The large theater near my house often shows a variety of foreign films. We get a lot of Bollywood and an occasional Korean film spattered with some others. The last Korean film we saw at this theater was Battleship Island, which was a solid film. I gave that film 8/10, in spite of a lower rating at IMDb. The latest Korean Film to drop is a fantasy film called Along with the gods: The two worlds. This film has a substantial 7.9 rating at IMDb and visually appealing trailers. So I skipped a couple of new releases to check out this film instead.
Jung-Ha (Tae hyun-Cha) is a firefighter. We meet Jung-Ha in an action-packed CGI-enhanced opening sequence as we descend through the clouds to see the heroic public servant blown from an upper window of a tall burning building. As Jung-ha falls, his rope catches him, but fire burns through the rope, dropping him to the inflated cushion below as he barely misses grasping help from a peer in an extended bucket truck. Jung-ha bounces, landing on his back, never losing his grasp of the young girl he has saved from the flames. It is his last heroic act. Jung-ha awakens in the afterlife.
Jung-ha is greeted by two guardians, Haewonmaek (Ji-hun Ju) and Dukchoon (Hyang-gi Kim). The pair explain to him the rules of the afterlife before meeting up with the third guardian, Kangrim (Jung-woo Ha). Jung-ha is a paragon. He has seven trials that he must complete within 49 days. If he is found without fault, he will be reincarnated. The guardians serve as his legal defense as well as his defenders in the peril ridden underworld. As Jung-ha's past is relived through Karma mirrors that serve to display his sins, we learn more about his past and that of his brother, Soo-hong (Dong-wook Kim) and mother. When events in the real world begin to impact the afterlife, threatening Jung-ha's trials, Kangrim returns to the real world in an attempt to restore balance. His actions come with consequences that are irreversible.
Let me start with the good. Along with the gods is a visual treat. The graphic imagery clearly the result of a relatively large budget at nearly forty million dollars. The special effects were well done. While some of it had a campy feel, the overall look of this film was tremendous. I saw it in 2D but can only imagine that it would look impressive in 3D with some of the action sequences designed for that type of format. This film is breaking records in Korea, likely because of the visual appeal. The story was okay, but the delivery left a bit to be desired.
Along with the gods is a cinematic introduction to writer Ho-min Ju. The screenplay was co-authored by Director Yong-hwa Kim who has a few other titles to his credit, along with several awards. I am familiar with Korean cinema, which often produces great thriller/suspense films. I am less familiar with Korean fantasy films and/or dramatic films. Having said that, while visually stunning, this film often felt like a soap opera. The dramatic elements were overplayed. The trials seemed interesting, but a bit understated at times. They were bolstered by excellent special effects and action sequences. But the dramatic elements really felt sappy and cloying. The major plot devices were predictable and the ending spent far too long wrapping things up. The story would have benefited from some precision surgery and a bit of revision.
Along with the gods did not receive an MPAA rating. Based on elements of fantasy violence, death and an attempted suicide, I would guess that this film would come in at PG-13. There isn't any nudity, sexual situations, or drug use. There is a bit of alcohol as well. I would suggest that tweens, teens and above should be fine with this content. The film runs a bit long at two hours, nineteen minutes. It could easily have been trimmed to two hours without losing much impact.
I thought Along with the gods was visually stimulating. The story was long-winded and a bit contrived. The performances were good, but the dialogue and cinematography drifted into soap opera territory. Particularly the protracted ending that lingered too long on the resolution before setting up a potential sequel. Some of the loose ends needed to be tied together. But the dramatic elements were overplayed. It meant to be a tear-jerker, but felt manipulative instead. I would give this film a moderate recommendation, particularly if given the opportunity to see it in 3D. Otherwise, this one can wait for streaming. I don't have it anywhere near the IMDb rating of 7.9. I'm a solid 6.5/10.
