1
manicmuse
NYC!
Interesting concept. Less interesting plot.
Hellbound is a short Supernatural Horror series that takes a very interesting concept and turns it into a less interesting plot. The premise of this drama is very scary, even if it's not so original. We learn in the very first scene that there are people who have been given a death decree by an ominous being and once that day and time comes they will be sent, very violently, to hell. The idea definitely gave me "The Ring" vibes, but instead of a ghost story, this drama focuses on a cult that emerges from this phenomenon called "The New Truth" led by Jung Jin Soo played by Yoo Ah In. I am a fan of Yoo Ah In and a huge fan of stories about cults, so I expected to really love this drama, but it dragged too much and was too open for interpretation for my taste. Instead of being intrigued, I got bored quickly.
At first, there were too many characters for me to follow and care about. All the performances were good, but I felt like I didn't get a chance to really get to know characters like the detective and his daughter, and the lawyer and her mom, besides their connections to the cases and the cults. I felt like there were a few scenes that were meant to be touching but I didn't know the characters well enough to be truly moved. Chairman Jung was the most interesting character initially but I don't think his character was explored and humanized enough either. As emotional as some of the acting was I never cried once. As the sin and morality of characters were questioned it was never deep enough for me to relate to or empathize with besides it just being a horrible way to die. I also wanted the cult members and their desire to join to be more realistic. This brings me to my least favorite character... the leader of Arrowhead. Those scenes were the most annoying part of this drama. The cheesy neon and random yelling was silly instead of scary, and not funny enough to be considered dark comedy.
Would I watch this again? Probably. I know that's surprising, but I'm sure I missed a lot of details binging this the first time. I find cult stories interesting enough to give this another shot, especially if there is a season 2. The open-ended storytelling makes me curious about how others may interpret what happened. I'm not sure if I would binge-watch it in one day again. The episodes felt too long. And I would definitely be tempted to skip every single arrowhead web show scene.
Overall, Hellbound wasn't bad but didn't live up to my expectations. It felt like a really longwinded prequel and less like a fully finished season. Dystopian K-dramas are obviously in (Thanks to Squid Game), but this one seems more over the top and cartoony than disturbing and realistic. By the end, I had more questions than answers but there weren't enough characters that I cared about to make me care much about the answers anyway. Although the visual effects were "fun" I can see the webtoon maybe being better at telling this story than this drama, possibly filling in some huge character holes left in this drama, although I never read it so maybe not. I do like the moral questions some of the characters faced, those were the most interesting parts of the story to me, but I wish there were fewer scenes with arrowhead and its annoying delinquent vigilante goons. This is another one of those dramas that I probably would have liked better as a much shorter movie. I expect that there will be some pushback from religious folks who don't like the idea of god's wrath being interpreted. I can also see some die-hard Harry Potter fans not being impressed by certain parts of the plot near the end. There's also a lot of violence without consequences, so if you don't like violence this is definitely not the drama for you. I would still say true fans of supernatural horror could lower their expectations and still enjoy a lot of what this drama has to offer. I just wonder what a better screenwriter could have done with this plot (and yes, I really liked Train to Busan, but it wasn't a series). A better writer could have written in some more Yoo Ah In scenes, who I felt was underutilized, and could have made 6 episodes not feel like too many. I also don't usually expect a season 2 but this one feels like it really needs one to feel complete. Until then, at least it can make a great "What the Hell (pun intended) did I watch" topic of conversation.
At first, there were too many characters for me to follow and care about. All the performances were good, but I felt like I didn't get a chance to really get to know characters like the detective and his daughter, and the lawyer and her mom, besides their connections to the cases and the cults. I felt like there were a few scenes that were meant to be touching but I didn't know the characters well enough to be truly moved. Chairman Jung was the most interesting character initially but I don't think his character was explored and humanized enough either. As emotional as some of the acting was I never cried once. As the sin and morality of characters were questioned it was never deep enough for me to relate to or empathize with besides it just being a horrible way to die. I also wanted the cult members and their desire to join to be more realistic. This brings me to my least favorite character... the leader of Arrowhead. Those scenes were the most annoying part of this drama. The cheesy neon and random yelling was silly instead of scary, and not funny enough to be considered dark comedy.
Would I watch this again? Probably. I know that's surprising, but I'm sure I missed a lot of details binging this the first time. I find cult stories interesting enough to give this another shot, especially if there is a season 2. The open-ended storytelling makes me curious about how others may interpret what happened. I'm not sure if I would binge-watch it in one day again. The episodes felt too long. And I would definitely be tempted to skip every single arrowhead web show scene.
Overall, Hellbound wasn't bad but didn't live up to my expectations. It felt like a really longwinded prequel and less like a fully finished season. Dystopian K-dramas are obviously in (Thanks to Squid Game), but this one seems more over the top and cartoony than disturbing and realistic. By the end, I had more questions than answers but there weren't enough characters that I cared about to make me care much about the answers anyway. Although the visual effects were "fun" I can see the webtoon maybe being better at telling this story than this drama, possibly filling in some huge character holes left in this drama, although I never read it so maybe not. I do like the moral questions some of the characters faced, those were the most interesting parts of the story to me, but I wish there were fewer scenes with arrowhead and its annoying delinquent vigilante goons. This is another one of those dramas that I probably would have liked better as a much shorter movie. I expect that there will be some pushback from religious folks who don't like the idea of god's wrath being interpreted. I can also see some die-hard Harry Potter fans not being impressed by certain parts of the plot near the end. There's also a lot of violence without consequences, so if you don't like violence this is definitely not the drama for you. I would still say true fans of supernatural horror could lower their expectations and still enjoy a lot of what this drama has to offer. I just wonder what a better screenwriter could have done with this plot (and yes, I really liked Train to Busan, but it wasn't a series). A better writer could have written in some more Yoo Ah In scenes, who I felt was underutilized, and could have made 6 episodes not feel like too many. I also don't usually expect a season 2 but this one feels like it really needs one to feel complete. Until then, at least it can make a great "What the Hell (pun intended) did I watch" topic of conversation.
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