sailorscout
Very dark, very painful but exceptional acting from the whole cast!
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS MOVIE CAN BE TRIGGERING AS IT DEALS WITH VERY DARK TOPICS SO WATCH WITH CAUTION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO!I really don't know how to critique or review a story/plot that was so deeply disturbing and uncomfortable for me. Was it good? I don't know. Was it bad? I don't know. All I know is my heart ached for these characters (specifically the twins and their friend) and loathed everyone else. I suppose in a way that makes it a great story because I was soooo immersed in it; every dark turn made me physically sick.
And that was kind of the problem. There were many parts of the story I hated but did I hate it because of the triggering nature of those scenes? Or is there something to critique about the plot itself? It's hard to distinguish for me. I do think the story flows well. The way they showed the present with the flashbacks of Wolwoo is done really, really well. There wasn't ever a point in the movie where I thought "huh this is jarring". Like I said, I was genuinely, intensely immersed.
I went to watch for Jinyoung. As a fan of his since Got7, I've followed his career pretty much from the beginning, and this was truly something special. He was phenomenal as both Ilwoo and Wolwoo. I forgot he was Jinyoung. I forgot everything and just wanted to jump into the screen and protect these boys. His heartbreak, pain and trauma were more than just believable, like I said, it made me really uncomfortable (due to the nature of the topics).
The whole cast was phenomenal.
So that's why I'm giving it a 10 solely for the acting.
I really can't say more about the plot than this because... there's a reason why the synopsis is so vague. Let's just say that.
Would I recommend it? Yes, if you are a fan of Jinyoung or any of these young actors. Or if you're a fan of dark, intense movies about vengeance.
Would I rewatch it? Absolutely not. I'm so sorry, Jinyoung, but once is enough. My heart can't take more.
Anyway, I don't know... Good luck if you do watch haha.
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the cast is the only thing that saved this drama
I'm just going to dive right in and say this drama was a hot mess from start to finish.None of the characters' choices were consistent nor was there much character development for any of the characters except for On Dal and Ga Jin. Everyone kept making supposedly "cunning" choices but in the end, they were all so stupid. The pacing of the story was awful and they shoved so many different plots into this drama that made it hard to follow or hard to care about any one of them.
To be quite frank, the only thing that saved this drama from being worse is the cast. Everyone performed their parts extraordinarily well and they made a mediocre story somewhat watchable. And the truth is On Dal and Ga Jin's love story was beautiful and I did love/enjoy watching their relationship unfold, face trials and tribulations, and develop over the course of the drama. They were the only silver lining in an abysmally set up story.
I don't know if I'd recommend it though. Maybe if you skim everything else and just watch only On Dal and Ga Jin's scenes. Will you be confused? Sure. But I watched every episode and I was confused for most of it, so it wouldn't be much of a difference.
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well worth the watch!!
I fell in love with this drama from the very start! From the acting to the plot, it just captured my interest and hit all my sweet spots for a drama ie. action, comedy, drama, mystery, fantasy, suspense. I loved it all!I think the most beautiful thing about this drama was the friendships/relationships between characters. The Counters truly became a tight-knit family and their bond feels so real. Their pain became each other's pain and there was no unnecessary contrived conflict between them. They loved each other and had each other's back. All the conflict was external and I quite liked it that way.
Honourable mention: So Mun and his 2 best friends were the most wholesome adorable friendship I've ever seen in a drama. Their undying love and loyalty for So Mun was unparalleled and you could feel his love for them too.
As for the plot, I saw a few complaints that the story diverged from fantasy-action to more about political corruption, but I think everyone saying that is missing the biggest message of the entire drama. In a world of evil spirits and supernatural horror, the most evil monsters are the corrupt and greedy humans around us. I felt like the whole drama pulled in all these aspects really well and tied it together perfectly.
Also, Jo Byung-gyu's acting as So Mun was outstanding. I loved everyone in this drama but his acting was so phenomenal. I felt everything he felt, ached and hurt when he felt broken down. He truly did such a wonderful job in this role and I wish him so much success for the future in many more lead roles.
