See the Movie D-War.....

Normally, I don't recommend B minus action/fantasy thrillers. Usually, I'd ward off viewers from a movie like D-War that at best comes up as a manufactured cult flick and at worst come up as a decadent-on-arrival ripoff of Godzilla. I'm the type of moviegoer that appreciates a good storyline, a clever script, and interesting relationships between characters, none of which this movie has.

But if you get a chance, see this movie!!

Yes my friends, after witnessing this low concept/high-tech piece of work in IMAX near the Seoul Yongsan Electronics Mall (how appropriate since it's one of the best places to purchase electronics on the planet), I feel obliged to recommend this movie to you.

Why?

Because of the history behind it: At 30 million U.S. dollars, D-War is the most expensive Korean movie ever made. It's also the first to be marketed towards the United States. It is written and directed by a Korean (Shim Hyung-rae) but has Hollywood actors and is completely in English except for a small part about the real Korean legend, on which the movie is based.

And that small part...the flashback into Korea's past... is the reason why this movie is worth seeing. The action/battle scenes of present-day L.A. are brilliantly constructed and the computer animation is beyond belief (think Godzilla + Lord of the Rings...one of my students actually used that analogy herself), but the most exciting scenes are the flashback scenes. If you see this film, you'll catch a glimpse of the Korean culture, you'll hear a little of the beautiful Korean language, and you'll find Hollywood actors talking about Korea as if it were THE PLACE to be obsessed over. I suppose Japan has been doing this for years with movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, but now it's Korea's turn and you won't be disappointed.

South Korea is the only country in the world (except for the United States and India) that has more domestic (homegrown) films than international films on their market. Even if you don't like films like D-War, you have to admire the ambition to plunge head-on into the American market. All Korean films are not like D-War; they have smaller budgets, are more artsy and have much better storylines. Unfortunately, until I learn more Korean, I can't see too many of them (no real demand for English subtitles here obviously).
.
I asked my students in one of my classes (If you didn't know already I'm an English teacher in South Korea), whether they think the movie will do well in America or not. Their opinions were mixed: three thought it would, two thought it wouldn't and two were unsure. I told them we shall see.

And so we shall.......

It's coming to American theaters September 13.