The story is marvellously written, in the movie the topic that was handeled can be seen in the real life food industry and that makes the story utterly sad. It is an unique movie, because it is realistic in a certain way.
The story picks up fast and in the last hour it leaves out no time to proceed fast, I wished they stayed on some scenes longer to give more of an impact but that is just a minor flaw in my opinion.
The cast was amazing and I really appreciated the collab between Korean actors and American ones. It was difficult in the beginning because Jake's acting was too much, but that is the way Bong Joon-Ho produces its movies and I am happy he stayed true to himself.
The music was beautiful at certain scenes, not all of them.
Overall I really liked this movie, certainly ones that impact me (it left me crying) but also made me think about the food industry. In my opinion I don't see this as a propaganda but as a supernatural movie with a deep message, it makes a valid point.
Watch this and you won't be dissapointed, try to look over the over-reacting actions from some actors but see the message behind this movie.
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Anywho back to the movie. It is a great mash up of east meets west. A great cast, with everyone acting superbly. It's a cute movie about a girl and her friend being separated for greed. I won't go in to too much detail or else it spoils it. There were some tears and there were some chuckles. Definitely a rewatch just to see the girls relationship with Okja. Don't think there was a soundtrack and the movie seems shorter than it is, it is over 2hrs long. It is a Netflix production, which seems to be more of a thing nowadays. Great production with clear and lovely graphics.
Nice to see Choi woo shik, brought some comedy. Oooo and watch till the credits finish rolling for some more of him lol
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Acting: The actors are all terrific, particularly Ahn Seo Hung in her film debut. She keeps the emotional component grounded throughout the film and provides the most resonating moments. The only performer who may not resonate with everyone is Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal goes all out insane for his role and while I enjoyed the lunacy, many will not be fans. It was nice to see Choi Woo Shik though.
If you want to see an interesting movie with a kind of strange plot that will make you feel many emotions then this film is for you.
Big tip: Watch past the end credits
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"I'm an animal lover!"
Bong Joon-ho's 'Okja' depicts a conflict between a corrupt corporation and a radical animal rights organisation over a giant porcine beast, with an innocent girl being caught in the crossfire. This charming yet brutal satire reveals the hypocrisy of the phrase "animal lover", a phrase that the corrupt fat-cats of the Mirando corporation and the not-terrorists of the Animal Liberation Front would both use to describe themselves. Director Bong's triumph is ripping away the idealistic facades of both sides- revealing the slaughterhouses behind the smiles and saccharine PR of greedy corporations, but also the cruel sacrifices made by animal rights groups for the sake of a 'greater good'. Yet given how we see Mija catching and eating fish, it is made clear that this film's meaning can't be cut down to 'meat is murder'- rather, 'Okja' is a condemnation of how the lives of animals- sensitive beings that can feel fear and pain- can be callously invalidated for the sake of human agendas. We can eat meat if we choose- but can we really love animals when we put their necks on the chopping block and our money in the pockets of their murderers? Can we really justify the consumption of those cute critters with bullshit slogans like 'eco-friendly' and 'GMO-free'?Director Bong demonstrates his capacity for drastic tonal shifts once more to magnetise viewers; they laugh at the farcical chase scenes and smile at the friendship between Mija and Okja, and then are walloped in the guts as they hear the screams of anguished pigs in abattoirs and testing rooms. Similarly, his decision to shoot in both rural Korea and bustling New York contrasts the large-scale ambitions of Mirando co. and the ALF with Mija's simple desire to have her only friend back, adding moderation and a human touch to what could have been an impersonal clash of black-and-grey forces. Generally, the ensemble international cast performed well; Tilda Swinton was particularly impressive in her duel role as the Mirando sisters. Her ability to contrast Lucy's narcissism and false cheer against Nancy's cold pragmatism and barking assertiveness demonstrated the duality of greedy and opportunistic corporations; their flowery public front and their aggressive, business-like drive. Without Nancy's sunglasses and hairstyle, I would've been hard-pressed to notice the sisters' singular actress and I hear that Swinton was also amazing in Snowpiercer, which is next on my list. Seo-Hyeon Ahn, despite her young age, was more than a match for the Western performers, capturing Mija's fighting spirit and love for Okja with sincerity and poignance. And I was surprised to know that before her excellent turn as the crazy maid in 'Parasite', Jeong-eun Lee was Okja's voice actress- just how could a human convey such animalistic grunts, roars and squeals?
