Monstrous (2022)

TVING is the new -more violent- OCN

After the King of Pigs, TVING released another dark-themed series with a star-studded cast and even though it didn’t disappoint, it wasn’t as thrilling as one would expect either.

From a technical aspect Monstrous is quite well done. It has a believable (enough) atmosphere, some nicely shot scenes and a dark colour palette. As a result it is better to watch it with all the lights off to be fully immersed. The CGI is not exactly the greatest CGI you will see and it does seem pretty fake at times, but at the same time it is not too bad to take you out of the story. Furthermore, the make-up wasn’t really good, especially in some horror-like scenes of the drama. Lastly, even though I do believe that the lack of censorship can make a series feel much more realistic, in this case they overdid it with the violent scenes. Sometimes it felt like they used them just for show and to fill some time.

Acting wise, people familiar with Korean series will recognize the majority of the main cast, including Koo Kyo Hwan (D.P.), Shin Hyun Bin (Hospital Playlist), Kwak Dong Yeon (Vincenzo), Park Ho San (Prison Playbook, My Mister), Nam Da Reum (Six Flying Dragons, The 8th night) and Kim Ji Young (Graceful Friends). Needless to say that the majority of the cast did a pretty good job with the roles they were assigned with. My favourite performances were undoubtedly those of Koo Kyo Hwan and Shin Hyun Bin, two of our main leads.
On the other hand, I wasn’t entirely convinced with Kwak Dong Yeon’s acting in some scenes, even though he did a pretty good job with his role. My biggest problem acting-wise was probably Park Ho San (the annoying governor). Even though I am never too bothered by his acting, almost every time I watch him on screen I feel like he is overdoing it with his expressions to a point that he seems a bit ridiculous.

The plot of the series was good enough to keep the viewer interested. There were some scenes that didn’t make sense, or to be more precise there were things that conveniently happened so that the plot could move forward. I didn’t mind it that much though, since what matters the most to me is having fun and I was pretty entertained throughout the drama. What I loved the most about the series were the backstories of the characters that I would like to watch more of.
The series was very easy to watch and I would suggest binge-watching it not only because it consists of six thirty-minute episodes, but also because it would probably feel very underwhelming otherwise.

Having said that, the characters, even though interesting, were pretty underdeveloped. Also, at some points, the series felt a bit like your typical zombie/monster drama and we have been seeing a lot of those nowadays, with All of Us Are Dead being the most recent one. There were also some particular scenes that felt a bit out of place, like those with the monks in the first three episodes. If I could point out the biggest problem of Monstrous, then it would be that I didn’t really feel for the characters. Even though we were presented with some suspenseful and sorrowful moments, most of the times I wasn’t really on the edge of my sit, neither did I feel emotionally invested.

All in all, it is obvious that TVING is trying to bring something new to the table; something more violent and raw and they pulled it off to some extent. Nevertheless, it seems like they need to do a bit more work to make some other aspects of series like this one work. Looking forward to their next project, Rose Mansion.

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Not-so-overcomplIcated drama

This 6 episode drama was a great watch. The pace of the drama fit beautifully with the story as it was not overcomplicated.

I don’t think this drama is for everyone but I’d say to watch the first 2 episodes before deciding anything.

: ̗̀➛ story

I like how the story focused on how staring into the buddha statue’s eyes placed people in their most painful memory. It showed how the manipulated memory made those affected deranged and aggressive.

The eye colour change reminded me of Train to Busan

The story was not over complicated and the choice to focus on the main couple backstory & the side story of the mother & son was very wise. With the 5th character the focus was more on his behaviour and control over others + his abusive mother’s bf being the reason why.

: ̗̀➛ story closure

I felt content with the story as the issue was resolved. (I didn’t have any questions. That being said, the ending of the drama does open the path for a second season as the couple continue their research in other regions.

: ̗̀➛ acting

All cast members did a wonderful job collectively and individually. No complaints on this end. Just an appreciation for Shin Hyunbeen & Kim Ji Yeong!

