PROS
+ The outstanding lead cast has delightfully charming chemistry
+ The humor-to-seriousness ratio is incredibly well balanced
+ There are a lot of impressive effects that push the thrilling climbing scenes into a moderately believable realism
+ Even the dramatic elements shine through, without losing the suspenseful tone
+ The interesting, decaying urban environment is a visually captivating setting
CONS
- There was no explanation for the motives of the attack that engaged the plot
- Initially, the film gives little excitement and leaves a goofy first impression
- While the main cast is superb, some of the child actors don't portray their roles as effectively
- One pivotal moment is not shown on-screen and the implication was less clear until a slide during the credits
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Exit was a surprise to me! I would probably rank it the highest of all the K-survival/thrillers I've watched this year (Tunnel is a very close second). It's not hard to imagine myself re-watching this at some point due to the cool action segments and excellent characters.
I can't even think of any other thrillers where climbing exceeds more than one scene.
8.5/10
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This review may contain spoilers
Already with a funny trailer, I went into this movie thinking it'll be mostly comedy, but boy was I wrong! It had comedic scenes, definitely, with Jo Jung Suk especially, but there were also tearjerker ones. Or at least to a sensitive soul like me. I love how selfless Yong Nam and Eui Joo were, giving themselves to help others. Yong Nam's dad going back with other ahjusshis to save him was so touching. And the heli-cams that all appeared when they were giving up was just... This movie shows what one is willing to give up and risk for their own family and I could really see that with Yong Nam's actions. I love how the career that wasn't helping him get jobs in the beginning allowed him to save his family's lives as well as his own. Don't look down on a career!
Big thanks to Jo Jung Suk and Yoona who brought their characters to life and the rest of the amazing cast who brought me laughter and tears. I could see how hard they worked to get ready for their roles- my fear of height was really tested with all the risky jumps and all.
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Don't let the bad poster turn you off of this excellent film!
I was always taught not to judge a book by its cover... unfortunately, the sucky poster put me off of this film for way too long. Luckily, I happened upon the trailer and thought, "Damn, that looks cool!"The film follows a talented climber who hasn't been able to find a job. Korea being the way it is, that kind of makes him a loser, despite the fact that the very opening scene shows his sheer will power and talent. We then get to know him as being polite, caring and... well, not the loser a lack of employment paints him as. I mean: I'd hire a bloke like that!
Going to a family party, he meets the love of his life, who had previously turned down his advances, as she was probably too worried about ruining their friendship to escalate things. She's beautiful and a great climber herself - which is just as well, because a terrorist attack unleashing poisonous gas on the city means that the pair have to keep climbing, higher and higher, until they can be rescued.
I can't recommend this film enough! It has action, suspense, pure unselfish heroism and it kept me engaged on an emotional level that is surprising for the genre.
The stinker of a film poster/cover literally reads, EXIT, but trust me: once you get into this, you'll love it.
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FUN!
I'll begin by saying that I rented this on YouTube. It's no longer playing on any of the sites mentioned.I loved the balance between comedy and thrills. That's the way life is sometimes. Basically, a terrorist attack grips the city, and this is the story of people trying to survive. Action, action, action. I think there are fingernail marks in my couch from holding onto it so tightly. I will admit to being a big ole scaredy cat, so others might not have the same response.
Jo Jung Suk - I love him. He is such a versatile actor. Here he played the unlucky, loser ML and you couldn't help but like him. Yoona - I don't love her as an actress, but she did an okay job here, mostly because she was running a lot. Her crying scenes - just no.
Since this is an older movie, I loved seeing so many familiar faces from other dramas I've seen.
If you've got a couple of hours and you want something fun and fast-paced, give this a try.
