolest dudes in Korean cinema. I do think the film is a little disappointing as the post-apocalyptic setting isn’t used in an exciting way. The plot is also nothing special. It is incredibly dumb and predictable while also having minimal explanation about anything. The characters are also very bland. There is barely any exploration of any of the characters including the main character. Due to this, they all come off as one-dimensional and this makes it very difficult to care about anyone. However, it has some incredibly well-choreographed and fun action sequences. Who doesn’t want to see Ma Dong-seok kick ass!

I’m a sucker for these zombie movies and shows. They always manage to pull me into watching it. Korea somehow manages to make zombies more interesting compared to western movies and shows. For example, Train to Busan was absolutely stellar. My hope was that this show was on the level of that movie. The premise is “Set in the South Korean city of Hyosan, things go berserk one day when a girl in the Hyosan High School is bitten by a rat infected by a deadly virus that turns happy humans into devastatingly ugly and ever-hungry human eating machines”. So does Korea deliver another excellent zombie action or is it a big miss? Let’s get the obvious out of the way first, the zombie action is indeed exciting to watch. There are some exciting and creative sequences in this show such as the dining hall sequence which is filmed like one shot. There are some other creative sequences s...

  Minari tells a very intimate and authentic story about a Korean American family trying to adapt to rural American values. It has a heart-wrenching story with phenomenal performances, great sound design, a sparse but wonderful score, beautiful cinematography and shots. Minari is a film that people should watch once in their lives.

  One of the biggest sensations on Netflix right now is surprisingly a Korean show. I am all for Korean stuff as there is some amazing stuff from Korea that surpass western movies and shows. The premise is “Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes. A survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake”. So is Squid Game worth the hype or another forgettable show in Netflix large backlog? Firstly, I love the concept of the show and the themes they explore. Battle royales have been done before for example The Hunger Games. However, the way it is utilized here feels way more impactful. The deaths here feels more meaningful and messed up but never gratuitous. One thing that this series does differently is that the games they play are children games. It makes it amusing to watch grown adults play children games. Another different aspect is that the ch...

  Game of Thrones X Zombies = A wonderful time

  After the disappointing Peninsula, I stumbled upon another Korean Zombie movie. #Alive has a simple premise in that “Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in) a gamer is left isolated in his families apartment when an infection leaves an entire city filled with zombies”. The zombie genre is very over saturated so does this movie stand out or is just part of the horde of mediocre zombie movies. I got to praise the pacing of this movie because it gets straight into the action within the first 3 minutes. It doesn’t delay with an exposition or massive setup. It knows what you’re watching it for and by doing this it successfully keeps the audience engaged the moment the movie begins. For the most part, the movie maintains this pacing but it does slow at a couple of points. However, it never slows down for too long and manages to always add some new element of danger to keep the characters on their toes. The zombie action, on the whole, is generally fun to watch. They are not groundbreaki...

  AKA “Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula” is a standalone sequel to one of the best zombie movies in decades “Train to Busan”. When I first heard they were making a sequel and that director “Yeon Sang-ho” will return to direct the sequel I was thrilled. The film synopsis is that “It’s been four long years since the catastrophic events of Train to Busan (2016), and a virulent zombie outbreak sweeps South Korea from end to end. Now, on the carcass of the levelled city of Incheon, the guilt-ridden former Marine Captain, Jung-seok, embarks on a suicide mission to locate a truck carrying bags crammed with $20 million in cash, along with a trio of equally reckless fortune seekers”.  The trailer for this movie is completely different from the first movie and the director calls it a “standalone sequel” so i’m going to try and avoid any comparison to the first movie. Usually, I start with the praises but this time I’m going to start with the negatives because this movie...