Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)

Watch this if you want to lower your brain cells

Just has watched till the end and wow! Really want to demand refund for the time i wasted watching till the end. No spoilers! But don’t use your logic while watching this because it wouldn’t make sense. There is time travel and such, spices up with some love but thats it. They don’t explore the older brother path at all and just focus on the romance. Shin ye acting is just meh, with mong face all the time. They stop making the mc act genius in the middle of the serries and just make him like a dampsell in distress. The final conclusion was also rushed and doesn’t make sense. (What happen with the lottery and all the facilities) how come only human got affected. I blacklisted the name of the scripwritter of this serries so i can skip it if they make another serries. What a waste of budget and netflix slot

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What a headache!

Sisyphus the Myth started off strong and it was one of the shows I look forward to seeing on Netflix each week until the mid-part where it became boring and repetitive. The plot is ok but not extraordinary enough worthy of standing out and calling it a favorite.

A CGI major complaint: when Seo Hae and Tae Seul were escaping and needed to slide down on a rope from the building roof. Super poor and looked really fake. The others I can give a pass.

The actor who played Sigma both as a kid and adult is the reason I am giving it a high mark on acting. Outstanding!

I also wish more of Tae Sul and older brother in the end but they focused more on the loveline that they threw the bromance away.

I like watching sci-fi shows but this one along with Alice and LUCA both disappointed me. I think the execution failed as it did not clearly connect with most of the audience in one sitting. I think this show has too many plotholes and there's so much happening to the point that is became too noisy to watch and process.

I won't watch this a second time unless I want to inflict myself with major headache. Involving time as a plot element, Signal is still the best for me.

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It's been a while since I last finished and watched a drama so I'll try to keep it simple

Is Sisyphus: The Myth a good drama? Frankly, yes.

Is it totally mind-blowing and perfect with little to no plot holes? Nothing too impressive about the drama, but still was an enjoyable one.

Things that will make you watch this drama and finish it without dropping:
-the characters and the cast are amazing <3
-this drama is the type that will make you curious about the ending. for me at least, I was never really sure what was gonna happen next.

Overall, this is a good but a tad bit confusing drama. I've said it a few times in my different reviews, but whenever you watch a drama about time travel, you should keep an open mind. Since time travel doesn't exist -- at least for now -- there aren't really rules to it that are perfectly acceptable to everyone. Don't try to think too much about why 'this' and 'that' shouldn't work, instead think about why 'this' and 'that' work particularly in this drama. Just learn to go along the flow of the drama then I can guarantee you that you'll somewhat enjoy Sisyphus: The Myth. Enjoy!

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A masterpiece that will leave you on the edge of your seat

It’s been a while ever since a Sci-Fi intrigued me this much and made me wait eagerly for every single episode week after week, while creating theories of the plot.

Time travelers, holding onto black suitcases for their life’s?
People carrying regrets, weighting their hearts, and blinding their offensive vendettas?
Brokers facing their own inner demons while smuggling personal belongings for quick cash?
Conspiracy lurking within the most prestigious or considering trustworthy roles?
Sisyphus is more than that. It delivers more than those questionable compositions.

Usually this theme is quite tricky to tackle down, without falling somehow along the main plot or the sub plot even in certain details, however, Sisyphus was conceived to speculate and engage the viewer to use their wits and brains in order to figure out the order of events presented.

It doesn’t take us too long to witness how the brilliant mind of TaeSul works even under pressure or admire the sheer tenacity of SeoHae to achieve her goals, and even the brave stubbornness of JaeSun to try and help the best he can, along the storyline and how it unfolds ‘till the very end…

Unlike other dramas about time paradoxes this one has a good and quite seemingly structured script, and the way it’s produced is well made.

Still it’s never simple to try and understand the intricate way time paradoxes are settled.
So, to not be too confusing nor boring, this one the contrary it has its dosage of action.

Now, I know that not every story is perfect, and certainly this one will have it’s flaws too, although it might differ from viewers point of view.