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Action, comedy, mystery, romance rolled in one
Watched this back in 2020 lock down. Exit is the kind of movie that can be enjoyed by the masses as it has a bit of everything. It also has the thrills without getting too dark despite being a disaster survival movie.The story builds up slowly by introducing the male lead and his family being frustrated and disappointed with him. Story moves to a site of a family function where the disaster happens and a mysterious gas leak occurs. The female lead and ML's love interest happens to be a staff working there. The situation shows the ways in which people react and try to survive in order to escape the deadly situation. Mostly panic as one can expect. And then there are some that go to extrordinary lengths to survive using knowledge and skill. This is what builds excitement.
Since the leads are rock climbers and are trying to escape, a lot of the action involves climbing, running, and jumping. This might be different from what people who enjoy action movies usually love (eg. Fight scenes, car chases, etc). There are some funny dialogues, happy moments as well as plenty of nail-biting scenes. If you prefer proper romance plots then you might be disappointed but you will get to see the chemistry between the leads given the situation.
I would definitely recommend people give it a watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
This movie was listed as an Action/Comedy genre but really the comedic parts were barely noticeable and were more cute than comical. That's fine to be honest as it added some charm points to the characters and made them lovable.Jo Jungsuk as Yongnam was very adorable as a character. It's very cute to see him very passionate about his hobby to keep practicing his skills and maintaining his fitness. In which it ended up being quite useful during his attempt to save his family and himself from the dangerous toxic gas.
Yoona as Yongnam's ex who also used to take part in the rock-climbing/mountaineering hobby makes a great counterpart to Jungsuk's character. It was so cool to see them climbing walls and jumping from building to building in order to reach safety, using the skills that they know. It was a terrifying experience to go through but they still braved it out and still managed to selfless whenever they found other people more in need of saving than themselves. It made their characters so endearing and makes you wanna cheer for them to success in saving themselves. It was really heartwarming especially when you see so many people trying to help them by sending out their own drones to find them.
This movie was really fun and keeps you on your toes to see how the fate of the characters will turn out in the end. It's a really good disaster movie with great action that'll keep you rooted on the spot. And the Superhero song at the end really wrap the whole package and provide a satisfying ending to the movie.
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This review may contain spoilers
The one-hour and 45 minutes went by quick when watching this movie. All the good parts are great: acting, story/plot, cinematography, OSTs. Even though at the beginning we see that his young nephew is embarrassed by having a jobless uncle, we also get to witness how much he is loved by his family. Although he still lives with his parents and does not have any job prospects, everyone in his family seems to love him and cares for him. In times of great peril, the ML, does not shy away from doing everything he can to save others, even if it means risking his own life. This is certainly the hero complex. I am glad the FL herself is strong, smart, and contributes to both of their survival. She is no damsel-in-distress. At the end of the movie, with his family saved and united, there’s hope that now the ML’s life can start: a budding romance with the FL, and maybe renewed hope for a brighter future. Was this review helpful to you?
first kmovie that made me shed a tear
idk ab u but this is a must to watch!!!!i love how this is very funny but sad at the same time, loved the action and the intense moments this movie gave me
- you will not regret watching this.. ?? ?
- super good and fun to watch alone
love the crying scene when they were hugging and crying because they thought they were gonna die TvT ??
happy ending! no one died from the family at the start
overall a 10/10, please watch <333333333333333333333333
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So JJS definitely did not let me down once again. I have heard that Yoona is not a good actress , but I found her absolutely impressive in the movie.
Like I said earlier, movie is throughout very entertaining, not boring, though the story , the character's actions are questionable.
The use of modern technology, and available resources at hand, is well played. I was pleasantly impressed when I watched it.
The selfless love of family is emotional to watch.
Superhero the song is also very good to listen.
The family of the hero was quite annoying with all the screaming, and yelling in panic that I was feeling second hand anxiety in those situations. It would have been much helpful for the main hero if his family were a little calm, ? but I think it is reality , common people reacts mostly like that in sudden dangerous situation, in catastrophies, so it was kinda bearable I guess.
Overall it was a good entertaing watch and i rewatched it many a times even .