Anyway, I sincerely hope there is a Season 2. With the way the drama wrapped things up in the finale, I really believe they did so in preparation for a season 2.
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STORY -
It's relatively simple enough: best friends sleep together, best friends are awkward about it and then angst ensues. There's nothing overly complicated about the plot, but with only four episodes, that's pretty standard. What's amazing, however, about that is the fact that for only four episodes, this drama had a way of making me feel so much for its two main leads. When there was angst, my heart genuinely ached for them because of how much you could feel they loved each other but were too afraid to go there. There are some 16+ episode dramas where I didn't even feel that for the main leads and I've spent hours and hours watching them interact, but these two managed to twist into my heart within 4 episodes. Less even! I fell in love with them within the first 30 mins of the drama!
The story isn't perfect by any means, but it just doesn't seem to matter because the two main leads had such natural chemistry that they made any plot, any piece of dialogue or skinship work without feeling jarring. The way Rae Wan looked at Eun Seong made even my heart flutter. It was so raw and powerful and that's without even a word said between them.
ACTING -
So that brings me to the acting and I have to say it was flawless. All of the actors were perfect in their role, even the supporting ones, but honestly, I hardly really noticed the supporting cast. Since it was only four episodes, of course most of the scenes were between Kim Sun Hoo and Lee You Young, which is just fine by me because like I said, the natural chemistry between them really elevated what should be a very simple and cliched story. Absolutely beautiful acting!
MUSIC -
Not particularly noticeable except for Kim Sung Joo's song, which is so sweet and wonderful. I didn't know who he was before this drama but wow, I love him!!
REWATCH? Whenever I'm in need of some sweetness, hell yeah I'll come back to this!!
OVERALL... I know sometimes we just need some fluff after a really intense drama or in between really intense dramas, so please, please give this one a go!
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STORY -
It isn't overly complicated, but that in itself is quite refreshing in comparison to other kdramas because there aren't any unnecessary plot twists or overly complicated situations that break up the main pair. It's just a story about four friends in their late twenties struggling with their career and relationships and trying their best just to survive and reclaim their dreams. I think that's what I love most about it because it just resonates so much with anyone in their twenties. There are so many great lines as well in the drama that serve as great motivations for us all to keep fighting for our dreams no matter how hard it gets or what anyone else tells us.
And then you get to the romance and it's so pure and lovely because first and foremost, above all else, they're best friends. They have each other's corners through thick and thin and they would literally fight other people to protect each other. The fact that they have this long history of supporting each other is so sweet and it gives the way they fall in love with each other later so much more depth. I also think this drama really portrays realistic relationships in all its fluff and pain. The second leads' relationship as well is so beautifully heartwrenching in how real it is for many people.
Not to mention, it's just a freaking ball of fun. There are so many hilarious moments in the drama between the characters, especially with PSJ's character and his coach (my gosh, they're the real OTP tbh). But seriously, it's just so funny and so uplifting. And although it's not an action drama, you still have really cool fight scenes as PSJ's character is an MMA fighter.
ACTING -
Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won have unbelievable chemistry together! Their scenes were so natural that it makes it hard to believe that they're not together in real life, to be honest. They're just both amazing actors and together, they really made this drama come alive. There's one specific scene though towards the end of the drama that really emphasised how crazy good of an actor PSJ is. When you're watching, your heart just breaks into a million pieces and you just think 'wow, this guy... this guy is gonna go far in his career.' But it wasn't just them that brought this drama to such a high rating for me. The entire cast were amazing. The secondary lead actors... the coach... everyone was great! The characters were all believable and fleshed out.
MUSIC -
I love the music. It was cute and always made me really happy. Although, there was only really one song I remember from the drama. The rest was kind of forgettable, but while you were watching, the OST really added to the drama even if it wasn't the best OST in the world.
REWATCH?? Oh hell yea!!
OVERALL -
So maybe it's not the most complex story you'll ever watch and maybe the romantic angst isn't as extreme as some other dramas, but wow, you'll really regret it if you don't at least give it a try. I mean don't go into this expecting something like Goblin or The Heirs or something. Go into this expecting to laugh and just feel uplifted by the message of the story (oh, and did I mention GRATUITOUS SHOTS OF SHIRTLESS PARK SEO JOON?!?!).
