Along With the Gods the Two Worlds Review

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Rhea

3 people found this review helpful

Story 10

Acting/Bandage 10

Music 8.5

Rewatch Value 9.5

Ane of the biggest and nigh expansive hits in the South Korean cinemas, Kim Yong-hwa offers a filmic version of a wildly popular webcomic of the same proper noun in this showtime one-half of the story. Already the 2d-most viewed motion-picture show in South Korean picture show history and either nominated or winning numerous Korean Moving-picture show Awards, Kim'due south beginning installment, with part two due to go far afterwards in the year every bit well as a television accommodation occurring in the meantime, appears poised to explode when it arrives on American shores.

During a nightmarish edifice fire, firefighter Kim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun, from "My Sassy Daughter") finds that he was killed in the line of duty and forced into the afterlife. Faced with three guardians, Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon, from "Asura: The Urban center of Madness") Gang-rim, (Ha Jung-woo, from "The Handmaiden") and Lee Deok-choon, (Kim Hyang-gi, from "Thread of Lies"), he is soon put through a serial of tests in lodge to determine his worthiness in order to be reincarnated in the adjacent life. As the trials embark and he goes farther into the afterlife, a complication emerges that puts the entire ordeal in jeopardy and must be resolved before he tin can pass to the other side.

Frankly, taking one look at "Among the Gods" reveals many reasons for its popularity. Author/director Kim Yong-hwa has crafted an ingenious tale that offers plenty of enjoyable elements. The original story, laced with a fine activeness-based subplot featuring the escaped spirit, offers a fascinating folktale most death and the spirit after we take died. Utilizing the bones framework of a multiple-layered Hell and the spirit going through trials in each said level, the motion-picture show offers a novel and enjoyable variant on those types of stories. The second storyline, near Gang-rim tracking downwardly the escaped family-member turned renegade spirit interrupting the trial, is a stellar secondary piece.

With the guardians afraid of what it would mean to their process if word got out nearly the existence creating a bad name for the family unit, this sense of urgency to stop it before the trial is affected is a great bit of suspense throughout in the race to finish it. Also, the picture itself is just beautiful to look at. The production design by Lee Mok-won is absolutely stellar, traversing the diverse places in the Afterlife and creating many memorable and lasting settings. From the sea of volcanoes where they concord a court meeting within an active lava-menstruum and a waterfall-based cliff overlooking the giant grounder on the isle below, to the meeting beingness conducted in the center of a giant wood or overlooking a coliseum composed of jagged, massive rocks, the different locations here are impressive and manage to feature plenty of intriguing locations.

Captured beautifully by cinematographer Kim Byung-seo, 'Forth with the Gods' features a presentation that rivals mainstream Hollywood fare with the presentation of the unlike worlds or the ballsy sense of scale generated by the action inside. From massive falls and plunges to swordplay and even full-on battle scenes, this packs in a fine activeness quotient to manage the fantastical storyline.Still, it's really the cast and acting here that impresses more than annihilation. Ha Jung-woo is incredible every bit Gang-rim, the man in charge of Ja-hong'due south trial. Initially appearing to be a strict and adamant being trying to ensure the process goes smoothly, the more they uncover about his life the more he reverts back to his human being persona in terms of recklessness as he tries various tactics to help Ja-hong.

The moving-picture show, all the same, still manages to make him likable and sympathetic as they traverse the diverse stages due to his level-headed charisma and ability to keep his emotions in check. His right-manus man, Haewonmak is played by Ju Ji-hoon as a somewhat more reckless, but still respectful individual who clearly wants the all-time for Ja-hong only treats this equally part of the job. Despite his importance, he doesn't view Ja-hong equally being of the accounted status bestowed upon him and tries to go along his level-headed reserve for the job in cheque as they continue through the trials.

However, it'due south the final two who deserve special mention hither. Kim Hyang-gi is astounding every bit Lee Deok-choon, the amateur-like being to Gang-rim as she is shown the ropes of how to garner souls through the afterlife. Spunky and optimistic, she begins with an infectious attitude that doesn't denote the ordeal ahead, simply gradually becomes invested in the process. She looks genuine in her concern for Ja-hong and the boldness she displays during the latter parts of the trial add together to her likability which is what really brings us to the process. Lastly, Cha Tae-hyun works wonders as Kim Ja-hong, the fireman being shown his life before his eyes. Initially, he appears completely overwhelmed bin what's going on, but as we get to learn the series of tragedies in his by the more emotionally invested the audience becomes. Information technology's a attestation to his talent that the drama weighs out nicely and the finale almost becomes tear-inducing as we learn the truth nearly him which is what helps to sell the activeness so well.

Even with all these elements present, it does take a few pocket-sized flaws. The almost apparent is the film'south ungodly length as the weighty running fourth dimension does experience every chip the near 2-and-a-half hours. The trials here really have their time, as both the guardians and the prosecutors are given full-reign to speechify in order to give their full arguments before the Superior Beings in charge of each location. These scenes actually could've been trimmed downwards to the actual points in order to move the pacing up. Likewise, the secondary subplot nearly the vengeful spirit potentially-harming the process could've been dropped entirely. This injects the picture show with activity, simply in doing so too forces the film to halt the action in society to determine the cause of the spirits' actual death. Despite the rational motivation for the vendetta, the subplot was unneeded until the very end and just adds to the overlong length of the moving-picture show. There's not a lot to say about how to integrate it, but it adds a heavy drama that makes the motion-picture show feel overlong more than anything.

In the end, the film is a stellar and wholly worthwhile Fantasy/Activity/Drama epic that really seems to embody what the best of Southward Korean movie theater has to offer. It'due south large-upkeep look and feel offers worthwhile counterpoints to mainstream Hollywood, and yet the regional twist in the storyline and mental attitude towards its characters, the film emerges as a fine effort for those willing to have a chance on that cloth or fans of Korean cinema in general, while the running time might exist the only aspect that would brand others heed circumspection here.

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Source: https://mydramalist.com/16224-along-with-the-gods/reviews

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