1
Herman
USA
Story (7.0):
Over the top, ridiculous, and I loved it.I'm a sucker for secret identities, twins pretending to be each other, bad guys almost killing good guys, hehe. Plenty of that in here. So much melodrama.The bad guys are way too bad, the good guys, probably way too good (nah), the ending was not at all realistic, and lots of people turned about face without much explanation.I confess I watched a fair amount of this at x2 speed, and used the 10 second skip liberally, but I still loved the plot. It was so funny hilarious and drama hilarious. As in a lot of the drama was so contrived and unrealistic that I enjoyed it without too much worry.
Plot hole unrealistic galore, so much fun.
Acting/Cast (7.0):
Over the top, ridiculous, and I loved it.
Seriously, I thought most of the parts were over acted, especially Yoon Se Ah (thought that's not new imho), and it was really enjoyable x)
I also felt the twins were overacted, but Lee Da Hae did a VERY good job acting the two twins. You really forget that it's one person doing it.
I think the most organic acting in here was from the two male leads Ryu Soo Young and An Woo Yeon, and from the kid.
Still, I think all the acting, while not spectacular, fit the drama and was definitely overacted (as opposed to underacted).
Music (8.0):
I probably overrate most drama soundtracks, because there are few that I actually love and I still love the dramas; this ost again isn't anything spectacular, but there were a couple songs I might actually consider listening to outside of the drama, so that's definitely a plus.
Rewatch Value (10.0):
Okay, even if I really love a drama, I usually can't imagine sitting down and rewatching it again. Especially if it is really emotional. I really enjoyed Mother, Goblin, etc, but I have yet to rewatch them completely. Favorites, yes I can go back and watch my favorite parts.
But this drama was just so much fun, I think I could go back and rewatch the whole thing xD. (EDIT: I literally did this, rewatched the whole thing in a matter of a couple days, so I've increased this to a 10 lol. I think I had even more fun this second time watching)
I'd still probably have to skip a lot of the bad guy stuff now that I know what's happening and it's marginally boring (oh come on, who doesn't like to see Yoon Se Ah throwing a temper tantrum), but I'd do it I swear.
If you're laboring over whether you want to watch this or not, are you looking for something serious? Eh, go watch something else.
Honestly, I enjoy a lot of the cliched plots in melodrama, but it's a rare melodrama that keeps me interested throughout. If you like melodrama, you'll probably enjoy this, and even if you don't, you might... if you get what I'm saying.
Come on, who doesn't love a twins story. It's double the fun!
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This review may contain spoilers
I think this drama just stole the first place in my favorites list! I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob! Go watch this amazing drama now! Stop reading! Honestly, this is the highest quality drama I have ever seen. Not just the best, but the cinematography, the sets, the costumes, yes EVEN the Visual Effects were magnificently amazing. I didn't have to cringe my way through a scene that looked fake! No, instead I would be thinking "Wow, what amazing camerawork, what an ingenious way to show that, look at that scenery!..." etc, etc, etc. Story (10.0):
I have yet to give a 10 across the board, and rating the story a 10 is almost as rare. This story is literally gobsmackingly amazing! If you need some context, it reminded me of a mix of some of my other favorite dramas: Healer just for the vibe of secrets and connections to be found; Queen In Hyun's Man for the previous lifetime, man from another time sort of story with an impossible love; Legend of the Blue Sea with similar feels of previous lifetimes and fated character connections, touches of supernatural. But honestly, it was also completely its own thing. It reminded me of elements from those other dramas, but took those and transcended them!
Goblin was the perfect mix of romance and bromance, comedy and tragedy, love and heartbreak, life and death... This drama had way more than I asked of it and didn't ever once go off the rails. I won't spoil the ending or anything, but at the end of the drama I had SO MUCH FEELS I felt like I'd just watched a 50 episode Saeguk instead of a measly 16 episode package of awesomeness!
I've heard some complaints about the lead female roles characters, but honestly what really made me love this story and made it stick out from all the other dramas I've seen was the characters and the interaction between the characters, the ways they try to express their feelings and learn from those around them, the witty banter and dialogue! I can't say how many times I laughed in this drama! I think episode 10 was my favorite just from this one hilarious bromance scene... AHHH! I want to write more about this story because it was pure GENIUS, but I can't say much more without giving some spoilers. Read the plot if you--never mind just go watch this.
Acting/Cast (10.0):
Perfection. I can't say I've finished anything Gong Yoo has been in and I honestly couldn't deal with Cheese in the Trap; nor have I watched much with Lee Dong Wook... BUT THEY WERE AMAZING. All those main three... I seriously can't deal with it. The story and dialogue was my favorite part between these three and they delivered the heck out of this. The bromance between Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook was just the best. And I'm not forgetting the just as brilliant performances of Yoo In Na and Yook Sung Jae, on the contrary, I've seen these two in other dramas, most notably Queen In Hyun's Man and School 2015, and I loved them both there! How could I not like them here! I was always so sad to see Yoo In Na in the "evil" roles like in Secret Garden and You Who Came From the Stars, so it's a pleasure again to be rooting for her.
I mentioned I couldn't get through Cheese in the Trap, but it was nothing to do with Kim Go Eun. Seriously, she was perfect for this role and acted it out splendidly. At first I was wary of the romance between her and Gong Yoo, and while they aren't my favorite couple out there, they really did a great job together! It was just great.