: ̗̀➛ cinematography

The cinematography cleverly achieved the purpose (+premise) of the drama. At points it was too foggy & dark so it was difficult to see what was happening. This relates to the effect of seeing nothing but the most painful memory they have.

: ̗̀➛ overall
It’s a good short drama with 6 episodes, each ranging between 33-38 minutes.

I have no regrets watching this, I think it was a well produced drama which was kept short and sweet.

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The weakest Korean monster/zombie drama of recent times.

I can't say I enjoyed this drama.
Half the time I wasn't able to understand the plot.

The basic plot is that Ki-hoon, an archaelogist, and Soo-jin, the language interpreter, are husband and wife and lost their daughter to an accident, forcing them to live separately. A Buddha statue is unearthed in a village. After that strange things started happening in the village like monster rain, unnatural hail, people turning into weird creatures with white eyes and going on murder spree.
The rest of the plot is focused on how a group of people trapped in the town hall came together to fend themselves against the attackers, with Ki-hoon battling against the time to save the town from the evil spirit inside the statue.

The story seems very underdeveloped. 6 episodes of 30 minutes each is very short and didn't do much justice with the plot and theme of this drama.

But I like the background story of the lead couple. But the rest of the leads were very under-developed. Like the relation between that kid and his cop mother, or b/w Do-kyung and Yong-joo.

The second season is hinted at the end, but still it kind of ended on a bad note.

I liked the use of ancient myths, tales and religion. A Buddha statue, haunted by an evil spirit with eyes covered with cloth inscribed with Tibetan language, was a nice touch.
Shin Hyun-been has done well in the limited time she got with Koo Kyu-Hwan at his best.
Kwak Dong-yeon was also good, and it was nice to see him killing people for a change. He has the traits of becoming a perfect antagonist.
I really like Park Ho-san since I first saw him in Prison Playbook, and it's a shame he didn't have much to do in this drama, understandable as the duration of this drama was very short.
Still, I hope he will make a comeback in next season, if there is any.

Overall, 6.5/10. Characters were underdeveloped didn't quite like that apocalypse-type of tint, the duration was short, but the plot was indeed innovative.

Hope that next season will be better.

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I enjoyed this show, BUT....

Like everyone else, I think it could have been done better too. The central plot has a lot of potential, because there's something so very unsettling about religious horror. It's just that most of the storylines were half-baked, including the main one, and had they given it atleast two more episodes, they could've done justice to the story.

I really had a problem with the lack of lore exploration. I would like to bring about some comparison with the movie 'Svaha'. Svaha also had a similar Buddhist outline, and did pretty well in terms of lore exploration, enough to have us creeped out, but ultimately failed when executing its final act to combat the supposed root of evil. Monstrous on the other hand executed its final act to combat the spirit well, but it was unsatisfactory because, other than the fact that the Buddha statue was haunted, we were provided with little to no information on the 'whys' and 'hows' of the statue: Why did a holy statue built under the jurisdiction of a Buddhist temple get possessed? How strong was this measly con-man, so much so that he could possess a BUDDHA statue, and require a super powerful monk's help to seal it's energy? Was something inherently wrong with the statue beforehand? Who lived to tell this tale so that Ki-Hoon could identify the rain as Monstrous rain? How did Ki-Hoon know about the mysterious protection symbol? I'm sure no ordinary Buddhist historian could just whip that out of their text books. I could go on, and could definitely say the same for the other storylines, especially with regards to the crazy gangster man, the crime that put him in jail, and how he came to be so insanely crazy. The relationships between characters other than that of the main leads were also abandoned due to time restraints: the cop and her kid, the kid and the gangster guy and the gangster guy and the cop. AND what on earth happened to the rest of village during the aftermath, considering the fact that more than half of it's population got decimated? So many plotholes. An episode or two to explore these would have made the show deeper and intense, leaving a dreadful feeling behind. Similarly, plotlines that required suspense, like revealing who the spirit may have been, were easily evaded and handed to us on a platter due to TIME RESTRAINTS once again.

