Lucid Dream

A mixture of sci-fi with suspense, around the mystery of the missing little boy, his father's love and unconditional determination to find him again, films with people and mainly missing children always captivate me, just because I see the disappearance, the absence without news, the presumed death is eternally painful and doubtful, worse than death itself... The ending became a confused dream, but an excellent film, great South Korean production...

I'm really amazed and impressed with the consistency and the quality of many of the Korean films that I've seen. I'm no expert, that's for sure, but you can tell that they really put a LOT of effort into creating an excellent, involving story. The acting, alone, is WAY above the average American film (and I happen to have been raised by and live near San Diego :)

This primarily is a Police Procedural about a father looking for his kidnapped child, but it has some nice, low-key, Science Fiction touches that are integral to the story. You can likely guess what some of these are by the title of the film. But, what I was most impressed by was just how well done the movie was. It honestly kept me in suspense and did an excellent job in maintaining that tension throughout the entire film.

I read one external review where they dismissed this movie as a poor copy of another really well known (and quite excellent) film. I won't mention the title of it because I don't want to give too much away. But, I very much disagree with that reviewer because as masterful and stunning as the other film is that he was referring too, I truly feel that a movie should be judged on it's own as to how well it is put together and based upon the quality of it's story, direction, acting, etc. And, this one I felt was actually quite good. It's not a Sci Fi Blockbuster by any means, so please don't expect 'TRANSFORMERS'-like effects and such. No, this is mainly a powerful Police Drama along with an excellent Mystery as to what has happened to the child. Add in the nice Sci Fi elements that propel the story and I feel that you have a very entertaining movie that does an excellent job in involving the audience in not only the search for the man's son, but also the intriguing twists and turns that reveal themselves as time goes on.

If you like a good Police Drama / Thriller and also enjoy some light Sci Fi elements woven into the story, I think that there is a good chance that you might enjoy this film.

Despite usually having a lot less money than what major Hollywood studio filmmakers have, I have found that Korean filmmakers make a lot more home runs. And I am not just talking about "arty" movies, but also genre movies, which "Lucid Dream" is one example of. I admit that I wouldn't label this movie a Korean classic, since it has some faults. There are a number of times where linking footage seems to be missing (or was never filmed at all), and there are some minor plot points that are not properly explained. Also, I wish the movie gave a lot more explanation to the concept of lucid dreaming before diving directly into it. But despite such faults, the movie kept my attention throughout. There are a lot of interesting twists and turns, including the major one two-thirds of the way through (and the movie plays fair by giving the audience a few hints about what will eventually be revealed.) The characters are less stereotypical than in many Hollywood movies. There are some really suspenseful and exciting sequences., and the movie's production values look fairly decent despite not having a gargantuan budget. It's proof that if any non-American country wants to get an idea of how to attract its citizens to its homegrown movies, they should take a look at the Korean film industry. I certain wish my country (Canada) would do that!

I don't know, am I the only one who thinks this movie is a badly copied version ''Inception'' movie. I have read so so many positive reviews about this which had rosen my expectations a bit higher. But, after when I saw the lucid dream concept, one thing that quicky came into my mind is that ''Oh a bit copied, let's see the rest''. Then keep watching it, the concept is coming again and again. Besides,What can I say about the last fighting scene which is fully copied, even the director didn't make a slightest change in it. Maybe, I am saying all this because ''Inception'' is my favourite movie of all time. However, the longing for his abducted son and going any extent to find his son leads him to the lucid dream concept. And finding the son abductor and disclosure of the unexpected truth makes the movie very interesting.

Absolutely nonsense but entertaining nonetheless, "Lucid Dream" takes a not very original idea (what is real, what is not, can we get into our dreams...) and decides to take a page of the action book. The result is an average movie, which repeats itself too much, but is saved, however, but good acting and a pace that doesn't slow down.

Dae-ho sees his son kidnapped in an amusement park. He thinks the culprit is someone that must have a grudge against him, because of his work as an investigative journalist. But, when more than three years pass and he is unable to find a clue about the whereabouts of his son or even if he is dead or alive, Dae-ho decides to ask for the help of a friend and try to find clues in his own dreams, in a state of lucid dreaming.

What follows makes no sense whatsoever. The basis of the plot, the lucid dreams and our hero remembering from his own, is as thin as it comes, and it never sells the idea that it could be a real possibility. However, as Dae-ho, Soo Go sells us the character and his plight. And the direction by Kim Joon-Sung is flashy enough to entertaining the viewer and make us forgive the shortcomings of the movie.

All in all, it is an entertaining time in front of the screen, but empty fun.