Reviews

Moral of the Story: Love is a 2 Way Street & A Man Must Have Balls

Saw this after Wuliang and I liked that one way better. Though here everything was also very layered and complex, the ML was made quite dumb. He was suspicious of the kid they took in from nearly the get go but just forked over his heart like it was a casual thing in a deal with the devil. This ended up being a Romeo and Juliet deal with a demon for a 3rd wheel. A demon that learned how to love after a thousand years but never realized that something like that must be reciprocated or it was an unrequited love and unrealistic. So instead of gaining love, he lost everything and everyone due to his own selfish desires. ML should have told his wife right away, "Honey, that demon you are looking for is who you brought home!" She took him out and no sacrifice of any more innocence. But for a 30 minute film, it was very rich and beautiful.

Would I recommend it? If you like complex tragedies that make you think, go for it.

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The definition of wasted potential.

I had really high hopes for this.

I was sure Miike Takashi did miracles behind the camera and Fujiwara Tatsuya in front of it.
They both disappointed me.

The conception of the main idea for the movie was brilliant.But everything fall apart because the execution was bad.The material they had should have been more than enough to develop it further and make a truly amazing film.
2 hrs been wasted in chasing and action instead of giving depth to the characters.

I thought Fujiwara Tatsuya would be the shining star here,especially with such role, but no.
The scene stealer was Osawa Takao,the Detective.Even so,he couldn't really save it.

I would be more satisfied if i was given insights for both main chars.
A sadistic killer and a detective with ethics.
Characters felt short.
Lazy writing,lazy direction and feeble acting for both actors's caliber.

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Happy Ending

While watching the move when we are submerged with the character that's the story
I feel it while start to end i not in the home after the end i realise iam in home because i didn't move my finger till end
Artist are lived in to the character
Hole movie unit did the pleasant full job
Awesome-
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Read the books! Movie does not capture enough of story

First, I really really loved the manga and the light novels!!! I was so excited to hear that a live action movie was being released. I watched the anime series on Netflix, which was well done and followed the manga closely.

Hmmm... however, this movie was okay and touched on the highlights of the story. In my opinion, it doesn't cover much of the detail in the manga, let alone the light novels. You really needed prior knowledge from the books to connect some of the scenes.

If you've read the books, then you may find this movie a bit lacking in the character and plot development, since it doesn't go too much into the back story. If you've never read the books, then you'll find this movie entertaining and emotionally moving enough to enjoy.

The casting was okay....I realize that since this was a live action movie and not a drama series, there's only so much time you have to tell the story. So you don't really get too much sense of the acting abilities of everyone. I would've loved to have seen more screen time for everyone to really shine in their roles.

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Unexpectedly heartwarming with a touch of comedy and a lot of fantasy!

Overall - 9.5/10

It was very adventurous and engaging ride. I enjoyed the movie a lot. It has its tearfully heartwarming and equally heart-wrenching moments, which was paired with suspense and action! The movie is definitely one of my top recommendations for fantasy-action genre movies!

Plot/ Storytelling - 9.5/10

Ja-Hong who lives a diligent life as a filial son and a dependable brother, faces an untimely death as a hero who sacrifices his life for a little girl. Ja-Hong who’s called a paragon in the afterlife is accompanied by three guardians through the trials of hell.

Every part was interesting and insightful. The different hells revealed a new aspect of Ja-Hong’s life and with each trial proving his honour more. There were moments of suspense where you’d be on the edge of your seat unsure about Ja-Hong’s fate. Other times you’d shed a tear or two out of fuzziness created by the heartwarming scenes.

The characters felt well developed, each having their own uniqueness and their own part to play in Ja-Hong’s journey. It was interesting to see the humanness of the guardians and how they too had their own motives and selfish desires. The portrayal of reincarnation as something that had to be earned rather than someone’s inherent right, was interesting. The fact that hell’s trials were much similar to ones on earth and that injustice can happen even in the afterlife was fascinating and it added to the tension.

The sub-plot of Soo-Hong’s story was heart-wrenching and enraging but it opened a lot of potential for a second movie. Soo-Hong’s character was also dynamic and had much depth. The action scenes between Soo-Hong and Gang-Lim added more spice and coolness to the movie.