As far as secondary actors go, I don't remember one bad actor... If I remember right, there may have been some of that classic KDrama cheesy English, but no biggie for everything else we get out of this show! Oh, props for Kim So Hyun! One of my favorite Actresses, I was so overjoyed to see her in this and she looks great in a historical setting! I'm so enjoying seeing her in Ruler: Master of the Mask after her role here in Goblin.
Music (9.5):
I really wanted to give this 10 all the way across the board and honestly this soundtrack is really good! I even listen to it on its own which I don't do unless I really enjoy a soundtrack. But it wasn't perfect for me as some of the songs didn't really fit with me. But I still gave it the highest possible rating I could without hitting that ten mark!
Rewatch Value (10.0):
Yes, a 10. Usually my rewatch values match pretty closely to the story value, and this is no exception. The story is just amazing especially the first time through when you don't know what's going to happen, but the interactions of the characters is just such a joy to watch that I've already started rewatching this! To be honest with you all, I watched the first half of this drama when it was first coming out; I loved it, but stuff happened and I never actually finished the drama... gasp! So when I was coming back to it, I was like whatever let's watch the first part again, and my rewatching hasn't stopped from there. This drama... I don't think I'll ever stop rewatching it. And I rarely rewatch anything, so yeah, it's good. Go watch it so you can rewatch it.
Overall (10.0):
How could I not give this drama a ten? The story was astounding, the acting was incredible, the music was amazing, everything was practically perfect in every way! I feel like I've said everything up above but that I still have so much more to say! I'm having trouble expressing how much I enjoyed this without posting spoilers... I'll probably be coming back to post new stuff in this review because I know I have more to say about this but it's all fled my mind to be replaced with the desire to go watch this again. Annyeong!!! Salanghae!!! P.S. Not my longest review, only coming in at a little over 1.1k words, but it's still a great effort. Hope this convinced you to go watch this drama.
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Anyway, it's really interesting seeing these Asian movies that came out before I was born because they're not just different from movies of today, but from Western movies of the same era. To date I've only seen one Asian movie older than this and I don't think it counted because it was more of a direct opera to screen conversion. I can't say this movie is a favorite, but it's made me want to start finding lots of old Asian movies just for fun.
Story (7.5):
Okay, there were several gags and minor parts of the story that bugged me or that I skipped through, but it also had me laughing out loud in parts and got a whole lot more intense than I expected. The starting point of the plot seems a bit shallow: he's got to go undercover in a school to get a high ranking officers pistol back that was stolen by one of the students. However, it eventually dives into gangs and arms dealings, and includes (non-graphic) men getting blown up and students getting shot. There may have been a fair amount of references and humor and just general behavior of the day that kind of went over my head, but I'd like to think I was able to understand and appreciate most happenings throughout.
As a whole, I thought it could have been more defined since the flow of the story wasn't the best, but it wasn't terrible either and got the point across. Also, plus one for decent action sequences!
Acting/Cast (8.0):
I'm having a hard time thinking of what to say for this area, because I didn't see anything problematic with any of the acting; however, I can't think of anything that made me think "wow that's really good" either. So the acting fit the storyline? The guy was obviously not a teenager, but he did a valiant job even in the low resolution I was forced to watch this in.
Music (6.0):
The music wasn't terrible and had some funny tracks to play along with action sequences, but there were several times it stuck out like a sore thumb and I didn't think it fit the scenes. It could just be the 1990s Asian OST style though, so maybe it was usual at that time?
Rewatch Value (5.0):
I'm giving this 5 because I'm enough of a sucker for undercover cop stories that I could see myself watching this again at some point in the future. However, I've also got a lot of other options I'd probably choose over this one.
Overall (6.5):
I mean, I had fun watching it, but it's definitely not for everyone. I'd say if you can't enjoy the opening action sequence and ensuing reaming, you're probably going to have a hard time getting through the rest of the movie. However, any issues with this movie aside, I found it enjoyable as a means of scratching my itch for undercover cops in highschool storylines. If that's where you're coming from, then maybe there's a greater chance you'll be amused!
Anyway, it was free on AsianCrush:
https://www.asiancrush.com/video/004477v/fight-back-to-school/
And now let's see if I ever watch the sequels... There's at least a chance for the second one because it also involves high school :)
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FINAL-ly got around to watching this haha. Now this is a fantastic EXAM-ple of nail-biting intense "heists" as the students try to cheat their way through the exams! I was very impressed with the way this story played out, both in content and in structure, sometimes hiding information in the best way possible.
It's hard not to spoil anything, but it was fun to see the different ways they came up with to cheat and how they reacted when their plans went awry.
If anything detracts from this story, it's that it took me a little bit to get into the film, and that sometimes they overplayed a situation that I didn't feel had to be quite THAT stressful.
Otherwise, I'd say watch this over any old bank heist movie any day. It's like student mission impossible, complete with 3d characters.
Acting/Cast (9.5/10):
A brilliant feature film debut for the lead actress playing Lynn! She and all the lead cast portrayed their parts very well. I have to not give a perfect 10 only for the foreign actors when they were in Australia, lol.
Music (9.0/10):
The music in this was very well done to suit all the scenes. Music is also a fairly integral part of the story, and the way they integrated what was happening in the story into the score was very well done. Such as the character playing four notes on the piano and then the score starts a nails-biting theme based around the ending piano note. Well done.
Rewatch Value (8.0/10):
I get bored easily when I watch something I've already seen, but this is one of those films I wouldn't mind seeing again in the nearby future.
Overall (9.0/10):
A very well done film that will keep you on the edge of your seat for at least the second half. Also, when you think it's just going to be a fun action movie, it hits you from the side with character drama and the characters having to decide what they believe is right and how far they are willing to go to get ahead.
