The Silent Sea (2021) [Drama Review]

The Silent Sea; or, 2021: A Lunar Odyssey
     Not a damn thing works smoothly in this station.
I have been looking forward to The Silent Sea drama since the first information about the shooting schedule dropped in December, 2020. Still, I had to endure an additional month of waiting after the Netflix premiere at the end of 2021 because of personal stuff and work. Well, as they say, better late than never. This is my review of The Silent Sea.

Release Info

Directed by: Choi Hang Yong Starring: Gong Yoo, Bae Doona, Lee Joon, Kim Sun Young

Language: Korean Original Title: 고요의 바다 No. of eps.: 8

Synopsis
Near future, the world is plagued by shortages of water and food caused by environmental changes. Doctor Song Ji An (Bae Doona) can’t get over the death of her sister who tragically died in a mysterious accident on Balhae Base research station on the moon. The Republic of Korea’s Space and Aeronautics Division asks her to join a team of specialists led by Captain Han Yoon Jae (Gong Yoo). They are sent on a mission to retrieve top-secret samples from the now-abandoned Balhae Base. Upon arriving there, the team realises something is amiss. That is to say, something, or someone, is lurking within the premises of the base.

Fly Me to the Moon
The Silent Sea was based on a 2014 short film The Sea of Tranquillity (I couldn’t track it down) by Choi Hang Yong, who also directed all 8 episodes of the drama. Interestingly, the executive producer of the show was Jung Woo Sung, the star of Steel Rain (2017) and The King (2017). The screenwriting duties were given to Park Eun Kyo who penned in the past Neverending Story (2012) as well as Mother (2009).

This drama is science-fiction at its purest. Fans of the genre will undoubtedly notice that The Silent Sea borrows tropes and concepts left and right from such legendary juggernauts of modern cinema as the Alien franchise (1979-1997), The Abyss (1989), Leviathan (1989), and Ad Astra (2019). There is room for thoughtful critique of modern problems plaguing the social order, but this aspect does not eclipse the willingness of filmmakers to provide the audience with a dose of thrills and chills.

In my opinion, The Silent Sea feels very much like the Lost (2004-2010) TV series, but instead of the island setting we get the moon. The first episode of the drama, albeit visually outstanding, is a bit overwhelming because its main focus is setting up the action and introducing (lots of) characters. Onwards the second episode, it gets easier to dive into the mysteries concerning the Balhae Base as well as the motivations of the main protagonists: Captain Han Yoon Jae and Doctor Song Ji An.

I have read online a lot of criticism about the plotline of the drama, especially the climax and dramatic reveal of (no spoilers) what actually was going on, but I personally found the whole thing enjoyable. I especially appreciated the themes of political corruption, company wars, and unethical research. The only thing that put me off; however, were CGI effects concerning one of the characters. From the visual standpoint, the effects looked good, but there was still some degree of uncanny valley which made these sequences look awkward.

Still, I love the marvellous production design. The Balhae Base looks incredible and the moon’s surface is fantastic, whereas the space suits are awesome. With regard to performances, it is always a pleasure to see Gong Yoo in the heroic role. This time, there is an added bonus because Gong’s character has an epic tattoo on his neck. Bae Doona is always wonderful as the female lead, but I was hoping for more character development in this case. Throughout most of the drama, we see Doctor Song either as bitter or depressed.

As for the supporting cast, I absolutely love Kim Sun Young as Doctor Hong. I have said this already on MDL and I will say it again: To me, she IS the Space Ajumma! In addition, I greatly enjoyed the appearances of Lee Moo Saeng as Chief Gong, head of the security team, and of Lee Joon as Lieutenant Ryoo Tae Seok, the head engineer. In general, the cast members have great chemistry, which also transpires in these sweet promo materials from Netflix, here and here.

Recommendations
After Space Sweepers (2021) and now The Silent Sea, South Korea has proven once again that they can do top-notch entertainment, even in the form of a miniseries. I sincerely hope that there will be a second season; however, we have to bear in mind that the drama came out in-between two other major Netflix players: Squid Game (2021) and All of Us Are Dead (2022). It’s reassuring to see that Netflix cares about the K-Drama audience, but I hope the quality will not be overshadowed by the quantity. The Silent Sea deserves an additional season because there is still the potential to develop the story further, but I would not like to see this drama last as long as Lost, The Walking Dead, or Stranger Things. Sometimes shorter is better.Overall score: 8/10

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Train to Busan (2016) [Film Review]

Train to Busan; or, Shinkansen Daibakuha meets Zombie Apocalypse

     Attention, everyone. For the safety of those on board we won't be making any stops. We're heading straight for Busan.