Cast/ Acting - 10/10

You just simply can’t expect Cha Tae-Hyun to play a role without a flair of comedy added. His slight clumsiness and laughable expressions made it even more interesting and enjoyable.

The cast is just saturated with A-Listers. You can really see the eliteness these veteran actors bring. Every character even the minor roles had uniqueness and was interesting.

Music/ Sound - 9/10

I, personally, don’t pay much attention to background music and sound. I’d notice if it was bad but not so much if it went smoothly. I wouldn’t say there was anything particularly catching or phenomenal about the music or sounds. But it didn’t interfere with the story. The sounds and music did well in supporting the scenes and helping to bring forward their expected potential.

Rewatch Value - 9/10

It’s definitely a movie that’ll be as enjoyable the second time watching as it was the first. It’ll be a movie that’ll be revisited many times.

thanks for reading! hehe <3

Leia Mais

If you are feeling nostalgic for something akin to the Power Rangers or going further back, Sigmund the Sea Monster, Super Legend God Hikoza might be what you are looking for. It would also help if you are twelve-years-old or younger, you might not notice how bad the writing and acting for this film were.

Four scientists work for Dr. (Dr. what? They never mentioned his name, maybe it was Dr. Doctor) at the UISAS (Ultra Institute Space and Astronaut Science). Takao and Okubo are childhood friends who bicker nonstop largely because Takao berates him and hits him almost continuously. The other characters with the exception of Yoshiki find it charming. Yoshiki is in love with Takao and the new hire Yuria is in love with Yoshiki. It’s like a junior high school only less mature. When Takao knocks Okubo down at a temple, he falls on a 400 year old doll. While the two are fighting over it they are brought inside the doll just as an evil giant fish attacks. After beating the fish back, they go on to learn more about the god Hikoza whose remaining consciousness resides in the doll and his relationship to the friendly aliens called Godnes. Four centuries ago, the evil alien Shachihokon attacked and Hikoza managed to seal him until the present time when he was released and took over some poor guy with a bowl haircut. After defeating Catfish dude, the Bickersons become celebrities and go on the talk show circuit, make commercials and even guest star in a Kota/Power Rangers episode. But they are celebrating too early for Shachihokon has dirty tricks up his sleeve and the four scientists will have to grow up quickly to defeat him.

I thought maybe the date on the film was incorrect. This felt more like 1980’s television than a 2020 movie regardless of how tongue-in-cheek it might have been. The acting, sets, and writing were awful. Takao was particularly childish and a bully. The rest of the four were equally as childish, just not as physical. Shachihokon’s costume was pretty hilarious especially when he used his special tongue power. The catfish monster was reminiscent of Friend’s Hannukah Armadillo. Hikoza’s early costume looked like a trash can with arms and legs although the final Hikoza costume had a nice samurai effect.

This film was primitive looking and the big final battle felt more like an Afterschool Special on the value of communication and how to deal with your feelings. If you loved/love Power Rangers and are longing for something like it, this is definitely a film to try. If you are content to leave campy costumes and posing behind, best to avoid Super Legend God Hikoza.

10/21/23

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The strangest movie I’ve seen in my entire life

I watched this movie just because I really love Kim Beom as an actor and want to see his whole filmography. I did not know what to expect and was super baffled going into this movie by the other reviews that are all saying this movie makes no sense; because to be honest, a lot of times when I see reviewers say a story made no sense, the story did make sense but people just struggled with comprehending a complex but otherwise fully explained plotline. But nah, the other reviewers are right in this case LMAO. I truly have no idea what’s going on in this film. This movie is proof that acting cannot save a film if the writer and director (which in this case it was the same person, and the person never made another film after this, which isn’t shocking) don’t know what they’re doing. I kind of feel bad for all actors involved because they probably thought the premise sounded interesting and wanted to give a new filmmaker a chance with no precedent to work with in order to gauge the person’s talent beforehand. I also feel bad for Kim Beom because he really deserves to be the main lead, but in a story better than this one.

