Seonsaeng
Spain
If I had to describe this drama in a word, I would definitely choose overrated. Still, it’s a very good drama and one of the best of the year. My review will focus mainly on the negative aspects, since most reviews here only focus on the positive ones.
STORY
The beginning was very intense. Han Tae Joo is a detective who is investigating a serial murder case. While chasing the suspect, he gets shot in the head and hit by a car. He awakes in 1988, not knowing whether he is dead, in a comma or if he actually traveled back in time.
The story is great, its development not so much. First off, the writers suddenly cut a great, intense story that kept viewers at the edge of our seats in the middle of it and take us to a whole new —and less interesting— world. This comes as a shock, which was probably the desired effect, but in the wrong way. With every episode, the story gradually loses connection with what is happening in the present time to the point of it being virtually absent. There are no hints that shed light about what's actually happening to Tae Joo or where he actually is, except in very rare occasions. In my opinion, this was a huge mistake.
The main storyline (1988) is overall monotonous and feels like dragging on artificially in order to justify not to tell or develop a more interesting story, which would be what is actually happening to Tae Joo and what is the new reality he finds himself in. The main story should have been that, instead of a bunch of cases a police squad has to resolve in 1988. Basically, the writers had a jewel of a story that they sacrificed and substituted by a good but ordinary story.
Overall, I enjoyed the present time much more than 1988, while it should have been the other way round. Sometimes I even wished our protagonist never travelled back in time. Don't get me wrong, switching to 1988 was not the problem, losing connection with the present time and the overall development of the story were.
Regarding the ending, well, I am not going to sugarcoat: it was absolutely terrible. But the conclusions or moral message that the writers wanted us to draw were even worse. I am aware the ending was very popular, but I did not like it at all.
There is no romance even though there are some hints. If you are looking for romance, this drama is not for you.
ACTING/CAST
The acting was great, specially that of the main lead. His character was well developed and you could really empathize with him. However, I wish he had had a bit of deep internal monologue, especially in such a situation. That would have been great.
The rest of the characters were really underdeveloped and mundane, even though their acting was usually very good. You didn't know anything about them, their lives or their feelings. They were funny in some way, though. But honestly, I am disappointed.
MUSIC
The OST was good. The music did its job, which is completing the scenes, but didn't stand out or make me feel anything.
WATCH/RE-WATCH VALUE
Should you watch this drama? My answer is YES! It's a great drama to binge.
Would I watch it again? No. But I would definitely welcome a second season or a sequel.
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This drama had a lot of potential, an interesting plot, an amazing cast and outstanding photography.
Then what failed?
The plotholes, the execution and the aggressive propaganda. This drama lacks soul.
The premise is very interesting: a terror attack kills the president and all government ministers, except for the minister of Environment, Park Moo Jin, who is then tasked with running the country for 60 days and brining the perpetrators to justice. Sounds great, doesn't it?
One of the main issues here is that you don't feel any tension, neither in the Blue House nor in the country. If something like this actually happened, there would be political instability, chaos and riots, but in this drama citizens just exist to slander our poor acting president Park on social networks, and not seeing his true worth. President Park is perfect, always knows best and never makes mistakes, even though he has not experience in politics. Even when he is reckless, results are always good. So it's not actually recklessness but endless wisdom, yay! This made the drama very predictable in this regard, but nevertheless interesting. The drama also has many plotholes and leaves important chunks unexplained on purpose. This was, in my view, a big mistake.
Another issue is that the drama focuses too much on the allegedly "progressive" politics of president Park rather than in finding who is behind the attack and why. So this drama is more of a political drama rather than a thriller. I love political dramas, but the premise of this drama doesn't suit a solely political drama. This issue is gravely compounded by a strong extremist agenda pushing, taken to such absurd lengths to the point it takes a huge, irreversible toll in an otherwise outstanding plot. Political agenda pushing is poison for entertainment, even more so when it's extreme and the plot is actually subordinated to it.
The cast is outstanding, and did an overall great job, especially Ji Jin Hee. Bae Jong Ok also stands out in what it seems to be one of the best roles of her acting career. The issue is that most characters are not deep at all, and they have no backstories, except for the lead. You can't understand their feelings or personalities. This, along with a poor script, led to a poor execution of which actors are not actually responsible.