A very good action movie with breathing characters. Recommended.
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I originally started watching this when I first heard that the Disney live action was going to be, and finally finished watching it today after seeing the first trailer for Mulan 2020.
Wow. Don't embarrass yourself Disney. You've already got outcry from China on your historical inaccuracies just from the trailer alone...
Story (9.5):
Quite unlike the Disney animated version, this story follows more closely the original poem. In that version, Mulan was already skilled in fighting when she took her father's place in the army, and she didn't leave the army until 12 years later.
To start with, the setup here is done really well. There's a brief introduction to important characters through snapshots of daily life before we jump right into the army recruitment with a well handled segue into Mulan taking her father's place.
Since Mulan is already well trained, there's little room for a "Make a man out of you" scene, but don't worry, it's replaced by a beat up the bully type of scene showing off her awesomeness.
From here there's little to the story that resembles the Disney version. Instead of singing and fun and flashy fighting, we jump into gritty battlefields and Mulan's inner turmoil as she wrestles with her humanity and failings and emotional pain. It was really fulfilling to see the character arc of Mulan; she's not perfect (please don't make a Mary Sue Mulan Disney) and it's painfully obvious in some scenes where she's at her lowest point. But she overcomes her weaknesses with the help of her friends and even rises to greatness.
If you're looking for a sweeping romance with stolen kisses and a white picket fence ending to the movie, you're going to be disappointed. I'll say that much without spoiling anything, but don't worry too much. It's not a major downer or anything. Instead, this is a beautiful look at humanity and makes you wonder what kind of a person you would become in a battlefield.
Acting/Cast (9.5):
Major props to the actors. It's not the first time I've seen the main actors, but I was particularly impressed with Vicki Zhao as Mulan. From the first few minutes I was a little skeptical (having come from seeing Crystal in the Disney trailer) but she really delivered. I'm not going to get into the whole "oh she doesn't look at all like a boy, how didn't they realize" because I think that's a little pointless; of course she looks like a girl...
But don't tell me she doesn't look like an indefatigable general as she staggers to meet Wen Tai in the middle of the battlefield after the Poison Dragon passes. Very well done especially in the second half.
Music (9.0):
Frankly the music and audio in this movies isn't perfect, but it's like a grainy image of perfection. I wish I could call it perfect because it seemed to do all the right things, it just wasn't able to fully portray what it should have all the time. But it still got the message across beautifully and really helps pull those tears right out of you. Don't even think about skipping the end titles. Are you a savage?
Rewatch Value (8.0):
It's definitely a fairly gritty watch, and usually I'm more the kind of person who rewatches the super fun fan service kind of stuff, but this movie is definitely something I'll be rewatching again. I'll probably watch it side by side with the 2020 movie to see what gives.
Overall (9.0):
Well, I'd say don't watch this if you're looking for a romantic flick... But I do think it's an important movie.
Honestly, I'm really excited for Disney's live action Mulan but I'm terrified they're going to botch the culture or something. Now that I've steeped myself in so many Asian movies and dramas, watching most Western film that tries to be Asian is usually super painful.
However, there's one exception to the rule which is one of my all time favorite movies: The Last Samurai
The highest praise I can give this 2009 version of Mulan is that it reminded me of The Last Samurai. The friendship and brotherhood, the character development, even the way battle is depicted, I kept thinking of The Last Samurai.
What I expect of 2020 is a more flashy film, but this version here is truly an epic portrayal I don't recommend missing.
P.S. Also, major props to this movie on the battle scenes. It did a good job of portraying large scale combat through combinations of lots of people and skillful cuts thus avoiding the pitifully understaffed or obviously fake armies I've seen before...
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Story (9.0):
Okay, there's no brilliant detective solving the worst crimes known to man or conniving businessmen taking over the world through genius cunning; there's nothing mind-bending and heart palpitating at all really. But the story takes a fun premise and carries that fun through to the end which I find a major accomplishment. Yes, it's not realistic and there's lots of stupidity that wouldn't hold up in a detective drama, but this isn't a detective drama! It's a rom-com folks!
And as someone who drops dramas right and left because I get annoyed or just don't want to watch anymore, I'm frankly surprised how quickly I flew through this one, especially since I've had a hard time getting through (romance) dramas from this same time period.
Personally, what I liked most through the show was the main character and seeing her change while remaining who she is; this was all given a backdrop of great supporting characters who became her friends and helped her become a better person. In the end, there was a marked difference from the selfish person we saw in the beginning, but she had also not changed who she was... It's hard to explain. I've never watched the movie this is based on, but I've heard the character had a more drastic change in that storyline. I think I would much prefer how the main character in this drama stays true to herself while also changing for the better. The PD for this drama said in an interview that he started that movie but never finished it and didn't know how it ended :D
One part of this story I was worried about was the second leads.
First, the female second lead, Yoo Kyung; honestly, there's not much to worry about. Yes, she tries to sink her claws into the man, but it doesn't bring about the annoying drama I hate so much. In fact, Yoo Kyung kind of shoots herself in the foot by being a bit duplicitous and not telling the whole truth before Chul Soo is firmly pointed in a different direction. That is, towards our heroine, Sang Shil (Jo Anna), who in contrast to Yoo Kyung, is very straightforward with who she is and what she feels, even if it doesn't give off the sweet persona Yoo Kyung has adopted.
