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[PREVIEW] Film "WOOCHI"

A scene from film "JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist WizardWOOCHI" [Zip Cinema]

"JEON WOO CHI : The Taoist Wizard" is the sole Korean movie on the local box office which will be up to par for competition against the recent rush of some of Hollywood's most anticipated films. The collaboration between director Choi Dong-hoon of hit films "The Big Swindle" and "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("Tazza: The High Rollers") and the cast composed of Gang Dong-won, Kim Yun-seok and Lim Soo-jung is already enough to catch the eye of the moviegoers. But the plot in which character Woochi (played by Gang Dong-won) comes to life in modern day Korea for the first time in 500 years to fight off his opponent Hwadam (played by Kim Yoon-suk) and other monsters, clearly reveals what "WOOCHI" is aiming for. This 'Korean superhero flick' is a Korean-style blockbuster which creates buzz with its sheer scale, ahead of having to judge how well it has been made. Of course, its size may seem relatively small compared to its competitors but it will be interesting to see how well this movie -- made by a director who has a firm understanding on Korean stars and the mentality of the Korean public -- will fare amongst the crowd of Hollywood blockbusters.

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Movie Points: 6
During a press conference for the film on December 14 last year, director Choi had said he "wanted to go with long sequences for this movie from the very start". And like he said, each sequence in "WOOCHI" is paced slow and loose enough to last up to a maximum 30 minutes, unlike with his previous works where he gave the audience space to breathe only by the end of the film with endless sequences of fast cuts. That is the change Choi has undergone but also a choice he made to create a blockbuster which needs to contain many attractions. If "Tazza: The High Rollers" is a film which used its fast pace to focus on telling the stories between characters, "WOOCHI" is a film which dedicated more time in showing the action scenes between Woochi and Hwadam. And the comical scenes where Choraengi (played by Yoo Hae-jin) exchanges dialogue containing satirical lines with three Taoist wizards adds more fun to the film. It seems that Choi tried to create his own style of action blockbuster which moves on a faster pace yet contains his flavor.

However, problems lie in the content within the long sequences. It is not only the pace of the sequences that move slowly but also the pace of the action scenes which also fail to be diverse. Most of the action scenes are one-on-one combats between Woochi and Hwadam or Woochi and a monster. The scene shown immediately after Woochi comes to life 500 years later is the only scene that draws attention. And despite the appealing plot that Woochi is someone who comes to life in modern day Korea, most of the action scenes take place amongst themselves in 'secluded' locations while most of the scenery is background for Woochi and Choraengi's humorous conversations. In particular, there is an absence of stories explaining the connection between actions scenes. The film explains how Woochi came to be trapped inside a scroll for 500 years and shows his battles with Hwadam, but fails to fill in on other details. There is no foreshadowing of the changes or unexpected developments which occur in the story regarding Woochi, who seems to have too many thoughts for a guru. The film contains funny gags and political satire but they are only fragmentary enjoyment since the story lacks in having a pivot. Of course, the humor, the attractive characters and the acting of the actors which bring out the essence of the characters are excellent. But most of the audience probably had set higher expectations for this film.

Senior Reporter : Kang Myoung-Seok two@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr
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