Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds

The CGI can be really mind-blowing at times and some strong performances by the guardians, but what really holds it together is the family drama under the fantasy elements. Definitely worth watching.

The story is clear and emotional. The CGI is really exciting and Jung-woo Ha did a great performances.The ending makes me want to cry. Great movie.

This film tells the story of a firefighter who dies while saving a girl in a fire in a skyscraper. He is led by three grim reapers who guide him through the seven trials in the Afterlife.

The story initially is predictable, as he breezes though the initial trials. Then the film gets increasingly engaging and captivating. The final trials are not predictable anymore, and there is much suspense. The visuals are great, and there is clearly a lot of thought going into the visuals. The ending is very touching, particularly when viewers understand the Oriental culture about filial duties. Lots of tissues were used in the cinema!

What spiked my interest for this movie was this one particular scene I saw on YouTube shorts showing one of the trials and I automatically was like "Yes, this is a must-see." Now here's the problem... I thought this would be like a Dante's Inferno type film or some Squid Game type stuff where the main character has to compete in these different trials against loads of other people and has to beat them bla bla, but what I was given instead, was a hell-court-whatever? And to top it off, a sprinkle of comedy over it.

I do sound a bit harsh, but that is to be expected when one expects something great from a movie but instead gets something... mediocre. But that was the negative. Now to the positive. I thought the comedy aspect they pulled off well. Classic korean humor, I love it. The story was decent for what it was (although they really should've made it more games like) and the actors were great as well. But I really really know this could've been mainstream and huge if it actually followed the recipe I mentioned in the first part of my review. But all in all, pretty fun Korean movie. Visuals were surprisingly good too.

I like putting movies into Venn diagrams and I have special categories always swimming in my head like "movies with a great final shot" and "movies that showcase traits I would like in my future partner". Then there is that one category that doesn't have many movies - "movies that can make you reflect upon one's life". Along with The Gods: The Two Worlds slips in there ever so surreptitiously.

I didn't figure the Korean blockbuster to be a tearjerker, but it most certainly was. All through the screening, I could hear people around me sniffling and wiping their tears away unabashedly, me included. The movie doesn't even try to be subtle in this aspect and I must say every rivulet of my tears was earned.

Yet the story is also fashioned as a fast-paced pulsating adventure ride and it scores top marks in this aspect too. My eyes blinked in disbelief and my mind boggled in awe as the twists and turns become wilder and twistier, but never losing its grasp on the audience. This is high concept done well, every far-fetched notion perfectly digestible. There is superb verve in its storytelling. Nothing is truly what it seems.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is a film that is solidly cast. I don't get the Korean names very well, but I watch a lot of Korean cinema and TV dramas and instantly recognised all the familiar faces. Cha Tae Hyun is perfectly cast as the good-natured Paragon with a well of secrets that threaten to derail his chances at reincarnation at every trial. The casting of the 3 grim reapers is also spot-on with differing dynamics that lend propulsion to the story.

There is some amazing world building here, every level of hell is well-rendered and nothing for this reviewer feels repetitive. The CGI work here is top-notch, considering 90% of the movie is probably done to a green screen. IMHO CGI is just a means to an end and the end must always be to serve the story. The story is so strong here that the CGI disappears into the background.

Exposition is always a tricky business in storytelling and Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is practically all exposition. But the intrigue and suspense build-up through character motivations constantly draws one deeper into the proceedings. My senses hinged closely on the afterlife guardians' explanations at every turn as I got ready for the next trial. Even with the advance preparation the trial still puts me in a tailspin with some shocking revelations. Director Kim Yong Hwa even takes a 2-pronged narrative trek midway with both narrative trajectories dovetailing in the final act effectively.

The story resonates on God levels here. It is a rip-roaring adventure action film, but it also scores as an examination of the complexities of life lived in whatever station you are in. I shuddered in my seat as the end credits ran, wondering if I will see another movie that is as thrilling and heartfelt as this or can I even pass the seven trials right at that moment. Movies should do this - move you and make you want to become a better person. In a year you can count on the fingers of one hand, movies that can perform this feat successfully.

PS - a cameo during the ending threw me into a loop. I only found out later that this is the first of a 2-part epic, the concluding chapter will open in the summer of this year. Oh yeah! I am ready.