Hansan: Rising Dragon

I am not from Korea and I know and study a little about the story of Yin Sun Shing, even the film that came out in 2014 I haven't watched it, honestly when I watched the film Hansan Rising Dragon, I didn't really understand the storyline, all I could understand was that they had a turtle boat and only the Japanese dialogues I could understand where it was going, for the Koreans I had a little difficulty understanding their conversations, I am also not Japanese.

The rest I will start watching Korean films to understand how they make their storylines, many Korean films are interesting to my friends but for me it is very difficult to understand how it looks interesting, moreover the shooting of Korean films is always bad, where the camera is close to the character so that the aesthetic impression is lacking I really hope that in the future Korean films will be better than before.

I have been waiting for this movie for 8 years and I have to say I got what I wanted. The introduction of the movie was done well especially the opening battle. It showed naval warfare from a perspective different from that of the Europeans. The costumes and the sets of the movie was able to show what it would truly have looked like at that time. I find this movie unique in that there are simply not that many movies out there that show the samurai from this perspective which is that of an antagonist, and instead most of the movies seem to show the samurai as these incredibly heroic beings. Speaking of the samurai, their costumes and culture was shown splendidly in the movie.

The Koreans were given a more human quality and were also depicted quite well in terms of costumes and culture.

The climax was simply incredible.

I must say however, the first half of the movie with the large number of names and historical people could confuse some people, especially those not well versed in Korean History or not paying attention. However if you are aware of it, then it is not much of a problem. My say is that if you are looking for a movie to watch in a laid back fashion, its not the best pick.

The movie had a nice soundtrack that went well with movie overall. I'd rate it a 9/10.

Pumped and saddened for the last movie of this trilogy which will mark the great generals death...

I truly enjoyed the whole movie. The intricate costume design and meticulously crafted set in this movie are cool, man. The Japanese armor design is dope af, and they've truly captured it exceptionally well. I love that they showcase the nuanced aftermatch of his campaign in this movie. The cinematography is top-notch, with numerous beautiful scenes that vividly capture the grand scale of war. Usually, other series or movies don't depict it with such precision.

However, it's kinda hard to follow the plot, even with my knowledge of the Imjin War. And yeah, I agree that the first movie was much better in terms of direction, but this movie excels in action, in my opinion. As a devoted fan of Admiral Yi Sun Shin, I thoroughly enjoy this movie despite its flaws.

Finally, man, can they just hire a Japanese actor for a Japanese character? After watching so much anime, I can distinctly hear the not-so-Japanese-speaking character. You can almost sense the un-Japaneseness. And I'm not even Japanese. Imagine for people who speak Japanese; it must be hell to listen to. I'm not against the actor, but at least if you don't want to hire a Japanese actor, consider a Korean actor with fluent Japanese.

Unabashedly Korean blockbuster had arguable historical accuracy but Kim Han-min surely treated audience with impressive production values and 'geokbukseon' final battle. That's how weak interrelated subplots and underutilized characters are forgiven.

My wife turned me to South Korea movies, but while she loves doramas, I am very much into war epics, as I like good war films. I watched all the Korean Civil War mvoies, but this time it is a history piece and a great one!

Epic war movie about 16th century battle in the open sea between Choson Empire and Japanese Empire. It could easily be just another war effort with little sense, but what makes this film a real good try is a very deep and decent portrayal of several main heroes with their inner and outer weaknesses, fears and struggles.

There are no super heroes here, no one flies in the air or breaks walls, nay. Here, real people fight and die either valliantly or cowardly.

Both Japanese and Koreans are depicted like real flesh and blood, sweating and bleeding, afraid or brave.

Final Hansan naval battle is a sheer eye candy but the horrors of war are here, too. People die, ships sink, mistakes are made by both sides during the battle.

The CGI are excellent here, but they are not the main It, the It-thing gere is the human struggle, the huge battle between two great admirals and their wills. This is played so weel and so decently that little doubt remains.

I recommend this tremendous epic film to all history buffs.