1
SKITC
Probably within reach of a coffee
Yikes
In the first episode of “Police University”, much of the screentime is shared by Choi Woo Sung and Oh Man Seok who are essentially the de facto family of the main character Kang Sun Ho played by Jung Jin Young. Choi Woo Sung’s part generates a few chuckles and Oh Man Seok gives the episode a certain amount of gravity as he guides Sun Ho through a difficult ordeal and towards the titular school. Compared to the average drama, they’re not particularly noteworthy parts or characters but specific to the qualities of this production, they serve as the apex of entertainment value.
The remaining characters, storylines and acting performances have painfully few bright spots. Krystal is an accomplished actor but the character of Oh Kang Hee has not much to do except to serve as the love interest of Sun Ho. Seo Ye Hwa is one of the finest character actors in the industry and puts a noble effort in playing an administrator of the school but there’s just so little to work with.
As for the rest, it’s generally difficult to identify whether the flaws are because of the actor portraying the character, the dullness of the storyline, the ineptitude of the direction and editing or the banality of the dialogue. Most scenes are a train derailment of repetitive dialogue, exaggerated facial expressions and oddly timed cuts between shots. The most obvious examples are Lee Dal and Yoo Young Jae who play Sun Ho’s pals Beom Tae and Joon Wook. They are written as comic sidekicks, but the attempts at comedy are juvenile and painfully unfunny. While Lee Dal and Yoo Young Jae might garner laughs with better material is doubtful, there is at least faint hope that they have some modicum of talent that could be revealed in future works.
Despite the towering whirlwind of blame to be shared throughout the cast and crew, one particular individual stands out as so blatantly incompetent that even with better talent alongside him and behind the camera, he would have still have no chance at performing at a professional level. In episodes 2-3, the only possible compelling drama was the boot camp ordeal lifted straight out of “An Officer and a Gentleman” - Instructor bent on drumming out a cadet is met with the youngster’s desperate perseverance to stay. It’s a duel of wills between two men passionately bent on proving the other wrong. It’s hamstrung by the nonstop recital of cop cliche’ dialogue from Cha Tae Hyun’s Dong Man who wants Sun Ho to out of the university. But the dialogue is a mere distraction to the flat delivery, clownish expression and awkward movement from Jung Jin Young.
Instead of admiration for indomitable spirit, we are left with a string of painful cringes and a desperate hope that it will be over soon. There are other actors that are equally unskilled tasked with lead roles, but there are some small redeeming qualities that those individuals usually have:
Pretty
Pretty and tall
Pretty tall?
Jung Jin Young has none of these traits. If there is any moment where Jung Jin Young appears to have some idea of what he should be doing it is when he is running. However, it seems to be effective only when he is running away from the camera and we are fading to the next scene break.
Some of the OST is not terrible, but that is scant solace.
Not recommended. Not even a little.
The remaining characters, storylines and acting performances have painfully few bright spots. Krystal is an accomplished actor but the character of Oh Kang Hee has not much to do except to serve as the love interest of Sun Ho. Seo Ye Hwa is one of the finest character actors in the industry and puts a noble effort in playing an administrator of the school but there’s just so little to work with.
As for the rest, it’s generally difficult to identify whether the flaws are because of the actor portraying the character, the dullness of the storyline, the ineptitude of the direction and editing or the banality of the dialogue. Most scenes are a train derailment of repetitive dialogue, exaggerated facial expressions and oddly timed cuts between shots. The most obvious examples are Lee Dal and Yoo Young Jae who play Sun Ho’s pals Beom Tae and Joon Wook. They are written as comic sidekicks, but the attempts at comedy are juvenile and painfully unfunny. While Lee Dal and Yoo Young Jae might garner laughs with better material is doubtful, there is at least faint hope that they have some modicum of talent that could be revealed in future works.
Despite the towering whirlwind of blame to be shared throughout the cast and crew, one particular individual stands out as so blatantly incompetent that even with better talent alongside him and behind the camera, he would have still have no chance at performing at a professional level. In episodes 2-3, the only possible compelling drama was the boot camp ordeal lifted straight out of “An Officer and a Gentleman” - Instructor bent on drumming out a cadet is met with the youngster’s desperate perseverance to stay. It’s a duel of wills between two men passionately bent on proving the other wrong. It’s hamstrung by the nonstop recital of cop cliche’ dialogue from Cha Tae Hyun’s Dong Man who wants Sun Ho to out of the university. But the dialogue is a mere distraction to the flat delivery, clownish expression and awkward movement from Jung Jin Young.
Instead of admiration for indomitable spirit, we are left with a string of painful cringes and a desperate hope that it will be over soon. There are other actors that are equally unskilled tasked with lead roles, but there are some small redeeming qualities that those individuals usually have:
Pretty
Pretty and tall
Pretty tall?
Jung Jin Young has none of these traits. If there is any moment where Jung Jin Young appears to have some idea of what he should be doing it is when he is running. However, it seems to be effective only when he is running away from the camera and we are fading to the next scene break.
Some of the OST is not terrible, but that is scant solace.
Not recommended. Not even a little.
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