In my regard it was the whole romance.

It seemed unnecessary to me and somehow cringy, given the whole background and I also know it might be a parallel version of her at some point but in the current timeline where TaeSul belongs and when the main event is about to happen she is merely a child. I would settle for admiration or companionship to battle against the ordeals, rather than the romantic plotline.
But I guess it’s the way it is…

Also, the character HyunKi subplot with the whole lack of humanity he showed seemed like a waste of time in there even if just for plot, it was messy and overall a filler to complicate things.
People might think the same about JaeSun, but still I preferred his character.
If one shows how a tragedy can rip one’s humanity, then the other shows how compassion towards strangers works even in times of need.
Maybe both are opposite forces that the writers teamed up and inserted into the plot for morals.

Although the storyline might have its pros and cons when connecting the past and future, it works out in a certain way, to some who enjoy it from the very first episode and are engaged into the plot there are things that are acceptable and others that rub off.

It all comes down to how much knowledge one has of this kind of subject in the first place.
There will never be a perfect drama when it comes to this.
But still, if it can fascinate the viewer to continue watching it, then it’s a good sign.

Sigma was quite the antagonist, his plot and strategy always one step ahead kept things on edge.

The whole present and future gaps and view panoramas too, were actually a good visual representation of what she’s trying to stop and the past and future she’s trying save.

And it all links to TaeSul the man of the hour. The genius who can either doom or save mankind.
If only he could have trustworthy people around him until the very end…

All the cast and production team did a remarkable job on their roles.
The OST is super catchy, mainly the song Stay (Tempus) by GSoul at the ending credits, the lyrics and meaning fits the main theme perfectly.

And despite knowing it’s not part of the Ost but more like the plot, using references of BTS since SeoHae is an ARMY is either clever or predictable nowadays am I right?

Yet the fact that they used Spring Day no less, in the apocalyptic and dystopian future seemed quite meaningful given the message present in the lyrics.

It’s a song of a sad event and definitely dwells in longing.

Here it happened a tragedy and the survivors are longing for something to hold onto.

Curious how Seokjin in an interview once said, “I like to look to the past and get lost in it”, about how the song represents him, and in here future SeoHae ends up travelling to the past, so maybe she gets lost into it, in order to do her role and finally save not only TaeSul but everyone else.

It’s a soothing song to heal both victims and survivors, given its purpose. And here is no different.

Overall, this story won’t disappoint you that much in the long run well until the very last episode… ends are always hard to come by, so it seems, it's interesting to say the very least.

Then again if you’re like me and quick into creating theories then this drama is for you.

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Definitely a Must watch! Thriller, Strong Female Lead, Time Traveling, Romance

The plot in this drama was beyond my expectations. The acting was also amazing. There wasn't even an episode that was boring. Each episode keeps you eagerly wanting for more. If you love romance, thrillers, time travelling, strong/ smart female lead then this drama is made for you. The female lead is so gorgeous and her acting was on point. I love dramas with strong and smart female leads. This drama will never disappoint you. At first, the plot may be hard to understand but later on, you will understand. The more you understand the plot the more you will be addicted to this drama. So what are you waiting for. Go Watch It!!!

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I was hesitant to start this drama and I should've listen to my first instinct in this case. But the music and reading the story plot got me interested so I started on it only to be disappointed throughout the drama and in the end.

Like I said, the story idea was good but how it was handled, well it was a very slow start to me. It didn't get going until we finally got the lead characters to finally understand, work, and trust each other. Let's be honest, there was nobody in this drama that you could trust to the fullest. There's always some doubt. There were a lot of scenes where it was back in time or in the future. Some scenes helped with the plot while other scenes, you kind of wonder why the writer decided this put this in. For me, one of the flaws of this drama were certain episodes showed the scenes of the future or past for too long, like it took about 30 mins of an episode, slowing the plot down. Not to mention, I felt like there were too many filler episodes.