Unfortunately and in more than one way, 'Okja' is far more feast than famine. On several occasions, Director Bong overshoots with the satire; his flamboyant bigwigs are often transparent and hard to take seriously with their childish histrionics, not helped in the slightest by the overacting that breaks out on several occasions. In my opinion, the film's didacticism is far too thinly veiled; replace the superpigs with regular livestock and many scenes become identical to the 'do you know where you food comes from!?!?!?!?' videos that are shoved in your face by Peta or advertised on your local traffic light. But in part, these flaws are redeemed by a powerful ending that packs both hope and tragic realism.
As I wrote this review, I was tucking into a nice big plate of marinated ribs. Though I don't think that I will stop eating meat, I will certainly know to not inject any sense of 'rightness' into the deed.
P.S. I don't get how this film is championed by vegans for gods sake you literally see Mija and Gramps catching fish and making fish stew.
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This review may contain spoilers
You will cry
I don’t know if I was too emotional watching this today but honestly I cried for almost every scene with Mija and Okja…Part of me felt connected because me and Mija’s names are similar, and also since i’m a huge animal lover. I don’t know, it struck my heart.
I can’t help but feel unsatisfied with the ending albeit it being realistic to some extent. I watched this movie for the first time when it came out but I didn’t remember much from it except for the factory part. I decided to rewatch it today solely to remind myself of how it is.
I know them saving the whole super pigs isn’t realistic or palpable especially in the short amount of time, hell they would probably need a whole new movie for that, and even then the new movie would probably need a new movie to get some damage on the company.
I’m happy Okja and Mija got their happy endings with each other, but still my heart aches everytime I remember that there’s still those super pigs suffering and dying for those horrible peoples profit.
I don’t know, maybe I did get a bit too emotional. But I can still feel my heart ache a lot.
It’s also 3am…lol
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The first thing I'd say is if you're not expecting to see animal cruelty or are easily distrubed by that sort of thing do not watch this movie, the film is very heavy handed with it's anti-meat consumption message and if you're not expecting that it'll shake you up as it did to me
The first part of the movie is fairly light hearted and seems to be a typical person and animal become friends, person looses animal, person finds animal story, but at the half way point the film shifts tone completely and becomes quite a graphic anti-animal explotation film
As for the actual quality of the film, it's very impressive and every part of it is designed to envoke a strong emotion, which it pulls of masterfully, the acting on display here is spectacular and the story compelling, so with all things considered if you're fine with how the movie goes from 0 to 11 then I'd absolutley give it a watch
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Super Pig? More like Super Movie!
Okja is, and forever will be, in my top 5 movies of all time!Bong Joon-Ho is a movie master and Okja is no exception to his brilliance. He uses the power of familial love to strike home his messages about the corporate meat industries. As the audience we can't help but root for Mija to overcome the evil Mirando Corporation and be reunited with Okja, her family.
The casting of this movie was so perfect, everyone played their roles without flaw. The pace of the movie is great I was kept at the edge of my seat for the entire duration of the film. Despite the calm beginning we quickly enter into an action packed movie.
A fore warning, this movie has made me cry on every single watch. And there are some really hard scenes to watch towards the end, they are horrific and gruesome.
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Okja
It is for sure nothing you expect. And I am not sure if content rating is right, maybe 15+ would be better, I think that some younger will not really understand the story. Also it can be boring and times while plot is actually crazy/meaningfful.What I love is how they mixed american (even some pretty big names as Jake Gyllenhall) and korean cast. I really like Choi Woo Shik here and Lily Collins.
Worth watching, even if you will not like it very much it is still worth seeing.
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Beautiful vegetarian propaganda.