In the case of the male second lead, Billy, it's a bit different, namely because he's already married to Anna. However, he somehow manages to shoot himself in the foot far more spectacularly than Yoo Kyung. In fact, he might have the greatest character arc in this whole drama as he makes the initial mistake and then tries to fix it by digging deeper and deeper holes and only realizing how far he's sunk by the time he's dug his own grave. Poor guy.
Anyway, I can't stand dramas that throw meaningless drama at the viewer to keep the story moving, and this did a good job of adding tension and drama without going overboard while throwing in dashes of comedy in all the right places. Finally, if you didn't know, this is a Hong sisters story! If you've liked any of their previous works, then you'll enjoy this one. Frankly, I have loved some of their works and promptly dropped others, so I was glad to see this stick to the straight and narrow.
Acting/Cast (9.0):
Han Ye Seul. Hate her or love her, I thought this role was perfect for her. Yeah, her voice got a bit overly screechy at times, most notable when she was arguing with the placid Yoo Kyung, but wow, it just worked. She made this role for me. As the rich Anna Jo, I thought she did a splendid job with her imperious and notorious look (I can FEEL that searing gaze in her wedding picture), but what really got me was how she played Na Sang Shil. I can't get over it and it's part of what really made this drama for me. And of course, you can't have Na Sang Shil without the reason for her antics: Jang Chul Soo!!!! (read that in her yelled voice as he turns away)
I have to admit, this might be the first drama Oh Ji Ho has starred in that I have completed. I'll be honest, whenever Na Sang Shil was on the screen, Jang Chul Soo kind of faded into the background as an accessory for me, but then when he had some emotional scenes, I was like, oh wait this guy can act!
There are some well known actors in the supporting cast and everyone regardless did a good job of portraying their characters. Due to the nature of this drama, there's a lot of the overacted style, but it usually seemed to fit.
Music (7.0):
Probably my least favorite part of the show, I'm still giving it a 7 because it was also a bit funky and usually fit the mood even if I can only remember 4 or 5 distinct pieces.
Rewatch Value (10.0):
I'm going out on a limb and proclaiming that I will without a doubt rewatch this drama. Personally, my favorite kind of shows to rewatch (which I do rarely), are ones that aren't too dramatic and are funny and romantic. This fits the bill perfectly.
Overall (9.0):
I'd say out of all the Hong sister dramas I've seen, this is probably #2 right behind Master's Sun. In my opinion, it's infinitely better than You're Beautiful which counts among the list of dramas I had to force myself (over many months) to eventually finish even if parts were fun.
I'll admit, going from a current Rom-com I was watching (Perfume) to this was a bit jarring in style, but they're both unique and I like both the old and the new. All in all, if you've ever liked an older drama or a Hong drama, then this should be just your cup of tea...
Or Makgeolli.
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Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings
1 people found this review helpful
Story (6.0):
The story was never really boring and kept me mostly intrigued but neither did it have me doing much guesswork and in retrospect it wasn't special at all. It's probably a fun watch for someone who likes cheesy action flicks and is a better movie in my opinion than the likes of The Huntresses or Gods of Egypt, but is also a movie I'll be throwing into the mix with those movies as oh cool never watching that again.
While the movie doesn't get boring, I was also not super invested and there were some plot devices I thought didn't work and some things that they didn't even try to explain. I think the weirdest part of how they told the story was leaving some important closure until after the credits had started rolling. I was about to close the film, thinking that they were just going to leave the audience unsatisfied and then some after credit scenes started playing cut up by more credits and only explained a few small story ends and then it was over... I found the decision to do that entirely unnecessary but oh well.
One item I can praise this movie for is the CGI. It's not perfect and there were some fake elements, but it was a lot better than I was expecting and I'm usually a CGI snob.
Acting/Cast (7.0):
We have a good list of actors/actresses in this movie and they all perform well, just don't expect the parts to force their finest or for anything else spectacular here. As a Sandra Ma fan I was a bit disappointed with the lack luster performance from her, but it wasn't bad acting, just not much to do. The character was supposed to be a bit quirky but it came off as odd instead of the endearing General she's played you know where else. I felt similarly with the other characters. Nothing really special here. Fortunately there really wasn't any of those over acted crazy people that can be found in a lot of movies and dramas so that is a plus... well, okay one or two slightly crazy acted people but it's manageable. Think crazy old witch lady and the like.
Music (8.0):
The music was fairly decent and fit with the movie. I even listened to the whole end credits song. Nothing Hans Zimmerlike but it was good orchestration.
Rewatch Value (4.0):
As with many lackluster films, I doubt I'll ever watch this one again, but I can't say I'm sad I watched it.
Overall (6.5):
If you're bored and would like to waste an evening in dubious fun, have at it. It's actually a fair bit better than a lot of other Asian B movies like The Huntresses or Bounty Hunters but you're not getting a super quality film either. That said, the effects are surprisingly good and you'll have a smile or two with some minimal guesswork. Have at it.
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Story (8.0):
Wow, I really loved parts of this story. One of my favorite dramas is Healer, and some of it reminded me of that (and City Hunter, etc) and really a lot of the action was very good.
HOWEVER; The Finale pretty much ruined everything for me. Yes, there were other things that detracted from the overall story: there could have been a better romantic story line (like seriously wth I love action but give us some mc together time); too much making us guess who's actually good (come on I like trying to figure out mysteries, but you can't have everybody be an undercover cop). And the latter half of the story, while still packed with action, was just not as good as the first half.
Despite these, I could have given the story a 10. If it weren't for the finale.
To be honest, I was thinking of giving the drama an overalla 10 at episode 19, even though it wasn't as perfect to me as my other ten ratings.
