dbborroughs
Korean martial arts fantasy about a vagabond demon killer, who is actually a wanted royal demon killer, who is drugged by a village and flees before he can get caught and turned over to soldiers for the reward. Falling asleep in what appears to be a temple he crosses over to Mid-Heaven where he arrives just in time to help a higher soul on a special mission who is under attack. The higher soul looks exactly like his lost love, but she doesn't remember anything. The villains are his old friends in the royal demon slayers, now dead and seeking to cross back over into the world of humans.Trust me its way better then that.Grand romantic martial arts film is a visual treat. Better yet its really romantic as the notion of "I will remember you forever" is put to the test. And it raises the question of are we our memories, or are they simply the source of all our pain...and joy? There are times when this film just soars with emotion and ideas. Will you love some one forever for real? The film looks great. The world of Mid-Heaven is lush and magically alive. The action sequences, which do rely on CGI and wire work are impressive no matter how you slice them. I particularly liked the battle on the ropes holding up the lanterns which shouldn't work for any number of reasons but manages to actually be something special. Only the final battle to the bad guy a bit too CGI with the vast armies clearly make believe.I really liked this film a great deal. I don't know if its one of the best (some of the plotting is unclear or takes an odd turn) but for the most part its a solid two hours enjoyment and entertainment.8 out of 10.
helmutty
Another fantasy Korean movie with martial arts, now in future, Koreans are making more fantasy and martial arts movies. Now, there are still more romance movies.Now coming to this movie, I did not know this is a fantasy movie, I thought it is romance. The story is like a romance story with fantasy which is great. Yi Gwak found himself in a place that the dead suppose to go when they die. It is strange as he don't remember dieing until when he asks someone, he checks and discovers that he is not dead yet. It is a puzzle. He then meets a beautiful girl who he falls in love with. From there, battles are slotted in and beautifully forms a romantic fantasy movie. The battles include sword fights which are cool enough with the special effects. There too is enough romance to keep up and action.Overall, it may be a suitable romantic fantasy movie. It is enough to keep you glued to the screen. The sword fights and special effects are added to make the story going, or not I would feel bored watching romance.
hokensongirl
I had been dying to watch this movie so when they pushed the DVD release date from April to May 2007, I wasn't exactly a happy camper. Thank goodness I got a hold of the MV (Wheesung's 'The Cresent Moon') which totally blew my mind but it only made me itch even more for the actual film. So when I finally got my hands on it this past May 18th, I almost had an orgasm when I slid the disc into the player. But little did I know that would be the only excitement. So what happened? How did something with a strong plot (quasi-purgatory/heaven; I mean who isn't curious?!), "stunning" special effects, strong actors and performers(Jun-ho Yeo, Kwang-Il Kim, Woo-Sung Jung) and awesome soundtrack go awry? Well, first of all this should have been at least 165 minutes long instead of compressing everything into 105 minutes. While Yi-Gwak's love for Son-Hwa/Yon-Hwa is "understandable"; the fervor/dedication portrayed by Jung could have been better conveyed if viewers actually saw more of the lovers before she was executed. Then there's the precious stone Son-Hwa kept to save Jungcheon; while a clearer explanation is not necessary, perhaps a longer one would do. Viewers might find themselves wondering in the midst of the Chunyoungdae's hunt for her why they wanted the stone in the first place. Then the ending felt abrupt and mishandled. I don't want to reveal too much but for me it was as though everything was for nothing. I will say however that the visuals in this move are captivating. I will say that most of the cast did a great job. I just wished the movie had made me care more about what would happen to the characters next. Because I didn't.
darcy99
I've been watching a lot of Korean movies as of late, since I find that in general their quality is much higher compared to their Chinese (esp. HK) counterparts.I was quite disappointed after watching The Restless, a Korean action/fantasy/love story. Story involves a battle between good and evil, characters residing in heaven and hell and somewhere in between. There's also a love story as well which involves multiple characters.Although the story premise was unique, the execution and acting left much to be desired. Particular poor was that of the main female role of So-hwa, with her intermittent cross-eyed facial expression that really distracted from her portrayal of a higher being. On the other hand, the male main character was quite pleasant on the eye and aside from some annoying hair style was actually quite goo.The action/fighting sequences were very ordinary (compared to HERO and Matrix, which are my fantasy movie action standards), and the CGI backgrounds used were quite obvious (aside from one initial shot of the midheaven temples). Particularly cheesy was the fight in the woods involving various piercing chains that shot out of the antagonist's body... certainly lacking the graceful flight through the woods that one imagined in Crouching Tiger. Towards the end you'll notice quite a resemblance to the LOTR3 and when Frodo approaches Mt Doom. Overall a disappointing movie.
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