This review may contain spoilers
Up High, Down Low...
In the age of action-fantasy-mystery-thriller-romance-comedy mash-up hysteria, it's nice to know you can still rely on some good ol, simple (minimal genre) works like High-Five. Both written and directed by Kang Hyoung-Chul (whose name romanization has so many dang versions), this high-flying greeting sure packs a punch...AND a 540-degree kick! 😂 If you're not expecting a complicated plot, this works as a fun underdog watch.
I love the story originality. Granted, computer generated superhuman fight scenes aren't new. But the fact that Writer/Director Kang threw in the need for teamwork and solidarity as the anchoring power for a band of misfit organ-transplant survivor heros to defeat the power-hungry chaebol cult leader villain seems a lot fresher than some of the garbage out there these days. I mean most people look at those with medical challenges as weak and dependent; whereas, this movie turned that perspective on its heel and showed us the strength and power everyday folks can display when not only given a superhuman organ but also working (mostly) harmoniously together.
Some things the storyline did lack was deeper connection and backstories of the original superhuman from which the main characters got their powers from and the main characters themselves. Where exactly did this power come from (an other worldly stone, an angel or demon, etc.)? Why did the guy off himself? And how did his body not disintegrate from the moment he died, rather than after the organ donation? Also, HOW was he able to off himself since he was pretty much invincible?? What was that demon thing trapping the villain when he gained more powers? None of that made sense.
Also, them portraying Park Wan-Seo as a middler schooler vs. a high schooler was a bit of a stretch; the character was too mature and confident and lacked the juvenile tendencies of a typical middle schooler. She'd also have normally been in school, right? Unless, the villains creeped only on the weekends. 😂 😂 😂 Not sure why the character was set up that way. Also, how in the world was Park Wan-Seo able to have an all-out epic brawl with villain Seo Yeong-Chun all over the warehouse and her dad not get severely injured in one of those earthquake landings??? 🤦🏻♀️ I guess that's just minor unimportant details to filmmakers. Lol.
Bonus thought: the reference to Exo ex(?)-member Doh Kyung-Soo in the meeting at the pub seemed counterproductive after reading other reviews about the villain who's actually a real-life member of another band (GOT7), I'm confused as to why they didn't use that (Park Jin-young's "real" identity) as a pun instead. (I also looked up to see if Lee Jae-In and Doh Kyung-Soo were together but that produced no results; plus, they're significantly different ages. So why in the heck would they include that useless info in the dialog? 🤦🏻♀️😂 Unless it's a secret message? Now the wheels are turning...)
Ads: At first, I was surprised to find that this production didn't seem to advertise but realized it was just super quick. During multiple replays, I caught the brands: Brionvega, Dyson, Ceragem, Blue Microphones, Canon, 13 De Marzo clothing? (department store); Supreme clothing (street catwalk with Yoo Ah-In looking so cool!); Oakley or Ray-Ban (?), Ferragamo, BVLGARI, Gucci, Ray-Ban (second catwalk). Later in the movie, there was Ediya Coffee (car chase) and Sparkle water (power plant meltdown). There's probably more but that's gotta be a record for most ads in a matter of 60 seconds! 😵💫😵💫😵💫 I guess that's also a superpower. 😂
Soundtrack: They showcased some awesome throwbacks to 70s, 80s, and 90s hits like Snap! "The Power" at the department store, the Corey Hart "Sunglasses at Night" at the pub restaurant, and the Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give You Up" background during the car chase scene. Loved the Sister Sledge "We Are Family" outro.
Another thing I also appreciated was that the Prime ads weren't overwhelming, just one at the beginning and two spaced out in the middle.
Overall, I really enjoyed this action-fantasy-comedy (actfancom?) that gave a simple storyline and really cool visuals. You don't have to do much thinking with this and it's an easy re-watch, if you need a something to space out on.
I love the story originality. Granted, computer generated superhuman fight scenes aren't new. But the fact that Writer/Director Kang threw in the need for teamwork and solidarity as the anchoring power for a band of misfit organ-transplant survivor heros to defeat the power-hungry chaebol cult leader villain seems a lot fresher than some of the garbage out there these days. I mean most people look at those with medical challenges as weak and dependent; whereas, this movie turned that perspective on its heel and showed us the strength and power everyday folks can display when not only given a superhuman organ but also working (mostly) harmoniously together.
Some things the storyline did lack was deeper connection and backstories of the original superhuman from which the main characters got their powers from and the main characters themselves. Where exactly did this power come from (an other worldly stone, an angel or demon, etc.)? Why did the guy off himself? And how did his body not disintegrate from the moment he died, rather than after the organ donation? Also, HOW was he able to off himself since he was pretty much invincible?? What was that demon thing trapping the villain when he gained more powers? None of that made sense.
Also, them portraying Park Wan-Seo as a middler schooler vs. a high schooler was a bit of a stretch; the character was too mature and confident and lacked the juvenile tendencies of a typical middle schooler. She'd also have normally been in school, right? Unless, the villains creeped only on the weekends. 😂 😂 😂 Not sure why the character was set up that way. Also, how in the world was Park Wan-Seo able to have an all-out epic brawl with villain Seo Yeong-Chun all over the warehouse and her dad not get severely injured in one of those earthquake landings??? 🤦🏻♀️ I guess that's just minor unimportant details to filmmakers. Lol.
Bonus thought: the reference to Exo ex(?)-member Doh Kyung-Soo in the meeting at the pub seemed counterproductive after reading other reviews about the villain who's actually a real-life member of another band (GOT7), I'm confused as to why they didn't use that (Park Jin-young's "real" identity) as a pun instead. (I also looked up to see if Lee Jae-In and Doh Kyung-Soo were together but that produced no results; plus, they're significantly different ages. So why in the heck would they include that useless info in the dialog? 🤦🏻♀️😂 Unless it's a secret message? Now the wheels are turning...)
Ads: At first, I was surprised to find that this production didn't seem to advertise but realized it was just super quick. During multiple replays, I caught the brands: Brionvega, Dyson, Ceragem, Blue Microphones, Canon, 13 De Marzo clothing? (department store); Supreme clothing (street catwalk with Yoo Ah-In looking so cool!); Oakley or Ray-Ban (?), Ferragamo, BVLGARI, Gucci, Ray-Ban (second catwalk). Later in the movie, there was Ediya Coffee (car chase) and Sparkle water (power plant meltdown). There's probably more but that's gotta be a record for most ads in a matter of 60 seconds! 😵💫😵💫😵💫 I guess that's also a superpower. 😂
Soundtrack: They showcased some awesome throwbacks to 70s, 80s, and 90s hits like Snap! "The Power" at the department store, the Corey Hart "Sunglasses at Night" at the pub restaurant, and the Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give You Up" background during the car chase scene. Loved the Sister Sledge "We Are Family" outro.
Another thing I also appreciated was that the Prime ads weren't overwhelming, just one at the beginning and two spaced out in the middle.
Overall, I really enjoyed this action-fantasy-comedy (actfancom?) that gave a simple storyline and really cool visuals. You don't have to do much thinking with this and it's an easy re-watch, if you need a something to space out on.
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