But that finale. Nevermind that they try to crush your heart and soul.
It's too abrupt. That could be forgiven, if it were logical abrupt. Like seriously did you think you could just kill a few people have a random heart to heart scene between characters who weren't developed enough and then give us a few hallucinations to make us happy? Bwah, I want to kill the writers.
Talking about developed characters... Yes, Soo Min and Ji Hyun were done okay, but honestly they were pretty undercooked.
This doesn't mean the character development was bad. I would almost rate characters a 10 just with Safari, Lee Jin Suk and Jung Si Hyun alone. They were awesome. I really liked Lee Jin Suk's character and seeing the heartbreak towards the end she went through... It was very well developed and this will definitely cross over to the acting section.
They were done so well however, that Soo Min, our supposed main female lead, felt stale. Honestly, she didn't develop all that much...
Acting/Cast (9.5):
I'd like to give this a 10 because there were quite a few actors in here who just knocked it out of the ballpark, seriously. Lee Jin Suk, Jung Si Hyun, Safari, the actors for them did a wonderful job. There weren't any actors I seriously thought were bad at acting, but even Soo Min felt a bit underplayed, albeit I think this is mostly because her character wasn't focused on as much as I wanted.
Music (8.0):
It was good. It wasn't anything I'm downloading though. I'd heard a couple people talking about how they really liked it, but honestly nothing sticks with me. I don't care if it is a good instrumental track or a catchy ballad, I need something that I want to listen to more than once to make me rate highly on a soundtrack. I'm thinking things like Empress Ki theme, Sensory Couple theme, main ballad in Behind Your Smile, etc. This was good but nothing that held my attention after the drama was over.
Rewatch Value (8.0):
There are a lot of stuff especially towards the middle that I really enjoyed. However, I will never ever watch that finale again. Kill me now.
Overall (8.0):
I loved a lot of this show, and there are other shows I've given an 8.0 rating that I loved a whole lot less.
I probably would have given at least a 9.0 if they had given us a decent and fulfilling ending. And I'm not talking Hollywood. Kill anyone you like, just make it meaningful please.
Give me a few months--maybe make it a year--and I'll probably find myself rewatching my favorite parts. But I doubt I'll ever do a whole rewatch.
Simultaneously brilliantly amazing and disappointing.
Give it a shot and stop at episode 19.
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Story (9.5):
Okay, hardly any story can be completely perfect and while this had its flaws more notably in police work and back story, I didn't hardly notice anything while watching. And I'm not talking major police work flaws--they were actually refreshingly intelligent after coming from K-Dramas--or flaws in the MC back story. I felt that her back story was done very well and wrapped up pretty nicely. I've heard others saying that this movie wasn't closed off quite as well as Blind, and while I'll have to watch Blind to see (haha) for myself, I didn't think this ended all that badly.
Frankly, I was really glad they didn't throw in any romance like some movies might try. This movie had plenty going on without romance and I'm not watching a movie called The Witness because I want to see some people locking lips. Praise the heavens. Plus from me.
Acting/Cast (9.0):
All the main actors were very good, though there was one part I felt the MC was a bit stale; other than that almost all the supporting actors were top notch and props to the dog! The dog was a very good actor :)
I don't really have much more to say on this other than that the antagonist was pretty good, but I've definitely seen better acting for this type of role in my Asian drama wanderings.
Music (9.0):
I'm basing this off the fact the music buoyed the story very well and the songs (i.e. music with words) were good. Normally I wouldn't rate this high on music unless it was something I loved and would download and listen to frequently, but I couldn't pass up a 9 when I saw that the band musicians were ACTUALLY SEMI PLAYING THE RIGHT NOTES OMG. No faked musicians here. Thank you so much. Every true musician cringes when they see fake musicians on screen.
Rewatch Value (10.0):
I would watch this again. I'm going to watch Blind no question. After that I might watch it with a friend. Nothing I'll watch over and over and over again, but then there isn't a single thing out there that I would. It's very hard for movies to get a 10 on rewatch from me because there's so little content compared to a drama and I get bored of stuff pretty easily if it's repetitive.
Overall (9.5):
Rounding up a bit, I'll total as 9.5. There weren't any parts I felt cringey on or were poorly setup. The flow and cinematography were all amazing and packed together with a fast paced horror/mystery/detective story... I was very surprised by how much I liked this. Highly recommended.
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This review may contain spoilers
Be prepared to hold onto your horses and definitely don't close your eyes! Though this is a short Sageuk coming in at a measly 24 episodes (IKR!), it certainly has all the feels and annoyances and amazingness that makes up a typical Sageuk.Story (9.0):
I'm literally writing this as the last episode is finishing and I'm watching this last scene and getting goosebumps and shivers; what an amazing way to close the drama! I've heard some negative comments about this ending, but honestly it was the best way it could have ended in my opinion. And it's not even your typical Sageuk ending where everyone both good and bad beside the main character seems to die (only kind of joking); instead we see a beautiful finale that ties in with the first antics of our main couple and leaves you to wonder why all those other dramas focus on closure by successful revenge and conquering.
But don't get me wrong: the whole last half of this drama is mostly about trying to get revenge, and there are PLENTY of sorrowful and tearjerking scenes especially leading on from the 1/4 mark. If the beginning of the drama didn't clue you in, I don't know what would. This is a Romeo and Juliet style story (don't worry, it doesn't end quite the same).