To be honest, this lack of lore is what led to the show leaving but a little impression, despite stellar performances by the leads. Since the show heavily leans on Buddhism, which has a rich historical background, there are many precedents or stories in its ancient texts that can serve as a basis for a well-rounded possession storyline. Compare this to Hellbound, in which the events that take place have no precedent or historical background, which justifies the lack of lore and the unfolding of new information gradually over 8 episodes.

However, I was impressed with the bird scene. Put me on the edge of my seat. That scene is what Birdemic should have been, but alas.

I get the direction this show is going in. If my guess is correct, this may be an anthology series (much like the Conjuring movies, with Ed and Lorraine Warren at the helm), with Ki-Hoon and Soo-Jin facing other monstrosities every season. The new one looks like it would touch upon aliens and whatnot.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the show for what it is. If only it had been fleshed out better.

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B- movie quality, monstrously bad

First of all, how did this drama get selected to show at Cannes? Because this is most definitely NOT it. After watching the King of Pigs, I'm sorely disappointed by the quality of this drama. It has the most predictable of horror movie beginnings and brings nothing groundbreaking/innovative plotwise.
1. Digging up ancient things you are not supposed to ?
2. Set in a rural small town ?
3. Protagonists with sad backstories ?
4. Love conquers all ending ?
5. Horrendous CGI ?

If this were a movie, it would be those direct to TV ones, and honestly it should be. Don't understand the point of breaking it up into 6 30 min episodes. The short length did not deter the writers from introducing a litany of characters who barely get any development and exist only to beat the shit out of each other. Calling this a horror movie would be a lie, because there are way more action fighting sequences than horror scares. "Possessed" people behave exactly like zombies too, 0 originality in this entire show.

Acting was ok, actors did alright considering what they were given. Music was good at trying to set up an eerie vibe. Cinematography was meh, and CGI was so hilariously bad. Rewatch value is non existent because there simply isn't any point in rewatching this. The "digging up ancient things you are not supposed to" trope has been done to death. Only saving grace was the fight scenes that were well executed and the only reason I gave it 6 stars.

Conclusion, don't waste your time on this. Cheap Train to Busan knockoff. Way better horror kdramas out there.

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Watch for s2 plot otherwise don't

As for concept of apocalypse cause, it is new and could be developed further. But that is all the good point to this drama. I recommend you to watch if there is season 2.

Here is the thing:
For a drama with only 6 episodes and around 30 minute long, you know there is not much time for most characters to develop. Most drama with total of around 4 hours screen time only focuses on at most 2 or 3 characters to make them relatable. For this drama though, who exactly am I trying to understand? I have got the monks, the police, the teenager, the bullies ...

Is it impossible to get most characters to have personality conveyed through short screen time? No. Train to Busan is a movie that is around 2 hours long and we know even the side characters' personality. Too many unrelated point of view cut scene - I get that everything is happening at the same time but how about we focus on one character's at a time instead of jumping from being admist the chaos to being outside the chaos. Giving one POV at a time then rewind to give another POV at the same time explains more to viewers than small splits.

All of us are dead - plenty screen time - is a great example. We got things done in the school then we jump to things done outside. This drama does not even have enough screen time but it tries to fit way too many background that made every characters feel unimportant.

The casts actings are really well done but the story did not do them justice. I think my rating is already generous for this drama.

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Dark version of a Scooby Doo adventure…

…just with real supernatural elements and no shady imposters.

Let’s get some facts straight - this is more of a movie in parts, than a show with episodes. It flows well as a binge watch and would be even better if it was not cut into pieces. There are no real cliffhangers between episodes, no designated events and parts of the plot happening in the episodes - it’s best to view it in one sitting.

It’s a bit of a group possession, supernatural phenomena, just a hint of psychological aspects since (as always with shows like that), it’s all rooted in the negative emotions and the vulnerable minds. Each character is facing some kind of trauma or is driven by greed and selfish reasons, which makes them more prone to get affected by what is happening in the town. And that’s how the big baddie can have its fun.

