I'm going to start this review off by saying that I had no idea what this was about when I watched this. I hadn't seen any trailers for it, I knew nothing of the storyline, I didn't even know the main plot before watching it - I purely watched this with my significant other because we both love EXO and Kyungsoo and wanted to see him in an acting role.

Trigger Warnings: attempted suicide, beatings, army/military

Story
So I didn't know anything about the storyline before I got into this, and it starts off pretty hectic. It starts off with a large bang, and it doesn't stop too much. Although some of it is pretty guessable and obvious as the story goes forward, it was still thrilling. It caught my attention, I couldn't turn away from the screen, and I was lost to it. My only qualm is that I feel like it moved a little too fast for my liking, almost as if they were rushing through the editing process to get it released and get all the main information out into the film, but either way, it was solid and enjoyable.

Acting/Casting
I feel like all the casting was well done. I don't know much about Korean actors nor who they really are, but I felt like each character matched their personality look wise. Each actor and actress really did an amazing job and it was hard for me to remember this was pure fantasy. This is a fantasy film and the acting was so well done, I forgot that this doesn't happen. At least not in the world we really know. The standout role for me was Joo Ji Hoon as Haw Won Maek. There was something about him that really caught my attention; he came across as his personality, his character really looked the part, and I found my eyes drawn to him more than anyone else on screen at the same time as him. Also, Kim Soo An as the God of Deceit. A child that can take on such a menacing role with little mercy shows a lot of acting skill and I'm intrigued to see her in other movies and roles.
I said I only watched this for Do Kyung Soo and the truth is, it was a little hard for me to see him as Private Won. Maybe that's because I'm so used to him being the usual goofy D.O I know from live stages and interviews, but the fact he could take on such a role and make it believable was truly incredible. I forgot who he was a few times, just from how he created the character on screen, and I think it was truly a moment for me to realise just how much of an amazing actor he is.

Music
The music throughout the film really worked well with it. It was hard to remember it was just a backing soundtrack as it went on, and the music really blended in with what was happening on screen. The sound editing and music choices overall worked really really well with the film, and it made it much better, in my opinion.

Rewatch Value
As much as I enjoyed this, I don't think I would watch it again. I've seen it once now, and the thrill was there, it was enjoyable, but I think this is more of a one view wonder. When the second film comes out, I might rewatch this then, just to refresh my memory of the plot line, but I wouldn't sit and watch it through again out of enjoyment.

Overall, this was a really good movie, well made, well acted and with an extremely talented cast, and with a stellar soundtrack, but it's more a film you watch once and then only once more in the future before the next film. It was good, but I really don't see myself enjoying it all the way through in the future.