While I did like the acting, I felt like some of the characters were a waste of time. Like why were they even introduce. Why even bother making a character toxic when it wasn't necessary or giving a story about them but barely even showing them or showing their growth in the character. It's like I didn't like any characters to the fullest, even the leads.

This drama does tie up loose ends in certain aspects of how things happen but only to confuse viewers at the very end. I'm not sure if the writers want to leave the ending open for the viewers interpretation or if this is a sign for a potential another season. Either way, this ending was a miss for me. I just don't like open endings in general.

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A great series!

The series is one of a kind. it is unique and a great one. It lives up to its title.The characters Han Tae Sul and Seo Hae truly gave the story a wonderful yet exciting and unexpected twist. My take on the first few episodes: they explain how Tae Sul and Seo Hae hurdled Sigma's plot to ruin the earth. The early episodes gave hints about what will happen in the end: how Sigma tried to destroy Tae Sul, how Seo Hae tried to warn and help the past Tae Sul and how the other characters like Sun had a significant contribution to the plot twists. Toward the end of the series Han Tae Sul (for me, this is my opinion anyway)made the right decision to end his life to the save the earth. After, that is the main goal of Seo Hae.. Seo Hae could've killed Tae Sul to undo the creation or coding of d uploader but they fell in love. Also, toward the end of the series, it became clear to me that however Seo Hae's dad 'changed' Sigma,the latter still is a Devil and a Psycho. How i love how d author / director formed/ molded the character Sigma. His acting is effective. I still hate him for his devilish acts.grr. hahaha
Hayst. (sigh) for me,this series is at par with Interstellar. I'm not actually a fan of sci fi genre but this series turned me around and made me appreciate the genre. I ĺove the series. I hope JTBC will make another one of this kind.haha. I can't seem to get over with the ending. It's still stuck in my head and my heart.
Lesson learned: make every moment of your life count.tell ur loved ones u love them, don't waste time, do things u wnt regret doing in the future, value ur loved ones, don't b bitter, let go of the past that hurt u(don't b like Sigma, Sigma is crazy). Haha. Thank u JTBC! Salute!

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Yeeah .....naw!

Sisyphus started out strong and fizzled like firecrackers in a hurricane. I am so disappointed. It had everything going for it. A solid cast, a damn good story with imagination, MONEY!! They put some money into the Fx. It grabs you from the beginning with a interesting characters in an equally as interesting premise. Then it humpty dumptied itself. And for what reason? To satisfy needy romance holics? My one wish for SK drama makers is that they stop forcing romance between characters, especially when there is no chemistry. I mean zip, nada, zilch. The romance isn't the only thing that went wrong. It's not even the biggest, but it helped lead the story down the path of boringness. For an action there was no tension throughout and the urgency seemed to ebb and flow.

Visually, it's great. The cameraman, editors, and cg specialists did their thing. The directing and script? Well, if you like a timey whimey mess, then hey, you're in for a treat. But, if you're a fan of time travel stories and movies, you'll be thinking 'wtf are they doing.' Why did that person disappear and not that one? Why did time change for a and not b. How many timelines were created and screwed up?! Don't even get me started on the last scene in which we see our 2 leads. Can you say nonsensical? It doesn't feel like it belongs. It feels like a scene someone with power demanded be put into the show because concubine #2 or their mom didn't like something. Seriously, it was just unnecessary. There are so many unnecessary scenes and happenings. It's my opinion that Jo Seung Woo's Han Tae Sul and Park Shin Hye's Kang Seo Hae made a great team. They were good partners like cops. It's fine if they care for each other because they have each other's backs, but no romance. It just didn't work. They could've also spent a little more time in the dystopian future. It seemed interesting. Horrid, but interesting.