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great characters, great comedy but underwhelming action
A great set of characters with dynamics that I haven't seen before in other dramas with a strong, smart female lead and the most adorable child actors you've ever seen! But while the characters were amazing and hilarious to watch, the action felt sadly underwhelming.To begin with, I would totally recommend you watch this drama because the characters and their relationships alone make the entire 16 episodes worth watching. The kids were unbelievably adorable and stole the show for me which was followed closely by the KIS. The group of King Castle residents were seriously hilarious and so genuinely endearing. I was worried it would be one of those "poor female lead looked down upon by all her peers for being a weary, struggling single mum" but the KIS team were so supportive towards her and each other. I would happily watch an entire spinoff of just KIS going about their daily lives. I'd seriously love to know more about these characters.
Another thing I love is the FL, Aerin. She was so clever and so self-reliant that it was such a breath of fresh air to watch. Even though she wasn't a trained spy or anything, she's able to get herself out of situations with her wit alone. I think that's so cool and it was so fun to watch her surprise everyone. I specifically loved her chemistry with Yong Tae, one of the villains. They were seriously like Dumb and Dumber together and I loved them!
Speaking of, Yong Tae... I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!! That is all.
The romance was cute and a very slow burn, though also underwhelming. The chemistry between Aerin and Kim Bon was really sweet and I liked that it was slow, but I do feel like other relationships on the show eclipsed theirs.
Now to my criticism... I don't know what it was but the action scenes were so boring. They were seriously underwhelming. I think the fight choreography just seemed stiff or perhaps it was the way it was cut and edited because there wasn't any tension or excitement about them. I don't think it's the actors. They seemed able to do the fight choreography so I think it's something else. The actual "spy/drama" side of the story was pretty underwhelming too. I don't mind a predictable plot as long as the reveals still keep me on the edge of my toes but the "reveals" were just long and weirdly shot that I found myself more bored than not towards the end.
It was a fun drama overall. I just wish there had been better direction and production.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you're a fan of zombie movies, Gong Yoo or just great filmmaking then please, for the love of all that is good, watch this movie!!! Also, bear with me, this review is gonna be long...
STORY -
I'm not even being hyperbolic when I say this is one of the greatest zombie movies I've ever seen. As an avid fan of all zombie movies, from the serious horror ones to the comedic parodies, I was completely and utterly blown away by Train to Busan. Not only was the script something I've never seen before, but it was so well-paced and so perfectly executed with just the right touch of horror, suspense and heart-warming humanity that it simply just skyrocketed into my top favourite zombie movies of all time.
There have been so many reiterations of zombies and what they are and how they act, and while Train to Busan's zombies aren't exactly unique, I found it so interesting that they don't seem to die. What I mean is almost all zombie movies have a moment of epiphany when the heroes realise they can kill them by a headshot, but in this one, they seem rather invincible and I think that's what adds to the horror of TTB's zombies. Of course, you find out more about them later on in the story, but that involves spoilers and I'll keep this review relatively spoiler-free. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the way they depicted the zombies in TTB and I love that they set this movie on a train. I think the only other movie I can think of that comes close is Snowpiercer (a revolution set on a train with Chris Evans, quite good too), but that didn't have any zombies. Funnily enough, it was also directed, produced and written by Korean filmmakers (not the same ones, but I feel like TTB may have been inspired by it?)
Another reason why I love this movie was the human element of it. Normally, I'm the kind of girl that likes gory zombie movies where it's more about the zombie kill and less about the people, but this one captivated me from start to finish. Maybe it's because I'm a Gong Yoo fan, but honestly, the most horrifying moments in TTB didn't even have anything to do with zombies and everything to do with the lack of humanity shown by some people. There are several instances in the movie that made you want to scream and reach in and kill some people yourself. I guess that's how you know a movie's completely succeeded because it made you have such a visceral reaction to it.