The plot is extremely simple, everything gets explained in a way that’s easy to follow. For some it would be too simple. I rather have this than clusterf**k of plots. That said, this show might be boring for quite a number of people and I totally get it.

The acting was… hard to judge to some extent? Most of the main cast did amazing. But then there were the monks and I just could not get on board with their delivery.
I especially enjoyed Shin Hyun Bin’s and Kwak Dong Yeon’s performance - vastly different characters with different delivery, especially during the emotional scenes, yet both convinced me with their acting.

Production wise, they truly tried to bring the old classic horror elements in it, but they were painfully misplaced. The dramatic violin, the low color saturation, less cuts between frames, longer shots often following the movement of the characters, slow zooms in and out - all clearly stylized to mimic the old horror vibes, but somehow the whole picture just seemed off. The old styling sadly feels too artificial and not organic at all. That said, that directing and editing did not survive more than 2 episodes, and the rest of the show was kept in a more typical k-drama fashion.

I’m sure it was not intended, but with dramas and movies like that, they always give me the soft criticism of performative religiosity vibes. Everyone is religious, but not many actually believe in what their religion says. Picking and choosing what parts of their faith fits their lifestyle and personal opinions. That’s why when the Buddhists warned the town, no one cared and no one believed - that includes some of the monks themselves.

The random rap soundtrack at the end of all episodes (also a bop if you ask me) reminded me of Sweet Home with the random songs that at some point started to strangely fit the story.

Overall, just have low or no expectations and accept whatever this throws at you and you will enjoy it. This was a rare case when even though I found a lot of senseless things, I was somehow not bothered. I think the biggest issue people might have with the show is how simple the plot is and how slow the pace is. Chances are, if I watched it in a more hyped and energetic mood, I myself would find it boring.

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it's something else

it's not a monster or zombie drama, story was based on cursed statue that control human's regret and make him a monster through their bad past. it's understandable why they didn't become zombie (it's a curse not virus) lol(≧▽≦) although cursed spread from black rain and statue's eyes.

acting..
for me that was good acting, not for everyone.
but there are some problems what they need to show more clearly.

joke aside story was good.
I didn't watch any drama like this
no kdrama vibes (ʘ‿ʘ) like fluff and slow burn romance. nothing like this. and it's was so new for me.. superb
you wanna watch watch it ? then watch it. drama is not even that long. it's obvious you are here so you like 'curse' and 'monster' tags

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Your Run of the Mill Supernatural Show

Monstrous is a 2022 supernatural k-drama with short episodes. It follows a town that plunges into mania after digging up an evil Buddah statue that enchants people with it's eyes - driving them to madness and bloodshed.

I'll spare this show a long review because I wasn't even planning on initially writing one, since this show isn't particularly stand out in either the good or bad sense. I've been excited for this show since it was first announced, especially since both the plot and cast were appealing to me, and although it failed to deliver, I didn't feel necessarily disappointed. Perhaps it was because I looked at other people's reviews beforehand, but I feel like you get exactly what you expect with this drama.

The plot is pretty average when it comes to "zombie-esque" shows, although it does bear a striking resemblance to OCN's 2021 show "Dark Hole". You have all your typical characters - the ML with family issues, a police officer, a morally righteous teenager, an overly violent man who's all too happy with the situation etc... There's nothing particularly wrong with having cliched characters in a drama, but they have to be done right. Unfortunately the fact this drama is so short means that this doesn't happen.

It's also a waste of great actors. I was so excited to see Kwak Dong Yeon, as well as Nam Da Reum in a leading role (rather than a child actor one), and they do the best with what they're given, all the actors do, but what they're given isn't a lot. Honestly something about Shin Hyun Bin's acting bothered me, but I think that's less her fault, and more because her character spent practically the whole drama just kinda writhing around on the ground.

Really the drama lacks a lot of substance in every way that isn't violence. It has *a lot* of gore, which I wont hold against it since that's to be expected of this type of show, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart.