There were a number of romantic couples in this drama, and while Se Ryeong and Seung Yu's was very fun to watch, especially in the very beginning and as the story came to a close, I found the love story between the Princess Kyung Hye and Jung Jong to be just as enticing and especially around the half way mark, even more fun to watch. Honestly, the Princess Kyung Hye was more interesting at times than our main character Se Ryeung (I guess I could call her Princess as well), and I loved seeing Kyung Hye's relationship both with her cousin Se Ryeung and her husband Jong morph and change over the course of the story.
I've painted this story in a highly positive light so far, but there were some parts I found excruciatingly aggravating. However, as I go through and enumerate, you'll probably see that it isn't isolated to only this Sageuk.
First off, most of my frustration from this story happened from the 1/4 mark the 1/2 way mark. Seriously, I watched the first 6-7 episodes in great joy, then draaaggged through those next 6-7 and then flew through to the end.
BEGIN RANT:
My problem with these episodes were these stupid choices and mistakes and misunderstandings and mishaps and all this gooblety gook drama that I really didn't want to see that I realize needed to happen for the rest of the drama and I'll admit made Se Ryeung's later actions so cheerworthy but in reality made me really want to skip scenes and indeed I found myself reading recaps to find the scenes I wanted to watch so I could get to a place I really wanted to see and I've lost sight of where I was going with this rant, but seriously, WHY! AGH!
END RANT.
Heh, the last half was worth all the drama though, and yes the drama was the basis of the whole story, but still, meh, Se Ryung was a bit annoying in these portions.
Acting/Cast (9.5):
Ahhh! So many crying scenes! I think most of the time Princess Kyung Hye was on the screen, she was crying!
But wow, Princess Kyung Hye blew me away, especially in the scene where she and Jong are tearfully looking at each-other... Actually, that whole episode was amazing on her part. Whenever her chin wobbles came into play... Dagger to the heart! ;(
The rest of the cast was mostly very good, though I found Song Jong Ho's (Myeon's) acting to be a bit over the top at times. Especially... nvm that's a spoiler.
There was also one scene that stuck in my head where there was an army of soldiers cheering that was sooo fake.
Beyond that, our main characters definitely didn't disappoint, and all the conniving and scheming and backstabbing politicians and their incompetent rivals were pretty well cast; I thought Se Ryung's father was very well cast especially whenever his character had semi-redeeming (who are you kidding, he can't be completely redeemed) moments like the last part of the finale.
The main couple was well cast and were very good together, but they definitely don't top my favorite couples list. Maybe 5th place. It's not totally their fault though because I've got some really strong couples on my list. Props to Woon and his Orabeoni girl love...
Final person I really need to commend would be the young King Dan-jong played by Noh Tae Yeob. Those sorrowful eyes of his can really strike the heart and helps his excellent portrayal of a young desperate king who feels trapped and useless.
Oh but wait, I can't forget Seung Yu's niece A Gang! She's the cutest thing ever... Loved the scene of her painting on Suk Joo's face! Haha.
Music (9.0):
The music was very good and also very typical of the Sageuk's I've scene with the mix of full orchestral and then a few male sung ballads and maybe some female singing throw in... I times I felt the main theme was played waaay tooo muuuch, but there was also this one haunting orchestral song with female bg vocals that gave me the chills. A good soundtrack, but not on my list of downloads.
Rewatch Value (8.0):
I will most definitely NOT be rewatching episodes 8-13 unless forced to watch the whole thing with a sibling or friend and if you don't understand why, go read my rant up in the story section. But the first 5-6 episodes, where our character relationships are being established were a joy to watch and will probably be on the top of my rewatch list. The last half of the drama was completed by yours truly in a blink (a day or two okay, give me three) and were very well done, but it is at times tearjerking enough that I don't think I'll be able to rewatch it as much as I would that first quarter of the drama.
Overall ( 9.0):
I've had this on my watchlist for ages and now that I've finally got around to finishing it, I can honestly say it wasn't a waste of time and I fully enjoyed myself. What a powerful love story!
For anyone who's watched the first few episodes, I also hope you caught my reference in the very first sentence of the review. Shame on you if you didn't.
If you are not a fan of Sageuks, I don't know how well this will resonate with you, but I've got such dramas as Empress Ki under my belt so this was a fairly easy and very pleasing undertaking for me.
P.S. I don't want to go through and fix my name spelling inconsistencies so figure it out yourselves.
P.P.S. I don't want to discourage anyone from watching this, so this is post scriptum, but I do feel like I'm being optimistic with this drama mainly because I didn't love it as much as I thought I would after reading some really good reviews of it and it didn't leave me half as a mess or in love as some other dramas (Empress Ki, Queen In Hyun's Man, etc). But it still deserves the 9 I guess. Maybe 8.875...
P.P.P.S. Is this my longest review yet? Maybe. It's like over 1200, almost 1300 words long. Here's to watching dramas when I should be writing essays and then going and writing drama reviews that are longer than my essay needs to be!
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Do you know, I ask, what one of the albeit many reasons I prefer watching Korean Dramas as opposed to Western TV shows is?
It's this little wonderful thing called Closure. More on that later as I dive into the review:
Story (6.0):
Wow.
Okay, I've admitted this before, in that I don't like time travel very much, especially in Western repertoire, but I've seen a few time travel Korean Dramas that I enjoy very much.
One of them I've seen a few times just because it's so enjoyable (plus it's very short) is Splash Splash Love. A woman/girl is upset with the way things are going in her life and suddenly finds herself in a different time period...
My FAVORITE aspect of this sort of thing is seeing how the societies of the respective times clash and how the main character or time-traveling character has trouble fitting in.