A grand fantasy adventure that is fantastically entertaining and beautiful. Okja is a charming, funny and thought-provoking family film which, however, is not directly suitable for the youngest, but will amuse many others.The fact that the Netflix-produced film Okja competed in Cannes raised a few eyebrows among the traditionalists. However, you have to think outside the box when you turn 70, and that's what the festival did in 2017.
The South Korean Bong Joon Ho, the man behind films like The Host and Snowpiercer, has written and directed this cute and visually spectacular fairy tale, with very dark tones between the lines.
The film is not easy to categorize as within its framework there is about as much comedy and farce as deep-seated drama and action. It is precisely this that gives the film extra points for innovative thinking, but at the same time risks making it somewhat difficult to grasp for parts of the audience, and above all it becomes difficult to say who its intended target group actually is.
The film is a kind of platonic love story between a girl and her pet.
Okja is one of all genetically engineered superpigs larger than a hippopotamus and has grown up with Mija, a little girl who lives up in the Korean mountains with her grandfather. Mija and Okja are best friends and really stick together through thick and thin. One day, however, everything changes when the Mirando Corporation, which once created Okja to become cheap food for the people, comes to bring her "home". But Mija is not one to give up on her friend so easily and encouraged by an animal rights group, she travels to the other side of the globe to save her life partner.
Essentially, then, the film is about unlikely but oh-so-strong friendship and takes place with the corrupt and sleazy (on more than one level) meat industry as a background. At the same time, the film conveys important messages about how the resources on earth should be distributed and urges us consumers to think. This is unusual in a film for younger people but all the more important for us all to take part.
A pale and easygoing Tilda Swinton plays the cool and calculating Lucy Mirando who is the CEO of the heartless company intent on mass producing cheap meat. And of course she is perfect in the role. Her colleague, the eccentric zoologist Dr. Johnny Wilcox is played by an energetic Jake Gyllenhaal who is quite funny, although perhaps not as convincing. Admittedly, it's a lot of fun to see him doing slapstick and rampaging around like I've never seen him do before, but it's grossly overplayed and not always justified. To some extent, it is certainly forgivable to stretch the expressions, as both his and Tilda Swinton's characters are caricatures, although it feels like Jake Gyllenhaal is sometimes almost having a little too much fun himself, at the expense of a lot of credibility.
Other roles include the always-watchable Paul Dano, Steven Yeun and Lily Collins. Young talent Ahn Seo-Hyun plays Mija and succeeds in an unexpectedly convincing way in creating a relationship with a giant animal that is mostly computer-animated.
Okja is a different and very nice film that absolutely deserves its audience. It's a bit uneven between turns and I sometimes feel that the humor should have been turned up a bit, only to suddenly feel that it could have been toned down. This ambivalence is a little disruptive to the overall experience and I would have liked Bong Joon Ho to decide to take it either way.
In the end, despite some flaws, this is a very lovely and heartwarming film that I undoubtedly enjoy very much.
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Political agenda
The acting, action and special effects of this production were very good. The first part of the film is filled with warm fuzzies. A young, cute and lovable girl gets attached to her 4H project, and goes on a heroic adventure to save her adorable friend. The development of the relationship between the girl and her pet is warm and loving with beautiful scenery. The warm fuzzies are quickly replaced with a political kick to the groin.Is this film an attempt to attack the food industry, livestock producers, or consumers?? I’m not sure but this production actually did make it really uncomfortable to enjoy my corn dogs that I am about to consume for my lunch.
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Very serious moviewhich pokes around animal rights,corporate world and genetic mutation
I have been delaying to watch this movie for years. I actually thought that it is a light-hearted movie but I was wrong. This movie questions serious problems such as animal cruelty for the sake of business profits and genetic mutations. Unfortunately, these kind of movies are not really my cup of tea.I'm kind of curious if there's a sequel because I felt like I needed to know more details to fully enjoy the movie.Another thing is that I was hoping for a happy ending however it didn't end as I expected. Casts were able to portray their roles reasonably and the graphics are amazingly outstanding. It makes up at least half of the movie itself.
All in all, this was a pretty decent film if you have free time. If there will be a sequel, I'll be watching it for sure to know further about Mirando's company and AFL.
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