The best part, however, of TTB was the love between Seok Woo and his daughter Soo An. And the love between Sang Hwa and Sung Kyeong. And the bromance between Seok Woo, Sang Hwa and Yeong Guk. Basically, what I'm saying is the main cast really freaking killed it. The chemistry between all of the main characters really added a touch of lightness to an otherwise dark movie.
ACTING/CAST -
Did I mention how much I love Gong Yoo? I saw Goblin before I saw this and fell madly in love with him (as did most people), but my gosh, if you're ever in doubt about his acting, this movie will steer you back on the right path because he really outdid himself. Every moment with him was a delight, or as delightful as a dark zombie movie can be. His character development throughout the movie was so natural and so gradually done that I really have to commend him for it. Kim Soo An, who plays his daughter, was also fantastic. She's such an incredible child actress!! Honestly, everyone was so good in this movie!
MUSIC -
I gave this a 9 because there weren't 'songs' in this movie like you find in dramas so I guess you could say it was forgettable in the sense that I didn't really notice it, but I honestly think that's because I was so gripped by the story to even notice anything else. I do have to say that the score really helped elevate the suspense of certain scenes and really helped ramp up the heartache in others.
REWATCH? A million times yes!!! I want a Train to Busan 2!!!
OVERALL... PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GONG YOO, WATCH THIS!!!!!
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STORY -
Let me start off by saying that the premise of this show was so good! I saw a short one minute clip of the intro episode on Facebook when I was scrolling through and became so intrigued I ended up bingeing the rest of the drama until I caught up and then I was anxiously waiting every week for a new episode. It was funny, it was heartwarming and you instantly fall in love with every single character. I think that's what made the drama soooo good because each character had their own quirks that made them feel real and believable, so even when the two main leads weren't on screen, you were still interested in what was going on with the other characters. No moment on the drama felt wasted. And my goodness, the chemistry between all of the characters was so great. I think it rivaled the kind of group chemistry Goblin had on their show. It just felt natural and it really did feel like a large dysfunctional family.
The romance as well was super believable and my heart ached and rejoiced for Son Oh Gong and Jin Seon Mi. I really really loved them together and I flailed every time they had a heartfelt moment. Likewise, I wanted to rip out my heart every time things went badly for the two. They just had incredible and electrifying chemistry together.
However, towards the end, the story started to lose fuel. It started feeling like a cheap imitation of Goblin's plot, but where Goblin's ending was beautiful and bittersweet, this one just felt... rushed and unsatisfying. The choices the characters made didn't make any sense or it was rendered futile by the end. It was like the writers couldn't decide how to end it but had no time to come up with a good ending so they rushed everything and was like, 'ta-da! isn't that neat!'
ACTING/CAST -
Wow, the acting was phenomenal!! As was the cast!! Whoever was the casting director for this drama deserves an award because each character was perfectly cast! Although the story was lacking in ways, I feel like this was an awesome comeback for Lee Seung Gi. He was hilarious, adorable and just so charismatic in this drama. And wow, his bromance with Cha Seong Won was so good that it made me go watch You're All Surrounded for the two of them again. Although, I think the most commendable actor on this drama had to be Lee Se Young. She may have just been a supporting actress but she did soooooo good in her role.
MUSIC -
I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SONG ON THIS DAMN DRAMA!!! I gave this a 10/10 because of it. I honestly couldn't get enough of the music from A Korean Odyssey. Everything was so good and everything fit so so well. Like it just made those scenes so much more poignant and emotional. Beautifully done!
REWATCH? Uhh... I don't know. My disappointment at the end makes it unlikely that I'd rewatch but there were a lot of great scenes that I'd rewatch again on YouTube.
OVERALL... I do think it's worth a watch because 70-80% of the drama was amazing and if you're a fan of any of the actors in this drama, definitely watch because everyone was great in it!
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Can't stop thinking about this drama months later
I wasn't going to initially leave a review for 'Search' but I couldn't stop thinking about this drama months later. I keep wanting to return to it time and time again, and while I haven't watched it for a second time yet, I probably will soon.First of all, you might be wondering why I gave it a 9/10 and I'll state right here this isn't a perfect drama. Are there some things I'd change? Certainly. But my criteria for myself is... if a drama is so fun that I can overlook its flaws and want to return to it, it deserves a 9 so this is a personal score for me.
