One too many twists.

Honestly speaking, I don’t even think the story was bad. the directing though, missed a lot of basic elements.

The scenes simply do not transition in a smooth way. Everything feels so out of place. Random private naked yoga classes turned into kamasutra scenes, a random detective story, which technically makes sense (people are dying after all), but never matches well with the main story. It honestly felt like they stitched scenes together without actually taking into consideration if they create a cohesive picture and explain the story well.

By the end of the movie they present one too many twists so rather than an interesting (though slightly overused) turn of events, it all becomes confusing.

The acting was bad. Lee Chae Young easily did the best, but all the rest of the cast was questionable at best. Felt like the actresses were cast for their bodies and not their acting skills.

Overall, skip, don’t bother watching.
(more about the directing fail in the comment below)

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Good execution of a basic story.

While the movie has high production value, good writing and great cast, it brings exactly nothing to the table. We have seen this story in a similar setting quite a few times.

These are always the same questions: What does it mean to be human? How far can we go to survive? What can we do for power and control? What makes some movies tackling these ideas stand out more than the others are cast/performance and the unique setting. Medical trials on clones is not exactly an out of the box idea. And with that, the movie is interesting and enjoyable, but easily forgettable. Sure, a few scenes showcasing Seobok’s special abilities were fun and more unique takes on the typical clone scenario, but surely not enough to make this production outstanding in any manner.

Gong Yoo carried the whole film on his shoulders. The performance saved a rather stereotypical character. On the other hand, as much as I like Park Bo Gum, he made me feel exactly nothing as I was watching Seobok. What’s worth mentioning - the small beef between Chief Ahn and Kim Cheon Woo was probably the most entertaining aspect for me.

The production was great. A high budget movie delivering high quality effects and action scenes.

Overall, a good watch, one that most would enjoy. Will I remember it to later recommend to others? Probably not.

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Back at it again with building the atmosphere…

And not relying solely on jump scares. While it did not have a well structured plot nor interesting characters, it still managed to present an interesting style of filming with ambiguous and distorted visuals.

That said, I did enjoy it more for the “vibe” and not the plot itself. I don’t think the story had much to offer. The mystery and the past was presented in an unnecessarily confusing way and some bits of it were added just for the shock value, as they made little sense in the context of the plot itself.

They spent quite some time building up the female lead and her ability to see ghosts, while it had little to no impact on the story itself. And there were quite a few random plot points that were there just to fill the screen time. Since they took their sweet time with that first act and second act, the ending seemed rushed making the pacing of the whole movie seem a bit off.

Acting wise I don’t have any complaints. Big props to Miyano Hina who played Maya - the girl had some moves. Miyoshi Ayaka as the lead felt flat. With that type of story and with how much her character was involved in it, the emotions seemed just too diluted.

The visuals though were truly nice. There were a number of scenes I thought were cleverly shot and presented.

Overall, a nice watch, but there are other movies I would recommend before this one.

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Expected a goofy horror, got a tragic tale.

I did not expect a semi-solid plot when I started this movie. The last 30 minutes makes the film worth the watch. Don’t get me wrong though, there is not much depth. It’s tragic, sad, and at times infuriating, but there is no social commentary about what happened, and the ending might seem a bit disappointing.

Still, there was a lot of potential. Especially surprised by well constructed plot twists that added layers to the story. It was also visually great - none of the special effects seemed cheap, no typical ghost with long dark hair creeping around. There was a clear vision on how the movie was supposed to look like and what story it was supposed to tell.

It’s worth knowing there are some triggering scenes in the movie - a few more clearly shown than others, but they might be too much for some viewers.

The acting was decent. Honestly speaking, except for Cheryl Yang, none of the other cast members had the opportunity to even start flexing their potential skills.

Overall, surprisingly nice, way better than I expected just based on the synopsis and my previous experience with randomly picked Chinese horror movies.

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So good and fun it should have been a series.

It still works perfectly fine as a movie, but there is just so much to explore and both the characters and connections between them could have been more deep and engaging, if this was more than just a movie.

I finished it, liked it, was entertained from the beginning till the end, liked the characters, even ones I was skeptical about at the beginning, and yet the last thought I had - I needed more.

The characters were too diverse for this length. I did not get enough well paced character development from Mikado Kosuke, not enough in-depth exploration of Hiyakawa Rihito’s trauma and how he dealt with it for years, not enough time to truly understand and accept Hiura Erika’s actions. I wanted more background about the past events for the 3 main characters. More conversation about the power of belief in contrast to the power of not believing.