And I'll applaud Moon Lovers for really making me enjoy this aspect of the story line. In fact, this is where most of my story rating is coming from... Honest mistakes, sassy unacceptable comebacks, those are the best, and the first couple episodes had enough of this to sate my thirst very pleasantly.
So, yeah, I highly recommend watching the first two episodes; then maybe watch up to the infamous scene in the rain with the cloak tent. You'll know when you get there. If you're ambitious, heck, you may even watch until the very end; and if you do, as I did, you may then go watch Splash Splash Love to see how a story like this could have had a much better ending.
Agh, maybe Splash has an over-optimistic ending for something like this, but even so, with our hearts bleeding and panting on the floor, you can't just, just leave us like that... Seriously, you try to calm us with a flashback? The parts leading up to the ending were torturous enough for me, and then, okay, it's over.
Alright, for those who are thinking this, no, I'm not new to historical dramas and their usual endings. Historical Korean Dramas are one of my favorites, even if I've only ever (currently) watched one past 35 episodes. But I've also seen this sort of ending done much better.
It's not equivalent, but the ending of Empress Ki had me crying but wholly appeased through good use of final moments and flashbacks.
But, whaaat? Moon Lovers? Twisting and turning can be cool and we all knew it was coming... But can't you give us some better closure?
Heal my broken, scarlet heart!
I couldn't deal and had to watch the first 2 episodes again and then watch Splash Splash Love to remind myself that the ending could have been this other way but they just didn't show us so it's all good.
Acting/Cast (9.5):
Aaaah, I love the cast; I'll be honest with you and tell you I dropped this drama at about the 1/2-3/4 mark at one point, but I came back just to see more of IU and the princes. I've got a masculine perspective on this, so I'm more into the IU aspect, but the princes (and I can't help but love Ji Soo from his other works) are more than enough for any fan girls.
And they aren't just eye candy, there is actually good acting in this. I especially applaud IU in her performance as I'm more used to hearing her sing.
Music (9.0):
I honestly loved the music from the very beginning and have listened to it separately from the drama; however, there are portions of it which I didn't think fit this kind of drama very well... But it's all still good.
Rewatch Value (6.0):
Same rating as the story. I've rewatched the first couple of episodes, but I don't think I would ever want to watch any of this drama past the half way mark ever again. Sorry.
Overall (7.0):
I loved the beginning, I hated the ending, had mixed feelings on the middle. Based on my feelings after finishing the drama, I would actually have rated this lower, but I had to look back at all the moments I actually really enjoyed and am glad I saw them, so here's a higher score for you.
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Story (9.0):
This show... It will make you question everything and change your way of thinking throughout.
First you will laugh when the good guys laugh, and sneer or cry when the bad guys laugh, and then you will cry when a good person dies, and cheer when a bad person meets their fate. But then you will cry when a neutral character suddenly dies offscreen, and even worse, start to question the good players motives and think how unfair it is and start crying when a villain meets their untimely fate. You will cry when an evil turncoat can't have his happy ending, and then you will laugh and cry some more and wonder how the protagonist suddenly became this person, realize what happened along the way to make her this way, and wonder how you didn't see it all coming, and why, why, why... And then you will bite into a lime covered in sweet, sweet sugar and wonder: why did I even watch this! And so you will have to go back to Episode 1 from the 18:30 mark just to assure yourself you didn't waste 50 hours of your miserable life and when you watch it you realize exactly what has happened in all those hours between episode 1 and the final episode and you are shocked just by how much this was NOT a waste of your life and it hits you like a slap in the face how amazingly sweeping, agonizing, beautiful, unfair, and awesome this drama story all was. And you don't regret a thing, while laughing and crying.
TL;DR: The story is brutally honest and amazing and mostly believable besides the fact that at one point multiple archers can't hit two people stretched out literally a single jumps distance away, and you may tire of scared and shocked and crying and dying faces, but all the happy stuffed in between was too good to give up.
Acting/Cast (9.5):
I'll admit, I can sometimes get fed up with Ha Ji Won's shocked/unbelieving face that she always seems to make, but she is a great actress and I've seen her in many, many other things and can hardly discredit her at all. The Emperor (Ji Chang-Wook) himself was an amazing cast for a likable cowardly nincompoop turned possessive feral puppy, and Wang Yoo (Joo Jin Moo) was great throughout.
But I'd also like to give special props to the Empress Danashiri (Baek Jin Hee) who perfectly portrays a perfectly justified "villain" who is completely understandable, easy to hate, and makes you pity her even in her downfall; also props to her brother Dang Ki Se (Kim Jung Hyun) and to Tal Tal. Frankly, I don't think there wasn't a good actor in this drama.
Music (8.5):
I'd love to give this music a higher rating because I thoroughly enjoyed the orchestral aspect of things and even some of the songs, but when you are at the very final episode in the very climax, the scene that LITERALLY finished off the drama, HOW DARE YOU make such a music change when I was expecting this one melody! I might exaggerate a little bit since it fit okay I guess, but I was supremely disappointed.
Rewatch Value (8.5):
Immediately after I finished episode 51, I went back and rewatched part of the first episode just to calm my racing heart. I've rewatched some of my favorite scenes since then, and while it's such a grand scope that it might not be easily rewatchable, it's not not rewatchable...
Overall (9.0):
Sweeping, romantic, utterly heartwarming and heartbreaking, actions that you can't stand and can't stand not to watch, if you enjoy historical dramas, then this is one that you can not pass up in good conscience. If you don't enjoy historical dramas or just can't do the 51 episodes, I don't blame you, but I'll say this (at the time of writing): it is the longest drama, almost by multiple of 2, that I've ever stuck with.