The cast from supports to the leads were great. Actually, I think Kim Byung Chul stole the entire show. He was great. I've never seen him smile so much. He's scary when he smiles. The child actor that played him as a boy was excellent as well. He's got a career in crazy if he wants it. I didn't realize Jo could be funny, but he had a few scenes and looks that made smile. I triple checked his filmography because he didn't seem like the same guy that plays Shi Mok in Stranger and Stranger 2. Han Tae Sul was a great character and he played him well. As for Park, she's really settling into her action star role. She was believable handling the handguns. The AKA's and rifles not so much. She runs well with them, but she's always been a good runner. She held her own in the fight scenes. I was impressed. If Kim stole the show, Sung Dong Il stole all of his scenes (as per usual). I really just enjoy watching him act. He always looks like he's enjoying himself even when he's yelling or killing someone.

The music was alright. It supported the scenes without being overpowering. The rewatch is my usual 0.

Overall, Sisyphus isn't a bad drama (no where near it), but it wasn't what I was hoping for. It's not really binge or marathon worthy. You may marathon it to get it over and done with, but not because you just have to get to the next episode.

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All about appearance ( production) but with the ultimate ( plot ) disappearance.

This is another super expensive and excellently executed production of a time travel drama that fails due to its plot inconsistency. It suffers from unnumbered time paradoxes that end up to look like continuity errors.
There is not a single episode that doesn't cancel what you've watched on the previous ones and doesn't raise more questions than those that is supposed to answer.

The characters cancel continuously their own actions and on top of that they look like they are amnesiacs, unable to remember what they did themselves not even in the same time line.

The production, the music the special effects etc will blow out your mind, but that's just all there is. Don't expect to understand anything and don't bother to explain the end because there is no point on doing so. It is another time travel drama ( along with Signal and Kairos ) that its plot doesn't make sense.

3/10 from me just for the sake of the expensive production.

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This drama is unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments I have had in a Korean drama in years, including the ones I chose to drop midway.
I have to admit I decided to watch it ever since news came out of the casting, because as a fan of both seasons of Stranger, I have come to admire Cho Seung-Woo greatly, and was excited for his next project, and for this reason solely, I didn't hesitate to watch, and for the same reason I kept pushing through no matter how frustrated I became with the drama.

Sisyphus is a scifi futuristic drama years in the making, boasts a high production cost, and casts a great ensemble, so what went wrong you ask?

while the production budget aided in creating hollywood-worthy looking scenery thanks to great CGI, and insuring rich cinematography, making the drama come out sleak and eyecatching, but alas the core element of any drama was deeply flawed; the story.

It was a drama whose creators may have well utilized a big production budget, but ended up focusing more on the visuals, and losing focus on what matters the most which is the story, and the cohesiveness of the science fiction plot.

While I admit the premise of the drama is original and cool (time travelling back in time to prevent a war and save the country), the story at its core turned to be a mess and plagued with plot holes, incohesive sequences, unexplained rules, and above all the science behind time travelling if any provided was illogical to say the least.

It goes without saying that any scifi media that discusses time travelling or time bending elements in many cases can prove to be a bit complicated and even sometimes dizzying to watch. But a neatly weaved plot and well written script that establishes a set of cohesive rules to the science behind it, are the key to help the viewer follow along. But in Sisyphus' case, especially during the second half of the drama when the plot finally started shifting from all the meaningless cat-and-mouse-like action phase and started to focus more on the time travelling aspect and the mission to change the past, the scenario in many times ended up creating more questions than it did provide answers, and even when it did provide answers they came too late, were sometimes unconvincing and other times downright illogical.

First, let's discuss the directing and general pace of the drama.
As I mentioned earlier the first half heavily leaned towards elaborate action, featuring a lot of car chases, gun fights etc. Although most of those (especially the post-apocalyptic future scenes) were craftly made and it showed the huge budget and amount of dedication put into creating them, I found myself feeling detached and not interested most of the time. The cinematography was top notch with many of the action sequences relying on sophisticated camera angles (using drones etc) fast moving shots, and wirework, but unfortunately like many other things did in this drama prove, too much of a good thing is not always to the better.