It’s just a day like every other day. You wake up early in the morning, travel by car (did fire-fighters’ trucks just pass you?), and reach a railway station. You buy your ticket, take your seat and... relax? Nope! Because a girl infected with a zombie virus just ran into the compartment. Welcome on the Train to Busan!
Release Info

Directed by: Yeon Sang Ho Starring: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong Seok, Jung Yu Mi, Kim Su An

Language: Korean Original Title: 부산행 Runtime: 118 min

 

Synopsis

Seok Woo (Gong Yoo) is an ever-busy fund manager from Seoul who does not have the time for his daughter Soo An (Kim Su An). On the day of her birthday, she pleads with the father to take her to Busan to see her mother.  Seok-woo reluctantly complies and they depart on the KTX train the next morning. Nevertheless, it turns out in the news that some kind of violent riots are breaking out across the country. The truth about the impending zombie apocalypse is finally revealed when one of the infected passengers transforms and proceeds to attack other people on the train. Now, those who are still alive (Seok Woo and his daughter, Sang Hwa (Ma Dong Seok) and his pregnant wife Seong Kyeong (Jung Yu Mi), a high school baseball team, two elderly sisters, and a hobo) have to fight for their survival until they reach Busan.

 

Get in or Die

First of all, I should point out that I’m not a huge fan of zombie flicks. The Walking Dead series is something totally strange to me and that stupefying Brad Pitt movie based on a great novel did not impress me. However, Train to Busan pleasantly surprised me. It’s not a horror, but at the same time, something more than just another zombie story. Specifically, it is a high-speed action drama with neatly sketched out characters and a thrilling screenplay.

 

Though Train to Busan starts off as a typical Korean drama (father and daughter issues), when the action kicks in, it kicks you right in the guts, and it keeps kicking you until the closing credits roll. It would be a gross indiscretion from my part to mention any spoilers, so I will just limit myself to the following comment: The film successfully keeps your adrenaline level up with lots of exciting sequences inside the train (the rescue mission is icing on the cake!) as well as outside of it (the final act).

 

However, the movie is not just about making one’s way through hurdles of the un-dead flesh-gourmets. It is also a subtle study case of an epidemic (shared similarity with Contagion (2011)), a father-daughter reconciliation set against the background of a raging pandemonium, and the examination of the virtues of altruism (unintentional reference to Ayn Rand?).

 

All of the abovementioned features are what makes Train to Busan such an exhilarating cinematic experience. Not forgetting about the cast, Gong Yoo delivers another fine performance together with Jung Yu Mi (they starred alongside together in The Crucible (2011)). Also, Kim Eui Sung as a snobby executive who turns into a heartless, rotten-to-the-core, antagonist does a great job. Honourable mentions go to Ma Dong Seok as a straightforward working-class husband and Kim Su An as Seok Woo’s daughter. Jang Young-Gyu’s music score varies greatly across the film, yet works in every scene (though, I don’t feel encouraged to listen to it independently).

 

Recommendations

I can safely recommend it to everyone. Train to Busan has everything which a solid entertaining movie requires. It’s got the story, disaster, human drama, vivid characters, and a train. In other words, it’s a multi-layered entertainer which effortlessly excels in the genres of disaster and zombie flicks. Train to Busan takes you on a wild ride, which can only be equalled by the thrilling journeys of The Bullet Train (1975) and Runaway Train (1985). This Korean hit has something for everybody and it’s definitely worth checking it out on the big screen.

Overall score: 9/10

The Crucible (2011) [Mini Review]

The Crucible (2011)

This time, I would like to make an exclusive mini-review of the South Korean drama film called The Crucible (released internationally as Silenced).

Release Info

Directed by: Hwang Dong Hyuk

Starring: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu Mi, Kim Hyung Soo

Language: Korean

Original Title: 도가니

Runtime: 125 min

I picked it up because I have recently seen Train to Busan (2016), as I have wanted to check out something more of Gong Yoo and Jung Yu Mi. Well, after checking out The Crucible, the film left me completely gobsmacked. I was so shocked that, in my view, a regular review of the film seems pointless, because it will not give it enough justice.

Don’t get me wrong, The Crucible is a great movie, but I would like to refer to the sensitive topic that it explores. The story is based on real events which took place at Gwangju Inhwa School (go here for further details) and, in short, the movie focuses on a teacher who discovers that faculty members of a school for deaf children are sexually assaulting their students. The highlight, as well as the issue, of the film is that it does not present its topic subtly. It grips the viewer by the throat and slaps him in the face with highly explicit content. The first half of the film is a brutal exposition as the main character, Kang In Ho (Gong Yoo), unravels the uncomfortable truth; whereas the second part is a nasty courtroom drama as he and human rights activist Seo Yoo Jin (Jung Yu Mi) struggle to make the offenders pay for their crimes.

To be honest, it is not a movie for everyone. If you’re faint-hearted or feel very distressed about sensitive issues, then give this film a pass. However, if you feel up to going through some upsetting sequences, then The Crucible will provide you some intellectual food for thought. It is no wonder that the film actually led to some legislative reforms in South Korea.

Overall score: 8/10