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As far as story goes, I was originally going to give it more of a 5 or 6, but I really really liked how they handled the story. If you're looking for exposition, there's none of that here. Instead they start showing you sequences, often covered in music, and you've got to follow along.
So, this isn't that 600 page novel you've been putting off reading, it's that flashy manga / picture book you easily devour before bed. :D
Now onto how they handled the action parts:
First off wow. If all you're looking for is an action movie, this won't disappoint. It's very reminiscent of anything Bruce Lee including the brutal hits and falls that look so painful and the frequent, ingenious, and often hilarious use of everyday props placed around the scene.
Of course, it does suffers a little from the "one on one" style, where all the bad guys seem to have made a pact not to jump in on the fight if she's already fighting somebody. Especially towards the end, there are so many guys just standing around watching her fight lol. But hey, I wouldn't want to get in on that either.
Acting/Cast (9.0):
A few stunted deliveries, but it's more than made up by the great fight sequences, especially from the lead actress who is also a very well trained martial artists (and it shows). She did a decent job of portraying autism and the emotional scenes were good too; but that's not what I was here for anyway...
The rest of the cast is pretty meaningless, most of them there for here to beat up. Sometimes, again as I mentioned, some awkward or over the top deliveries, but you don't really care when watching this kind of movie. I had to take at least 1 star off for that, but it was hard to take off more than that.
Music (6.5):
I only really paid attention to it during one fight scene and it blended in well. Other than that, fairly unmemorable.
Rewatch Value (8.0):
Well I write this after seeing it for the second time. The first time I saw it was before I began my Asian drama craze, so I did have a few years in between, but I can definitely see myself re-watching this again.
Overall (8.0):
I have to say, as an overall movie, my scores come out to an 8.
But if you're an action or Bruce Lee fan, I've got to say, this is a 10/10 action film.
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There never seems to be a lack of action in the story, as in it doesn't get boring, but when you try to think about what happened it's a bit hilarious and lacking in true content. A comedic action storyline. You're not going to take the boss fights seriously, it's all there to lead the semi romance. Even failed first loves are shown with hilarity and not taken seriously. You honestly can't take any of this story seriously though there's nothing inherently comedic about it... :P
Don't come here for something to think on, just for something to laugh through. And as a plus, Gong Yoo is in this film.
Acting/Cast (9.0):
Kim Ha Neul did a great job with this part and it fit her pretty well. That said, neither her nor Kwon Sang Woo look the age their supposed to be acting (more so with Kwon Sang Woo), but it doesn't seriously detract from the story. I think they were only like 4 or 5 years older at the time anyway. No overly terrible acting (that didn't fit the story).
Oh I'm going to add another category
Gong Yoo (10.0):
Gong Yoo was in it.
Music (7.0):
Lol, the music fit the comedic tone fine especially in the gangster fight scenes. Did you know Gong Yoo is in this film? The music really fit with him too.
Rewatch Value (7.0):
It's probably not a film I'll come back to watch again but I'm not dead set against it either. By the way Gong Yoo is in this film.
Overall (7.5):
If you're bored or lazy or want to get over a long day at work, don't hesitate to watch this. It's fun and not annoying like I've found some films of this early 2000s era (yes I'm looking at you My Sassy Girl) though it's also not the best of the era. For instance, I'd recommend She's On Duty more than this and bonus it also has Gong Yoo in it.
Also, Gong Yoo is in this film so that's a plus. I can't get enough of him playing the high school student. Did I mention... never mind ;)
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Story (7.5):
I think this story had a lot of potential and it did utilize it fairly well. The setup and initial dive into the story (a cop goes undercover as a highschool student) was done well and was a lot of fun. The key components of an action film were in place, but a few of them felt a bit rushed and other sloppy. However, they still fed into a good concluding fight sequence.
My main disappointment with this story was that Gong Yoo needs more romance screen time! There were a lot of great fight scenes, some including him, and the ending was satisfying, but I wanted more. Is that contradictory? Oh well.
So basically, it's an okay action/detective movie, too little of but a great romance movie, and a feel good high school movie. I think this could have done with at least 10 minutes more of run time to play more with the concept of becoming friends with the daughter, romantic interest of Gong Yoo, and fleshing out the concepts in action. I can't talk about those much without some spoilers so I'll just say that.
Acting/Cast (9.0):
I've never been a huge fan of Kim Sun Ah, mostly because it feels like she over acts a lot (e.g. Sam Soon). I get that that's part of the character, but it gets annoying at times. Here, I felt like she did a decent job and for the most part it wasn't overdone and if it was it tended to match the part. Regardless of acting, she was convincing as the beat-em-up student/cop even if she was obviously not a student. Watching this, the character reminded me a lot of the character from Angry Mom which was a plus. :D We even got the handsome fellow student....
Not Ji Soo this time, but Gong Yoo!!! Even better! Haha, okay, he's probably most of my score here. Sun Ah did a great job, but throw her together with Gong Yoo and I can ignore all the other acclaimed actors (seriously there are a lot of recognizable faces here) and this is just a fun pairing.
Music (6.5):
It fit the movie and that last sequence as a nun was great.
Rewatch Value (8.0):
I can at least see myself rewatching this sometime in the future, so that's automatically high on my personal rewatch scale.
Overall, I recommend it to anyone who finds the plot intriguing. I had a lot of fun with it.
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