| Overall Grade: |
D |
|
| Story: |
F |
|
|
| Acting: |
D- |
|
|
| Direction: |
F |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B- |
|
|
Honest Review (fr.a Korean in Korea)
by RichardM (movies profile)
Jul 7, 2008
140
of
237 people found this review helpful
ok..I'm a korean guy in Korea (who speaks English native-fluency). I saw this when it opened in Korea a few weeks ago.
It was disappointing and bad to say the least.
If you read through many of the reviews you will begin to paint the right pictures for yourself. One consistent fact will come out... this movie in terms of all the things one usually evaluates movies on...was bad. Very bad. And not in the "so bad" it was fun way. The acting was terrible, with insultingly bad dialogue, no character development, mistakes/holes in plot and edit and flow everywhere. Bad in the bad way..NOT the bad in the b-movie good way.
In fact, so many problems its too long to list… far easier to say what was GOOD:
- the CGI was sufficient, if not necessarily groundbreaking.
- The FINAL dragon definitely looks cool.
- Snake-dragon on the skyscraper looks cool too.
- Old lady walking into wall was funny.
- it'd probably make for a cool videogame.
- Otherwise, the best I could say for this movie is it was like REALLY good Power Rangers movie.
SUM: There is about 10 minutes of watchable CGI dragon stuff, but you can catch that on youtube. But otherwise, its basically unwatchable for anyone over the age of 8 (maybe younger). Kids may like it if they dont' fall asleep in the talking parts.
So if GO INTO this movie thinking like its PowerRangers episode or sci-fi channel tv movie with dragons and you'll be fine (ie: bring the kids). But if you are expecting an overall good sci-fi movie...I guarantee you'll be screaming for your money back.
NOTE: As a Korean, I WANTED it to be good, I really did. But this is one movie where you can very much believe what the critics will say (no reviews yet but I'm that confident they will rip it a new one). Not a single professional critic in Korea liked it. That should say something. and one even got blasted for saying "this movie is below criticism".
So what's with all the A+ over-the-top reviews?
That's the Korean factor (again, not the critics). We are the most wired broadband country in the world and internet culture is more powerful here (esp with a coordinated effort) than perhaps anywhere in the world (it is widely accept taht our last President was elected because of his support online. think about that. this ain't no snakesonaplane culture here)
Do you care (or even know) that it came outta korea? or think that this is representative of korean movies? probably not.
But they do here.
So for those interested here's the backdrop as to why:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BACKGROUND:
Let it be known...that this movie has become a very political issue in Korea (to a level that I guarantee those not in Korea cannot appreciate) for various unfortunate reasons. Some more "valid" than others (not really relevant). And as such, lines have been drawn and the real war began...not D-war..the "patriot fanboy" vs everyone war. But it has literally gotten to the point of being a nationalism/patriotism issue to support or not suppor this movie. That is, if you don't see it as a kOrean...you are not doing your patriotic duty!! +_+ Yes, ridiculous as it may sound...that is where it stands in Korea. Don't know about the US release, but the Director actually has the arrogance to put a 5 minute long text biography at the end where it literally says something along the line of "I worked very hard and went through a lot pain in making it over teh years...and support movie in the US for Korea films!" omg. It broke every box-office record here riding on this type ultra-nationalist PR and if you happen to see the movie... you'll know it couldn't be based on the movie actually being good.
Critics (publically) and Koreans online who have said anything even slightly negative about this movie literaly get malled online and (some in real life) being called "traitor" "disgusted that they consider themselves Korean". I'm dead serious.
So before I get lynched by Korean internet masses lemme say...
In the context of the Korea movie industry.. it IS an important film. Director Shim took tons of flak in making this movie (personally and by industry as it was a huge budget for a K flick) and bad as it may be... he managed to establish the first Korean movie dedicated CGI effects studio because of it--one that is able to produce special effects equal to global standards (if not better someday).
As such, Korean CGI can at least COMPETE on the world stage in the years to come. Props to him for that. (again, that doesn't make this movie GOOD. but that's where a lot of the sympathy views are coming from... as everyone knows his plight here).
It is also the first Korea movie to get (semi)wide-release in the US and use American actors. So of course, everyone HOPED and wishes for it to do well and as it became the "flagship" movie to "open" the door to Hollywood for Korean movies.
Korean have always a bit of nationalist/patriotic pride factor in any Kroean movie going international... which is understandable. I even saw is cause I didn't konw the hype and a friend told it me to support it and well...it had dragons (preview didn't loook too bad and I was curious). BIG MISTAKE.
still has gone far normal national pride...its 100 times worse with D-war.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As a final note:
Not only do I do NOT recommend it this movie (just catch the dragon clips online).... I wish my fellow koreans would stop with over-blown obviously bias internet campaign to support this movie. Its frankly.. embarrassing. I wish they'd do for a KOREAN MOVIE WORTH SUPPORTING!! (which as I said, there are many).
I'm only comforted in the fact, I know that most people are rational and won't take this movie as the flagship representative movie of all Korea cinema regardless of many Korean online efforts to do so.
(btw, congrats if you read this whole review. I guarantee it'd be more interesting than the movie itself. heh.)
the "D"-war in D-war is for "DREADFUL", my final grade for it.
check out these reviews from other koreans and you'll hear much of the same:
- Rotten tomatoes dot com /vine/ journal_view.php?journalid= 445653&entryid=439590&view= public
- moviehaters dot com /movies/d-war/ |
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