So many cool concepts, ideas and stories that could easily fill a short series. The source material was made for it, and yet all we’ve got was a movie. A good movie, but it could have been great.

On the note of source material, I tried to read it, but the sexualization of the connection the main leads had was just distracting and a bit ridiculous. The sensual exorcisms just made me laugh, so on that aspect, I’m actually happy the movie changed things up. I would appreciate a clearer indication of the feelings they had for each other, but there should be a middle ground between what was in the manga, and how much the cut out for the movie.

Acting was great. Shison Jun’s emotional scenes got me good. Especially the one after he passed out. The build up of the emotions the character was experiencing in these few minutes was delivered in a perfect fashion.

What’s more - the film was beautiful. Maybe it just fits my aesthetics, but I loved every frame of it. I also appreciate the gore that was excessive at times, but not gross and cartoonish.

One thing I would complain about was the soundtrack going from church choir to old school games. At times it completely did not match the scene it was played for.

Overall, I would recommend it. If you know the source material and expect a BL, this ain’t that. But it’s a nice story that vaguely touches on some interesting concepts.

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Basic plot sandwiched between fun opening comedy and great ending action.

Been awhile since I laughed so much during the opening few scenes of a movie. Does not happen a lot that I rewatch action sequences. Both happened as I was watching Mission Possible, sadly only at the beginning and the end.

It’s a goofy and lighthearted comedy with a small twist that could have made it even better, if it was used to its full potential. I wish they used the duality of Woo Su Han more - it would serve for both great comedy and great action.

There is nothing truly special about the plot, but with action comedy, it’s not a bad thing. I honestly believe the complex plot should not be distracting viewers from the entertainment a simple comedy delivers.

Acting was great. Especially liked Kim Young Kwang’s performance. I knew from the start the character he is playing is not what he presents himself to be and the acting perfectly carried the “unexpected” situations.

Overall, it’s a simple comedy with simple characters and nicely done action and choreographies. I wish they pushed a little bit harder on the jokes, kept the slapstick from the beginning more present till the end. The middle part just felt a bit empty and stagnant.

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A whole bunch of nothing...

The movie was basically like these "haunted lactation explorations" tv shows, where nothing happens for 40 minutes, but then they exaggerate the reaction for the smallest whisper or a creak. It starts well introducing the case and building the atmosphere, but then it plateaus till the end and gets more and more boring with every minute.

Have to say though, the directing truly made it seem like a realistic reportage. Appreciate how each footage they showed made sense, and I never questioned "who filmed it?" - these small things that completely ruin the immersive experience.

The acting was also good. Because of the intentional often low quality shots and shaky camera, we could not really grasp the full performance with all its detail, but it was good enough for what it wanted to present.

They way they presented the story itself was painfully basic.

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The thing is, this was such a brainless fluff I wish they were more cliche and used more typical rom-com tropes. More pining, more silly jealousy - fill that screen time with more variety of situations, because the second half kind of became repetitive.

That said, the chemistry was amazing. I think my favorite aspect of the show was how the characters were completely different from the initial impression they gave. Miura Manatsu is not this cold and detached dude who is completely not interested in his partner and Haruta Ami is not this innocent pushover. There is a great amount of mutual push and pull and flirting/bickering. The dynamics were great, all thanks to great performances.

I also appreciate how the show put a twist on some characters and their reaction to the relationship - this was refreshing.

Overall, perfect as a palate cleanser between more complex/serious dramas - there to appreciate the romance and give your brain a break.

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Could have just called it Momo and be done with marketing.

Anyone slightly familiar with creepy pastas will right away see the similarities between the supernatural being in Stare and the urban legend of Momo - long dark hair, slim long face, big and creepy eyes. You hear about her, she shoes up, you have a stare showdown, you die - that’s the movie.

I don’t think there was more to it to be honest. It had great potential to be great with better and slower directing. Stretch these starting into her eyes scenes longer, build that tension, but in the actual film it all passed way too quickly. The whole origin got messy, the importance of some characters forgotten, who was in on it, who just told the scary story thinking there is nothing more to it? All too blurry.

Acting was fine, so were the effects. I would appreciate less blowing up eyes, since that aspect was rather lackluster in presentation.

Overall, a decent watch when you feel like watching horror, but also want some simple and short entertainment.