I am so happy that it was a summer blockbuster hit , because it truly deserves it.
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Light disaster movie
I love disaster movies! This one has a blend of comedy which usually happens when Jo Jung Suk is on screen.The story is a little bit farfetched, and there's really not much background on the disgruntled scientist releasing a toxic gas, but that's not what matters. There's not much story but the action scenes were nailbiting, (although i know they wont fall and die)!
For the majority of the movie, you will just see the two leads running and using their rockclimbing skills to get away from the toxic gas and reach safety. So it's just a mix of watching them run, climb, run, climb until they get rescued! It was still entertaining though and never got boring! There were some scenes were it was sad because when put in a life or death situation, it is tough to choose - do you try to save yourself, save your family, or save other people?
I also loved how social media played a big role in their rescue. The romance between between Jo Jung Suk and Yoona were implied and subtle. Great for a fun friday night movie.
Rating: 8/10
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This review may contain spoilers
Funny Thriller that will leave you breathless!
So this started out as a family show, with some comedy sprinkled in! Yong Nam (Jo Jung Suk) is an unemployed man who rock climbs. He is of course the family black sheep disgrace, but has to put up appearances at his mother's 70th Birthday. The celebration reunites him with Eui Joo (Im Yoon Ah) a climbing companion from his student days, a girl he had previously asked out and been rejected by! How backward.Then suddenly the movie morphs into a terrorism play where an employee who has been fired and his patents stolen by a company, takes revenge by releasing a bunch of poison gas at the company, gas that spreads outwards and upwards, killing all in its path. I'm not gonna lie, at this point I was worried this was going to turn into another Korean Zombie movie, because, well ... Korean Zombie movies? But it didn't! It's just poison gas. Now the entire city and our intrepid family (among others) is at risk. What follows is a taut, tight, exciting action thriller which showcases both the main leads ingenuity, resourcefulness, partnership and most of all, the lengths people will go through to survive. Sprinkle in some drones and good music and now the climbing scenes are both exciting AND poetic.
Now the rock climbing is pretty tame. I'm a fan of mountaineering movies so this wasn't the same caliber as Free Solo, The Summit (K2), Nanga Parbat, Touching The Void, The Wildest Dream (George Mallory) or even the cheesy Vertical Limit. But we did manage to see some examples of technical climbing including an exciting drone assisted improvised zip-line. Nice!
This review can best be summarized in the words of my almost teenage child - "I nearly had a heart attack Mommy! I'm out of breath and I wasn't even there." I guess this means we both enjoyed the laughter and thrills this had to offer!
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A feel-good disaster movie
Yes you read it right, although it is hard to combine delight with disasters that mostly contains tragedy, death, and sorrow, Exit managed to give that adrenaline rush while keeping an overall enthusiastic tone.Honestly, I didn't expect much of this movie, especially that I am not a fan of rock climbing, and only thought of it as a typical Action/Comedy to pass the time, but luckily, It kept me on the edge of my seat and pleased me in so many ways.
First, It was satisfying to see a slacker who was ridiculed by everyone in his family turning into a hero, not in a fancy way, but in a very diligent manner that showed his heartwarming care for his family and his silly side of showing off in front of his crush. I was even more relieved that their efforts to survive (jong suk and Yoona) were mutual instead of one-sided. That's where their chemistry shines, not their romance, through their hectic thriving to stay alive. Even when the viewer wants to lose hope, they keep on trying using the least available tools to go on. This hopeful encouraging take kept the movie exciting to watch! Throughout all of that, you'll find some hilarious moments, even in their most desperate situations. I kept bursting into laughter whenever they started crying and throwing fits like babies, which was silly and cute and again kept the thrill delightful :D
Another thing to mention is the use of simple technology to help their escape all along, and how applying that can be helpful in similar real-life situations. Also, the end song (Superhero by Lee Seung Hwan), from which you can learn an SOS call, was fireeeeeee!
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