The Moon

If you are looking for a a scientifically sound film based upon the principles of modern space travel and exploration this is not the film for you. If you are looking for a super fun, sci-fi adventure with dramatic undertones this is for you. The Korean space agency is looking to land a man on the moon, and redeem its prior lethal and failed mission in this futuristic adventure. Circumstances have a lone young astronaut stranded and the film involves the attempts to rescue him. The characters are engaging. The story is fun. The effects are visually exciting to behold. This is just a fun time from great Korean filmmakers.

As an American and a huge fan of Hollywood action films, it would take a lot for me to rate this a ten. Armageddon(1998) and Apollo 13 (1995), this is not. However, the potential is there but doesn't become realized until the 2nd third of the movie. It becomes more intense. You begin to care about the characters. The final 3rd hammers it home and you're not so concerned about its start anymore. The action, the acting, and the suspense are great. You're on the edge of your seat. You cry. You cheer. Once you finish the movie, however, you become upset about the weak use of dynamic Korean actors like Kim Rae-won, Lee Yi-kyung, and Lee Sung-min. Then you wonder why the beginning was just so so. Budget issues? Perhaps. Even though Do Kyungsoo is the star, making others have a stronger presence would not take away from the star. No one took from Bruce Willis' spotlight, but the entire cast of characters in Armageddon shone brightly because it was so well-written. Finally, the music score needed a little work. Ijs.

Train to Busan, Flu are two very good Korean movies. There are plenty of good Korean movies out there. This one is not one. It can not be taken seriously. The story is highly flawed. The lead actor was simply not qualified for the role. He was suited for a romance melodrama. The lead Role also was highly flawed. An army Seal and Astronaut panicking crying losing control etc... No one in Korea Space agency seemed to have the right character to manage any emergency. To make it more embarrassing right at the beginning they are begging NASA for help. Have some self reliance national pride and dignity! Every major news event had to be repeated in English to be given credibility and importance. It seems unless the event is repeated in US news is not worthy.

The acting is bad plot is well unwatchable, special effect is good if you forget laws of physics.

I want to comment on the character of the main role as an astronaut. I think he is an astronaut who is not very smart and intelligent, and I don't see any professionalism in him in dealing with any incidents that might occur. I saw him as an astronaut who had just been trained yesterday. In my view, an astronaut will be quick to make brilliant decisions when faced with a situation or incident that shows his professionalism, but in this film the astronaut is not alert and actually thinks too late. Yes, even though I know this is a fiction film, not everything that happens in the film should have no logic. Throughout the film, the astronaut is not shown eating or drinking anything while on the moon to maintain his consciousness and health.

High level special effects, cinematography, sound, editing, art design, all wasted on a very cheesy script. Heart breaking, but it's impossible to have a good movie with such a poor script, no matter how good the other elements are. I won't give more details to avoid spoilers. I cannot even talk much about the acting, since the characters are so much stereotyped. It would be unfair to blame the actors, they did what their roles required, which wasn't much.

Having said that, it has some entretainment value, but better seen in a theater because of the visuals.

I am sure Korean cinema could do better on the writing side, having so many good ones in the last years.