Jo-seon-mi-nyeo-sahm-chung-sa

After reading the critiques, I had rather low expectations for this movie. I only gave it a chance because I'm a huge fan of South Korean cinema in general and movies set in the Joseon dynasty in particular. I'm also a bit of an admirer of Kpop diva Son Ga-In, so I had to watch this film for her appearance alone. As it turned out, Ga-In's acting performance, albeit far from being Oscar-worthy, was surprisingly passable, and the same can be said about the movie as a whole.

The somewhat flimsy plot has some lengths in the middle part, but picks up towards the end and delivers a satisfying, action-packed resolution. The alternation of slapstick comedy, drama and romance that some critics lamented isn't all that jarring, and it's not exactly unusual for Korean movies either. Think of "The Good, the Bad, the Weird", or take the psycho-sci-fi-dramedy "Save the Green Planet" if you want an extreme example.

Granted, the dramatic parts were a little soap opera-esque, and I could have done with less repetition of the tragic childhood flashbacks. But other than that, the movie delivered perfectly watchable popcorn cinema with surprisingly good sets and effects, passable acting and acceptable fight choreographies. Ga-In's and Ye-Won's bickering even made me smile a couple of times, and the romance between the resolute Ga-Bi (Ga-In) and a hapless comic relief character was both goofy and sweet.

PS: Another reviewer described the female lead roles as sexist and stereotypical. I happen to feel the exact opposite way, since I've come to detest the ubiquitous "strong female character" trope. Hollywood's emotionally stunted, male-coded action heroines glorify traditionally male character traits and only deepen the stereotype that equates femininity with passivity and emotion with weakness. The three leads in Huntresses are anything but weak and submissive, and yet they're still young women who don't hide their feminine side (or their dorky side, for that matter). This is a refreshing change in my opinion, as is the lack of flimsy and revealing combat outfits.

This movie was a joke. Those girls cant act for their life. That story and dialogue is as cheesy as they come. The only good parts were with the guy who constantly got beat up buy them. If you're mortal and don't have eternity like most of us, I suggest you don't waste your precious time watching this crap. hmm what else to say since I need 10 lines. This was part of the fantasia film fetsival and there were so many people in line to watch this it was crazy. However I don't think anyone was expecting it to be this bad. Weird part is though there were a lot of people applauding and laughing, I guess due to their beyond sucky taste. OK is this ten lines yet cuz I gotta get going.

Extremely well-made Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama. Never know what's gonna be next. The cast is excellent. People that rate this movie low, probably don't like that this movie combines so much into a single movie. If you are not laughing at the funny parts, you have no sense of humor. If you are not getting closer to the screen during the action, nothing will. If you don't get emotional during the drama, you have no emotion. Three gorgeous women that can fight. But there's a real story. Real characters with back stories. Real good acting. Sub plots. Its a little zany at times but that's part of the movie. While it starts getting a little deep (drama) at times, there is some action or comedy that lightens the mood. The three leads are very good and are very individual. A little Steampunk elements make it even more interesting to me. I have watched The Huntresses four times and it gets better each time. When I need something that will get my mind off something, I turn to this movie. Only negative is there is no The Huntresses #2 as I expect they thought of and should have been.

Is about what you would expect from the blob on the back explaining it as Korea's Charlie's Angels. Lots of stupid stuff, some of it funny, some of it awesome, all of it weird.

The tone of the movie is inconsistent and switches randomly from very silly to trying to be dark. The plot convoluted, poorly explained and paced, something the characters even comment on and try to explain to each other, though it still doesn't help the audience.

The movie is also very sexist, though not objectifying like the American Charlie's Angels, but instead applying Asian stereotypes to the girls making them talk about boys, like shopping, jewelry, act air-headed and giggle a lot.

It is a trope-fest, and is only for people enjoying seeing countless references to other better movies, and every trope imaginable invoked and abused. Fun, if you are into that kind of movie.