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LucyL

Nearer to the Golden Gate

LucyL

Nearer to the Golden Gate
Jung_E korean drama review
Completed
Jung_E
1 people found this review helpful
by LucyL
Jan 26, 2023
Completed
Overall 3.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Curiosity Killed The Cat

I watched Jung_E several days ago and couldn't figure out how to express a review right away, so I rewatched the pertinent scenes again and here I am STILL not really knowing how to say just how bad this was. The pertinent scenes throughout the entire 1 hour 33 mins and 45 seconds (fade to black) maybe, MAYBE numbered 5 in total. Maybe a total of 15 mins in all holding the movie together like glue which has been dabbed in spots on a heavy sheet of metal which hasn't dried before being hung onto a sheet rock plastered wall.

The beginning held promise with what I thought was live action from our main female lead, Kim Hyun Joo (the mother). The CGI was on par with the best gaming experience on the market today. Then the reality of the plot was revealed. In the present as an adult, Kang Soo Yeon (the daughter), is overseeing her "mother's" combat ready machine generated "body & brain", that Son Young Sun (the grandmother), had signed over under the Type C contract when she was about 12 years old (played by Park So Yi) after her mother died during combat. The Type C contract allowed living and educational expenses for her granddaughter, Park So Yi, but gave the government complete access in how her mother's brain data would be used in the future. This would allow for her mother to "live on", albeit as a robot. By presenting the "level" families could choose from upon the death of a loved one, and the futuristic health care facility we are shown this was set sometime well past our present time wayyy in the future.

I won't go into detail about the apopcalyptic conditions of Earth except to say it was a wasteland of water covering to the mountain tops. The few citizens that were unable to be transported to a colony in space were living in dire starving conditions underground to escape the war above.

The premise of the movie, the use of the mother's brain data to be used in manufacturing squadrons of elite soldiers was never quite fully formed as we learn somewhere during this 1 hour+ disaster. The daughter, Kang Soo Yeon, apparently had utilized her education since she was 12 years old to become the project manager overseeing her mother's brain data (in the present time). The project was dismantled due to the failure of it being obsolete compared to that of the robotic soldiers of the enemy from 2 other colonies which were at war with all the other colonies and Earth. Thus, the story revolves around saving her mother's brain data instead of being scaped per the appearance for 3 mins tops, Uhm Ji Won, who was the head of whatever authority she represented.

Enter more CGI fighting until the end in which the daughter "freed" the mother, albeit the robot, upon Earth to roam to her "heart's delight", I assume.

Lord have mercy. I hate, really hate this was the last project of Kang Soo Yeon. This role didn't do her justice, and thankfully she has an outstanding list of awards for her other roles, dramas, and movies for us to enjoy and remember her by.

The extremely limited roles were exceptionally acted given what they were which was very little screen time. Beyond the mains, the others were planted mainly to say they were there ONLY. I agree with another reviewer that said this could have been a great series of 16 or more episodes. The story fell flat with 1 premise in the mind of the writer. Also, why the daughter at 12 had surgery for cancer for the cancer to return when she was an adult had nothing to do with driving the plot. The love between mother & daughter could've been utilized differently. The music was unexceptional in that I can't remember it at all even after watching again this morning right before writing this review.

Yes, I feel like I wasted 1 hour 33 mins and 45 seconds PLUS the extra 20 mins it took to write this review. If you're curious, well, you know what happened to the cat, right?
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