Junto a los dioses: Los últimos 49 días

If the first movie epitomises redemption, then the sequel dives headlong into forgiveness. Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds was a helluva ride through the underworld; the only misstep for me is how it went overboard with the ludicrous special effects. By that I mean how the vengeful spirit and Gang Rim go mano a mano with the city as their playground. The sequel, Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days, was shot together with the massively popular first film and it has become the second all-time box-office grosser in South Korea. However, it is an overstuffed shadow of the first film.

The sequel begins moments after the end of The Two Worlds, with the three guardians, Gang Rim (Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Dukchun (Kim Hyang-gi) guiding their 49th soul Kim Soo-hong (Kim Dong-wook), the brother of Kim Ja-hong, to the trials for his reincarnation. The stakes are higher because if it is successful, the three guardians will also be reincarnated.

King Yeomra (Lee Jung-jae), Lord of the Afterlife, agrees to a fair trail on the condition that Gang Rim proceeds with the case on his own, while Haewonmak and Dukchun go down to the world of humans to dispatch a troublesome housegod Sung-joo (Ma Dong-seok) and ascend an overdue soul.

The Last 49 Days has a lot to live up to and it just could not sustain under the weight of expectations set by its predecessor. The first half becomes a bit of a slog with the pacing largely going missing and the world-building taking a backseat. This is a case of lightning not being able to strike the same spot twice.

Firstly, the chemistry between the three guardians of the Afterlife went missing in the first two acts, partly because Gang Rim and his compatriots are separated. Like The Two Worlds, the narrative becomes two-pronged but sadly neither reaches the same dizzying levels. Soo-hong makes for an annoying and smart-alecky character, who doesn't garner the same sympathy as his brother, Ja-hong. It is a good move that the story doesn't go through the same process as Ja-hong but what takes its place doesn't make for compelling viewing, and dinosaurs don't help. Haewonmak and Dukchun fare better because of the intriguing character of Sung-joo, a superb casting choice. However, this time round the Stephen-Chow-resque slapstick comedy is a hit or miss.

Secondly, director Kim Yong-hwa couldn't quite find the right balance between the light fantastic and the hard-hitting drama, which led to pacing issues, so much so that I did the dreaded thing - I checked my watch.

However, all is not lost... when the story does hit the final act with the story of the three guardians revealed, it hits its groove. But still, one can't help but feel it came a little too late to save the movie.

The plot was strong and connected ,, proceeding with saving the soul of Kim Ja-hong during a long trial of 49 days ... and introducing the side story of the kid and the grandfather and their protector was a bold smart choice ,, and finally we know the truth and connection between the trio "Gang-rim, Hae Won-maeg and I Deog-chun" ... It was literally near perfection, the cinematography and visual effects were spot on ,, and even the script had more action than the first movie it still didn't lose the emotional dramatic part.

The cast was even better than last time ,, they now get along "in away" and you can feel the banter and back and forth comedic lines flying :D .

The final two scenes in the credits were amazing and shocking and a possible open gate for "finger crossed" a third and last movie to see how the story of "Kim Ja-hong" will finally end :)

After a surprisingly good first movie (with tear jerking story lines); I had high expectations on the sequel. It didn't disappoint me but it's not as good as the first one either. Bad Points: The movie is full of cliche, drama , and coincidences that I am really watching a typical Asian drama movie. Seriously, almost all characters in the movie are connected to each other somehow with the little twist and there. In addition, this movie didn't develop the side characters really well. I understand the sequel focus is on the three guardians and their past but somehow the side characters which supposedly have major roles are sidelined and seems to exist to cater to the major story line. It's not very bad as they still have their moments, but I am just disappointed on this part of the movie.

Good Points: Cliche and drama moments aside, this movie carries a great message that it suppose to give to audiences; human values and forgiveness. I mentioned previously that I am not disappointed because this movie still gives out a great story line despite the cliches. If the first one gives u heavy water works, then this sequel gives u deeper understanding on forgiveness and human sins. The visual is great ; and the acting here is amazing which blends with the great story line.

Conclusion: This movie is great if you get pass all the typical Asian cliche drama because it got great story line, promising premise which can set a great universe , good settings and great acting. It might not be as great as the first one, but it's still a great movie to watch.

Let's talk about the advantages and the disadvantages of the movie. The plot was unexpected but wonderful. The director connected the first with this film perfectly. In addition, the ending truly made me teary-eyed. It touched me a lot. Then I have to say some arrangement I don not understand. The first was the character Seongju God. I believed that director wanted to add this character to the second film to enrich the story. But this character was completely a tool man to promote the development of the plot. Moreover, the first half of the movie was full of low-grade jokes. They doesn't make me laugh, okay? ALL IN ALL, Sin-gwa ham-kke: In-gwa yeon was a good film. Its shortcomings could not cover its shining points. It was worth watching.

Do not watch this sequel without first watching the first one.

In terms of cinematics, there seems to be less compared with the first. Yet the drama, wit & humor are truly delightful.