"Starring the actor (Ahn Hyo-seop) who voiced the lead boy-band bad guy in KPop Demon Hunters, and one of the singers (Kim Ji-soo, also known mononymically as Jisoo) from real-world girl-band Blackpink, this Korean sci-fi-fantasy feature feels very skewed towards the young on all counts. Superficially, it appears to be about a guy named Kim Dok-ja (Ahn) who finds that the web novel he's been following for years is turning into reality."
"That means the whole world becomes gamified, as if everyone has been turned into players compelled to kill to survive, while plagued by CGI monsters and puckish digital dokkaebi (demons) which explain things when the rules change. But under the surface, this film is really about being popular, coping with traumatic childhood experiences such as being forced to beat up your best friend, getting a pimple, and building up enough gumption to tell authority figures"
Kim Dok-ja discovers his long-favored web novel is becoming reality, turning the world into a gamified killing survival with CGI monsters and mischievous digital dokkaebi explaining rule changes. The plot centers on Dok-ja and allies—Yoo Sang-ah, Lee Gil-yeong, Lee Hyung-sung, and Yoo Joong-hyuk—collecting coins to upskill and survive. Much action occurs on a commuter train, evoking Train to Busan, while the narrative blends Ready Player One, Squid Game, and Super Mario Bros elements. The film emphasizes youth themes: popularity, coping with childhood trauma, acne anxieties, and confronting authority figures, but remains tonally single-note and lacks meta playfulness.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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