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movie review - JUNG_E

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This is a Korean sci-fi flick about a near future that while not a crap-sack world is certainly a dystopian place. In this world, it's possible to for want of a better term capture the soul of a human and put it in a sleek new robot body. Like the classic RoboCop that introduced this idea in the late eighties, this film depicts this act as invasive and abusive. The scientists pulling the proverbial strings this time are doing their best to repress actual memories, but of course that ultimately proves impossible.

The mission taking mankind down this road are trying to bring back a war hero. Complicating things is the presence of her daughter and the fact that the military isn't sure they shouldn't be, ah, pulling the plug. So we're doing sentimentality as only the Asians really do it, replete with exploitation and more exploitation.

There are definitely some rough edges to this thing. It's not exactly new material, after all. Also, there's a deliberately annoying character that is a bit too over-the-top, but even this is resolved satisfyingly when we learn exactly why.

Recommended.