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Unfriended - Japanese edition.

Here’s the problem - the rules they introduce make no sense. Their explanation of the curse goes against the whole opening scene in the movie. It was painfully messy, the information was dropped here and there and it was honestly not that easy to put it all together. The basis of it all is easy to understand, but all the details make no sense.

We know close to nothing about the main characters, there is no real diversity in personalities either. They are more or less copies of themselves, so when the bad things started happening, I couldn’t care less, because they did not really seem like real people to me.

At the end of the day, it was just boring. It’s a really simple story that could have been saved by the atmosphere, but they showed too much, everything was happening too quick, and there was no real time to truly dive into what was happening on screen.

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Perfect type of a mess.

The movie fits just right into the “so bad it’s good” category - with elements and plot that could last for at least 3 separate movies, it makes for a perfect late night brainless entertainment.

While the first 25 minutes are rather dull, following typical ghost and cursed storylines we have seen in hundreds of movies, the moment the ghost hunters duo shows up, that's when magic and crack happens.

There is no logic in this film - none. It’s impossible to make sense of the 80% of scenes and dialogues. They drop random supernatural lingo and we as the viewers need to just accept it all makes sense.

The acting was surprisingly not bad - improved with every minute. Honestly, delivering some of the lines in a serious matter seems like a miracle to me.

Production was… C class at best and that’s one of the fun and charming aspects of the movie. It’s made for people who can enjoy cringe and poor effects.

Overall, what an acid trip it was.

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A bit basic, but still fairly entertaining.

There was nothing truly wrong about the movie, but nothing stood out in a positive way either.

What starts as a comedy, ventures into more sad territory closer to the end. We know how Koreans are - nothing is just a comedy. I must say, I actually really like where the plot went and the given conclusion, I just hoped it would be set up better and more hints have been given.

On the comedy side - I did not really laugh once. Maybe smiled a few times, but that’s it. The jokes were just really mediocre and they did not take full advantage of the scenario they created.

The acting was good, especially from Han Seung Yeon who is able to deliver both the comedy (even if limited by the script) and drama.

Overall, it's light, short and fun enough to watch and not feel like you wasted time.

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That was a surprisingly easy and fun watch. With just 125 minutes, they managed to properly set up the plot and the characters, explain the past events, connect them to the current timeline, and keep a good pace. It follows a typical teen horror scenario, but makes it interesting enough for me not to care for the overused format.

It’s nothing groundbreaking or amazing, but it’s for sure an entertaining watch with some unexpected plot developments. The characters seemed like your typical university students which added some realism to a rather unrealistic, but enjoyable story.

I for sure liked the performances and was surprised to see some well known faces in the roles of Professor Choi and Professor Yeo.

It seems like a good watch for people who are not too good with horrors. It has some creepy moments, but there is also enough mystery and plot to get invested and focus on that. It’s also relatively short, so you won’t get exhausted watching it.

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The movie has 2 major issues: it’s too long and there is not enough screen time for the last heist compared to all the set up done.

Don’t get me wrong though, I was still rather entertained. In a little bit over two hours One Line was able to present a rather well built underdog story, adding a redemption arc closer to the end. Min Jae? Not exactly a likable character at first. Or in the middle. Somehow they were able to pull off 180, and make me care for him by the end.

Sadly, movies centering around con artists are as good as the chemistry and bond between the members and the last heist they do, and here the movie failed. Honestly speaking, from the whole team, the only two characters that had a fun and interesting dynamic going on screen were Min Jae and Gi Tae. All the rest just showed up with little built up for the team work, even though most of the was just that - creating a setup for the last case.

I would say, the last 40 minutes of the movie were the best - that’s when the characters started to truly work together and I could sense they were on board with the plan. That said, the ending was slightly anticlimactic. They did not show enough of the preparation for the big scam, so it kind of happened before I was able to comprehend what was going on. Especially since before that, the pacing was rather slow.

Acting was good. I’d say Im Si Wan did what he could with this role, but his baby face slightly did not fit how the character was presenting himself in the 2nd half. Lee Dong Hwi did a great job, I wanted to punch him in the face whenever they showed him on screen.

Overall, if the movie was about 30 minutes shorter it would flow better, and the imbalance between the setup and the last case would be less evident. It’s not like it’s a deep psychological drama - it’s a con artist movie with rather one dimensional characters and predictable plot. It’s supposed to be fun and that’s that.

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