But the truth is... I couldn't stop watching it. I was gripped by the mystery of this monster-suspense genre, constantly wondering what on earth was going and what the hell was going to happen next. I really enjoyed the plot and it was definitely something that I hadn't watched before, but I'm a sucker for a monster hunt drama/movie and if you are too, this won't disappoint.
I think though that truly propels this drama to as high a rating as 9 is the cast. Everyone was simply outstanding in their roles imo and I found all of their stories really compelling, like I could understand the motivation of everyone involved and that's so rare sometimes. There's not much more I can say on that without spoiling the drama but I thought every character was great and I enjoyed watching all of them on screen.
And I'm a serial "skipper" of scenes I don't like since dramas do have a tendency to drag on something that could be said in 2 lines, so I just skip ahead 5-10 secs (thank you Netflix!) at a time to get the plot going, but I don't remember ever skipping 'Search'. Maybe because it's already a rather short drama or maybe I just enjoyed every second of it.
I have to say though that while I came into this drama for Krystal, I came out of it a huuuugge fan of Jang Dong Yoon. He was the most perfect reluctant hero. He was charming, goofy, tragic, capable, loving, proficient, and kind. Something about his performance in this drama has made me an overnight #1 Fangirl. Truly a great actor. Also cute guy + cute dog? 10/10.
Anyway, I'd highly recommend if you are a fan of: cute dogs, action, mystery, monster hunts, suspense, military operations, badass women and tragic backstories.
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STORY -
There's nothing truly special about the plot. It's got your usual sprinkling of cliches when it comes to stories like this, but what made this one truly special was how utterly loveable Hanna was as a main character. The sincerity in her character made each moment shine in a way that it might not have otherwise with a less interesting character. In all honesty, the problem with this movie was the fact that Hanna was too loveable. Now, before you go 'wtf', I'll explain... I feel as if she was given so much love by the writers that all the other characters suffered as a result because wow, were they all seriously unlikeable!
Okay, I backtrack... I did really like the main male lead and there was wonderful chemistry between him and Hanna, but I feel like there was a lot that was left unexplained by the end. While Hanna had her moment to really let out her emotions and develop as a character, there wasn't that kind of epiphany for him. Like he did a crappy thing in the beginning of the movie, which as the audience, we're to assume that it was all a ruse, but it was never truly explained in the movie. I just wish there was a moment where he had to face up to what he did and try to explain his actions to her.
But my gosh, the best friend character? Actually the most toxic friendship ever. She was HORRIBLE to Hanna, both when she was fat and when she was skinny. She was constantly mean and completely unsupportive. It's really no wonder that Hanna went to such a dark place. She has no support system whatsoever. I hated her best friend so much. And the 'female villain' character? Like... literally, what role did she even play in the movie? She was there for like a minute and caused a bit of ruckus, but then she just disappeared.
ACTING -
Fantabulous!! Kim Ah Joong was honestly amazing as Hanna. Like I said above, the reason I love this movie was solely because of her. The raw emotion in her face made those heartbreaking scenes even more painful, like you could feel what she was going through. And likewise, when she was happy and smiled, it made you happy too. That's the sign of a great actress! I'm totally going to go search her and watch more of her dramas/movies. I'm in love!
Joo Jin Mo was also really great in his role even his character needed to be a little more fleshed out, but I really really enjoyed the way he portrayed him. And he really did have great chemistry with KAJ. They were so good together!
MUSIC -
That Ave Maria song is stuck in my head right now so I'll say it was awesome!! Also, the song Hanna writes and sings?? WOW!! It's beautiful! Loooooved it so much! She has a fantastic voice!
REWATCH?? I don't know. I rarely rewatch anything. The only ones I would have a rating of 10 so probably not. But it's not to say this wasn't good though!
OVERALL... I say just give it a go! It's cute, sweet, heartwarming and you'll fall head over heels for Kim Ah Joong!
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