What’s sad about this film is I can kind of see how it could have been interesting if it only had a better script and director. The storyline is essentially a tragedy of someone who was otherwise probably intended to be a decent person experiencing a downfall and point of no return due to excessive unconditional love. I can see some semblance of a motif and meaning in this film with the phrase “fly high” and the little angel we see in the story, representing Sibum’s rise in the gang at the cost of his humanity and acting dreams. The mood-setting, the dark and gritty atmosphere, and the emotions of Sibum are all immersive, it’s just that the point A to point B of the storyline makes no sense and there’s little to no fleshing out of any plot points whatsoever. It’s not REALLY an authentic silent film in an artistic sense, but the scripted dialogue is so bare that the actors cannot even work with it enough to make the plot progression any clearer. There is not enough explanation at any given moment for what is going on. That being said, you can generally deduce a loose idea of what is going on, but there is a sense that the writing almost feels unfinished. It feels like someone wrote a few sentences explaining the concept for the story instead of creating a fully crafted plot full of details and then just started filming on a very loose and incomplete outline. You can grasp at straws for what is happening and its meaning or what the writer may have intended, but not a single idea in this movie was fully fleshed out. Scenes did not go on enough, there wasn’t enough exposition or development, we’re just thrown into dramatic events without any proper build up, which makes all the characters’ actions seem sudden and excessive. It really feels like someone’s school art project instead of a proper film that someone reviewed and was like “yes, this is it, this is finished, let me release this to the world.” I understand now why the reviews are all confusing and why my own review is also probably confusing is because the problems this film has are somehow not problems I've ever seen any other film have, therefore it is difficult to articulate them.

That being said, the film is visually pretty and I’d still recommend Kim Beom fans to watch it in order to see his whole filmography if they want, if not just with subtitles off LOL. Kim Beom looks very beautiful in the lighting and styling of this film and I would love to see him film a modern day, good story with this kind of dark and gritty visual.

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Not as good as I expected

People have been raving about this film and one of the leads, Yoo Teo, became a favorite after I saw him in the Kdrama Love to Hate You so I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I feel let down after seeing this. It's definitely not a bad film and the cinematography is stunning. But the characters are underdeveloped and I especially had trouble with the FL who I found neither likable or interesting. As someone from a non-English speaking family who moved 3000 miles away from home as a young adult, I expected to relate to the story's characters and themes but instead they mostly left me cold.

The saving grace of the film is Yoo Teo, who delivers a wonderful, melancholic performance as a man who can't bring himself to stop asking what if. His eyes hold all of the emotion and poignance that should've been present in the film's writing and the FL's characterization. Alas, he was the only person I empathized with.

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Criminally underrated masterpiece showcasing the horrors of warfare & bigotry

I am so astounded at how underrated this film is when it honestly deserves to rack up big time on awards and is an absolute must watch. I’m not usually a big movie enjoyer and I am disappointed by most films I watch, but this film is a masterpiece and I think on par with big-name films like Parasite. I find it unfortunate that it seems to only be EXO-Ls who have watched it to support Kyungsoo with few outlying viewers. I think this film would get more accolades it deserves if there were simply more eyes seeing it than there are.

One of my biggest issues with war movies is they’re constantly used as propaganda to fulfill an agenda of favoring one side over another. Depending on the nationality of the writer, there’s often going to be a massive slant to paint one side as the hero and one side as totally evil. There’s also often little humanization for the innocent civilians and casualties. In doing so, these films desensitize the horror of war and we forget there’s a name and life and passion behind every human being who is lost to the war. This film does justice to everything that war movies so constantly mess up. It humanizes the civilians and it showcases how love and passion can transcend borders, nationality, language, political ideology, gender, and race and bring people together despite our differences. Simultaneously, it showcases how war is often fueled by ignorant leaders and racism that takes the lives of those aforementioned humans who have a name, life, and passion.