I am sadly not exaggerating when I say this drama has been one of my biggest disappointments ever, if not the biggest. It had a lot of potential, a great cast and outstanding photography that have been thrown away by poor writing and political agenda pushing.
I am rating this drama a 4.5. This is my lowest score ever for a drama (the second lowest is 6.5). The positive aspects are unfortunately not enough for this drama to pass.
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I can't really understand the low ratings or the people who did not like it. Maybe Korean history is not their strong suit and thereby did not understand some events and aspects of the movie, or maybe they are not used to the style of Korean cinema in the early 2000s. Or maybe they just have different tastes.
STORY
The plot is ambitious, groundbreaking, well developed and leaps unexpectedly from action thriller to sci-fi drama without losing sight of the humanity beneath the nationalism. It's executed in a particularly emotional fashion, leading to some outstanding scenes that are hard to forget. I don't have anything negative to say about the story or its execution. My only possible complain is that we've never seen it in a drama.
ACTING/CAST
The acting was superb. Jang Dong Gun stands out both in the Japanese and Korean aspects of his character, and captures the cluster of emotions and internal conflict of his character perfectly. The acting of Japanese actors, especially Nakamura Toru, was also excellent. All main characters are deep and well developed, and all actors did a great job in their respective roles.
MUSIC
The OST was outstanding! It not only did its job by beautifully completing the scenes, but also stood out as one of the elements that make this movie great. Appropriate for every scene, emotional and beautiful.
WATCH/RE-WATCH VALUE
Should you watch this movie? YES, YES and YES! It's one of the best Korean movies I've ever watched, and I recommend it to anyone who likes the genre.
The re-watch value is also very high. I have watched this movie three times and I will probably watch it again in the future.
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This drama embodies the early 2000s in all their glory. Korean productions were starting to become more culturally independent and getting rid of Hongkongese influence in favor of experimentation and innovation. The result? Some of the best Korean dramas and movies are from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
In those times, there was a greater focus in photography rather than in character's looks, and much less special effects, thereby drawing a more realistic and engaging picture, while at the same time allowing the viewer to admire the beauty and simplicity of the background. That is particularly pleasant if you feel nostalgic of that era.
Characters are deep and very well-written, instead of a cluster of cliches. The way the drama deals with characters’ emotions, and how they grow as people, is outstanding and rarely seen in current dramas. Dialogues are pure gold instead of a handful of words put together, and not only make you empathize with the characters but also reflect on life.
Last but not least, the teddy bears at the end of every episode, recreating the most notable scenes of the episode, are super cute and a very nice and original way to conclude episodes.
In short, highly recommend you to watch this drama.
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STORY
As we know, Park Cha Oh Reum is an idealistic and naive rookie judge whose goal is to make the world a better place, fight for the weak and make the powerful pay for their deeds. That's her idea of justice.
The story is original and different to that of any other legal drama I've ever watched. Most of the cases were food for thought, since they were presented from different perspectives, allowing viewers to draw our own conclusions. However, Judge Park's idea of justice (mercy for the powerless, dura lex for the powerful) is often upheld, in an attempt by the writers to make the viewers draw some particular conclusions —their conclusions.
This drama offers a rare glimpse into the legal world from the point of view of judges themselves, instead of lawyers or prosecutors' as we are used to. Only for this, Miss Hammurabi deserves some credit.
If you are looking for romance, this drama is not for you. There is some romance, but the drama is not focused on it.
ACTING
Judge Park usually forgets that justice and a fair trial entail objectivity and that being poor doesn't make you right. Gorgeous Go Ara's great acting captures this cluster of naivety, immaturity and kindness perfectly. She does it so well that makes you want to hug Judge Park when she cries out of powerlessness. Some think Go Ara's acting was poor; I don't agree.
Judge Im and Presiding Judge Han are also great characters that contrast with Judge Park's personality and provide the viewer with alternative points of view. Also, second leads are specially worth mentioning, particularly Judge Jung and stenographer Lee Do Yeon, who bring a lot of funny moments amid Judge Park's seriousness and near depression. A drama with them as leads would be awesome!
MUSIC
The music was good and beautifully completed the scenes. But it didn't make me feel anything special, so it's a 6.5.
WATCH/RE-WATCH VALUE
Should you watch this drama? My answer is a resounding YES! It's a great drama to binge, and it gets better with every episode.
Would I watch it again? I don't think so. But I would definitely welcome a second season.
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