This review may contain spoilers
I had fun, but I'm biased.
Disclaimer: I'm not a huge fan of historical settings or adventure films and I watched this solely for the cast. I was excited for Sehun's film debut and I really like Soobin, Hyo Joo, Ha Neul, and Kwang Soo and enjoyed their previous performances.
It was a fun watch! I had some actual laugh out loud moments. A bit random with plot progression, but I liked it. The action choreography was pretty good. The acting was on point. The CGI was also a B+, it wasn't the best but it's not bad.
Sehun's character doesn't speak much but he's doing his job quietly and serving visuals. We stan. Soobin's character fell in love at first sight when she was brought on board. We relate. They end up together and their little moments are adorable ( wish we had more).
Han Hyo Joo and Kang Ha Neul had great banter and chemistry in the start when they are battling for ultimate control as a pirate captain and bandit leader. The pirate captain FL wins and our bandit leader ML has been whipped since the start so he accepts and goes along with the arrangement. They have their fair share of bonding and at the end, Hyo Joo seals it with a kiss.
Kang Ha Neul had a brief backstory that wasn't explored but he knew the villain Kwon Sang Woo beforehand and that whole arc needed more explanation and time.
Since the start, the movie was eventful, we just dived into the conflict with some text onscreen to prompt us. Not the best for an international audience who might not know the historical eras.
The leads' backstory and more screentime for Sehun and Soobin would've been great. Since this story is set at the end of Goryeo and the start of Joseon - some people/places only mentioned via text on screen could do better with narration.
Giving it a biased 9. (I guess objectively for me it would be an 8). If the story had been a little fleshed out, it would've objectively been a 9 but currently, it kinda feels like a chronology of events rather than a full story since so much happened in 2 hours and there were so many characters whose arcs weren't fully explored. But as I already mentioned, the cast and their performances propelled it towards a 9 because I’m biased.
It was a fun watch! I had some actual laugh out loud moments. A bit random with plot progression, but I liked it. The action choreography was pretty good. The acting was on point. The CGI was also a B+, it wasn't the best but it's not bad.
Sehun's character doesn't speak much but he's doing his job quietly and serving visuals. We stan. Soobin's character fell in love at first sight when she was brought on board. We relate. They end up together and their little moments are adorable ( wish we had more).
Han Hyo Joo and Kang Ha Neul had great banter and chemistry in the start when they are battling for ultimate control as a pirate captain and bandit leader. The pirate captain FL wins and our bandit leader ML has been whipped since the start so he accepts and goes along with the arrangement. They have their fair share of bonding and at the end, Hyo Joo seals it with a kiss.
Kang Ha Neul had a brief backstory that wasn't explored but he knew the villain Kwon Sang Woo beforehand and that whole arc needed more explanation and time.
Since the start, the movie was eventful, we just dived into the conflict with some text onscreen to prompt us. Not the best for an international audience who might not know the historical eras.
The leads' backstory and more screentime for Sehun and Soobin would've been great. Since this story is set at the end of Goryeo and the start of Joseon - some people/places only mentioned via text on screen could do better with narration.
Giving it a biased 9. (I guess objectively for me it would be an 8). If the story had been a little fleshed out, it would've objectively been a 9 but currently, it kinda feels like a chronology of events rather than a full story since so much happened in 2 hours and there were so many characters whose arcs weren't fully explored. But as I already mentioned, the cast and their performances propelled it towards a 9 because I’m biased.
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