This film utilizes its contrasting tones and genres masterfully as a weapon for an ulterior motive, which is something movie critics who faulted these opposing storytelling elements seemed to not understand. I will admit the ending of this film is extremely heavy, and I really had to sit with it and think to reach acceptance. When engaging with fiction, we often jump to conclusions that upsetting events in a finale are bad writing, but that’s not always the case; not all fiction exists for escapism. This story is so heartbreaking in order to get its point across. Sometimes art makes us uncomfortable on purpose. In this case, Swing Kids’ grim ending and contrasting tragedy and comedy was meant to bring attention to a cruel reality. It does not matter how well we know someone, how happy they seem, how passionate they are about something (in this case, tap dance), how much growth they’ve made, how much we love them. War takes and it takes and it takes, and no amount of love we have for a person makes them exempt from being casualties. This film did a disquieting job of humanizing all of our main protagonists from different nationalities and walks of life and showing their love and shared passion for tap dancing, but with the chilling reminder that these jolly people who made us laugh and who we rooted for ARE the casualties we lose to war and racism in reality.

I would also like to take a moment to appreciate Kyungsoo and Jared Grimes’ incredible work in this film. From what I understand, Kyungsoo learned to tap dance for this role, and Jared Grimes learned to act for this role. You would not know that the two of them were treading such unfamiliar territory from their impeccable performances. Stellar film overall.

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A wonderful adaptation for fans! For first timers: check out the story so its less confusing

My Happy Marriage is a popular light-novel that has been adapted into various versions such as a manga and recently as an anime that ended its first season with plans for a second season in the making. I have long been a fan and had previously mostly read the manga and watched the anime and felt like this was perfect for me.

Imada Mio in the main role as Saimori Miyo does an incredible job and she really interpreted Miyo as how I read her in the manga. All of the cast felt good and delivered with what they were given to work with.

That being said, the main issue in the movie is the fact that they try to squeeze in too much in the time-frame that is offered. If I hadn't had a previous knowledge about the story and the worldbuilding, this would have been very confusing. I did feel like the story was unfortunately rushed and would've loved it more if it had focused on the main leads relationship and Miyo's past struggles in her household she grew up in instead of the emperial storyline. There were many plotpoints that were shaved off or stripped down to the bare minimum for the story to fit into the movie and if I had no prior knowledge of the storyline I do feel like many things would have flown over my head completely.

The story mainly centers on the romance between the main leads so this is definitely a budding romance movie at its core with alot of fantasy and action in a historical setting.

You can't deny, even with the changes in pacing, the budget for the special effects and for the cinematography is really nice and you can see how much care they have put into the movie visually. It is also quite clear that they released the movie with plans to produce a sequel movie. (Do check out the ending credits for a mini-extra scene hinting that they are planning the sequel!)

I really do suggest to watch the movie but I highly recommend to do some research about the story by reading the manga/light novel or watching some episodes of the anime if this is completely new to you. That way, it will be easier to follow the story and you can enjoy the visual aspect and the acting without struggling with the plot.

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Same Actors Custumes Poor.. Story bad

I like Feng Shoa Feng as the actor.
This is wrong character that he took this role.
It is stupid movie.
Poor custume
bad acting
China made bad movies to be a laughing stock.

The monkey king is not the same actor.
The Pig is very stupid and does not look like a pig.
The blue monster is ???

What is this movies suppose to be?

It is not a fiction. If it is made for comedy, it is really not funny.
It is a low budget film and made for retarded

Journey to the West story is much better than this film.
No wonder many people gave very bad reviews that China can't make good movies.

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Suka padat, jelas dan lebih ringkes

Btw, ini pendapat aku tanpa nonton animenya ya. Waktu pertama nonton yang bikin aku kaget berkali-kali adalah sound effect-nya wkwkw padahal bukan scene serem atau gimana gimana, tapi aku kaget banget plis wkwk. Mungkin pada review kalo mereka sampai nangis nonton ini, tapi aku biasa aja sih. Lebih ke terpukau pas adegan adegan actionnya gitu wow banget menurut aku. Sejujurnya agak penasaran sama orang yang ngobatin kaisarnya itu, soalnya dia ga di mention banyak di film ini tapi pas di scene awal kayak ngasih tunjuk kalo dia ini adalah biang keladinya juga. Hmm sepertinya akan ada kelanjutan ceritanya di season nanti.

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