But the only reason, and I mean only, reason that I am writing this review instead of just rating it and moving on is because of the sound design. Oh my god it's awful. Not the music, the music is fine, but the sound design itself. They use that generic, canned crowd gasp sound (the one that is literally called "THAT crowd gasp" when you search YouTube), whenever there's a group of people together that's shocked at something, which is very often. It completely takes you out of the show. Breaking realism is one thing, but I found myself laughing every time I heard it, which I feel is not something you want in a dark fiction show.

Overall this show is fine. It's not the most brilliant thing to watch, but it's not downright awful either. I definitely wish it had been better, especially because these actors are all capable of handling far better scripts, but I wasn't that upset that it didn't turn out to be amazing. I'd say it's a good filler drama for when you just need something short and "meh" in-between other drama watches. Still can't get over the sound editing tho lol.

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Wasted potential

This could have been one amazing thriller/horror series but it was truly disappointing after a great start!

The story revolves around an archaeologist who is requested by monks to translate the inscriptions on a seal. This seal was placed on a Buddha statue that contained an evil spirit and buried by a powerful monk a long time ago. There was so much to explore in terms of who this evil spirit belonged to. How did it come to possess the Buddha statue? Why was the only option to seal and bury the statue and not destroy such a dangerous thing?

The first two episodes were really good but the 3rd episode made it all about people getting possessed and killing each other. I understand that it was important to explain why the statue was so dangerous but it would have helped to understand why the evil spirit works in this way. This episode just reminded me of zombies. Also, there was no consistency. Some people were affected very quickly while others were delayed in getting affected. What was the importance of having a strong heart? It seemed like there was no one strong enough to resist the statue.

I thought the scene with the crows was quite incredible visually. I just felt like it was pointless to the story. Why were they attacking people? Would they cross towns eventually and attack everyone?

Finally, why did the archaeologists go there unprepared? Dipping his magazines in the muddy water and hoping it sticks to the statue is a terrible plan to save people. Also, the cop mother was infuriating. She had no idea her son is being bullied. She had no trust in him and there is no explanation why. It felt like something was missing since her son was making amends. Also, she was acting foolishly several times which added to my frustration with her. As a cop, you expect her to be more sensible.

Finally, the show moves on to a new mystery without exploring what happened after everything was done. What happened to the villagers who survived and if anyone who was possessed managed to survive besides the main characters? The ending was a bit too abrupt. There was so many ways of making this an incredible short series. I wish they would have taken 2 more episodes in order complete the story and explain a lot of the events instead of rushing through things and hinting at a second season. I just hope they read these reviews and work on their story for next season.

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Short but Satisfying

Monstrous is a short but satisfying drama that is a nice breath of freshness, although the strengths of the drama necessarily didn't come from the story. Instead, it came from a number of different factors: characters, acting, OST, re-watch value, SFX, cinematography. First of all, characters. There were actually quite a few characters, more than what I had expected. All were greatly written and acted. Everyone played their part; it was a great group effort. The OST is small but it's probably going to be high on my all-favourites list, all songs were spectacular and addictive, and were placed perfectly in scenes or elsewhere. Re-watch value is way higher than normal. Even though these were 30-ish minute episodes, I had so much fun with this that honestly the episodes felt only 10 minutes long, and it made me want to keep on watching, it made me so invested. SFX and cinematography in these kinds of dramas can depend dramatically, and thankfully this was a great example of these both.

A few negatives would be the story, directing and dialogue. First of all, the script and the directing were not that good if I am being honest. It felt clanky, awkward, amateurish. If the cast hadn't have performed so well, this would have even more easily had showed, and my overall rating would definitely be lower. The story necessarily is not a massive negative. I enjoyed it, but there were a few things that I wasn't too sure about, a few things I think could have been written better.

All in all, I recommend people to watch Monstrous. It's a great drama when you want to have a "stupid day", i.e. a brilliant drama that involves crazy and spooky sh*t. Think less about logic and just enjoy the crazy ride!

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