Proof to that, is how the writers time and again chose to assign precious airtime to slow-building action sequences in the future arc, that do little to the story's development other than maybe shedding a bit of light on how the Female Lead survived the harsh distopian post-war Seoul and came to learn to fend for herself, which many times unfortunately felt dragging and a distraction from the present day arc, and created problems in the pacing of the drama.
Or how, for the sake of creating catchy frames and thrilling action scenes, they chose to make everyone fire live ammunition at each other, even though the plot stresses on the fact that one side needs the other alive at all costs....and don't forget to mention that during such shootouts the leads rarely ever get hit, and if they do it is just a graze or a small cut to the arm, but the enemy always falls dead!

Second issue that made the show difficult to enjoy was the characterization, especially that of the antagonists, which was to put it mildly a total train wreck.
First off, the arch nemesis; Sigma, who was supposed to be the ultimate evil criminal mastermind who causes the demise of a whole nation, but who in reality ended up feeling like a silly cutout villain straight out of a comic book. No matter how I found him silly and laughable I always wished the writers had in store a strong background story to explain his grand agenda, but alas it was all just a childish and immature loser's grudge, soooo frustrating.
Also the Control bureau were just so incompetent and dumb watching them was a cringe-inducing ordeal that eventually required major adjustments to my villain-worthy standards.

Now to the main issue at hand; the story.
To end up watching a Scifi drama with half your brain occupied trying to wrap your head around what the hell anyone; both protagonists and antagonists alike; is trying to achieve (with all the gun fights and assassinations you no longer understand if they wanted him dead or alive?), or how a villain's warnings from a physical point of view make no sense whatsoever (kill me and my minions no longer look after your brother who is in limbo thanks to me existing?!!!!) , then It is not an issue of a sophisticated or smart plot, it is simply an issue of an ill-written plot.

There was a constant sense of incompleteness about everything regarding the plot, starting from the simplest and most basic of points (what was Quantam & Time intially selling that made it such a high stock company with a CEO fearured on the cover of Forbes?) to more pressing questions (what circumstances turned Sigma & the control bureau into allies and why?) To most fundamental matters on which the ending depended (If the uploader is never created shouldn't all time travellers from the future vanish simultaneously and not in such a convenient delayed fashion? Also wouldn't travelling back in time a couple of mere minutes ago to save oneself create an unescapable time loop?) And on and on...

The more you watch, the more you find yourself rolling your eyes at the caricaturish villains, and the more interactions you see between the leads and the villain, the more you scratch your head in wonder is it meet or the writers who do not fully comprehend the concept of time travel and the consequences of changing the past on the future?

All in all, Sisyphus may have been a fun to watch in terms of visuals and production, but the more you dive deeper the more you will get disappointed. I started to seriously wonder why such stars chose to take on such a project, and if they had received the full script before shooting started?
This is a drama that gives proof to the old adage, Not all that glitters is Gold.

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Better Than What You May Think It Is

Let me start off by saying I've watched Alice. If you liked Alice, you'll for sure like this and if you didn't then... you'll still may like this.

So, Would I Recommend This To You?
Yes. As a matter of fact, I will be rewatching this with a family member because I know they will like it too.

What Is The Rewatch Value?
If you take a break and watch it again, sure that's fine but I don't think you'll enjoy it as much if you watch it instantly again.

Good Plot?
It was an amazing and original concept considering it's involving time travel where many new dramas are experimenting with modern time travel and the production team pulled it off.

Any Romance?
I wouldn't watch it for the 'romance' but the couple have cute moments but the main focus is the actual story and not just the love emotion.

Great Acting?
Both of the actors were great. It didn't feel like acting if you get me. Their chemistry was great and especially offscreen too as you can see in the BTS videos released on Youtube.

What Is Your Rating And Why?
I think I've been giving every episode a solid 9 because I thought maybe there could have been some things that could have been done better and I will leave my rating as it is because I feel that although the ending was great, I would have liked a few more scenes to conclude the story more properly but it could be that the team intentionally left it like that for us to raise questions on what actually happened.

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