martin

12.12: The Day

This movie exemplifies everything I don't like about contemporary American-style Korean blockbusters. The actors act like actors acting, there is no atmosphere, the entire thing looks and feels like a prolonged drama episode. It's like if a team of Felix Chong and Alan Mak ex-wannabes became Aaron Sorkin wannabes, saw Shin Godzilla once, and decided they can do it too. What makes this thing even worse than majority of other similar polished-looking schlock is that some university students have started watching it during history lectures. This, a 140 minute mess that pretends that is both a serious and faithful retelling of the events leading up to the coup AND an entertaining fictionalised blockbuster with changed names of real-life people so the production company doesn't get sued.