Pandora

It always amazes me that Korean filmmakers are able to make Hollywood-style genre movies on a fraction of a budget that Hollywood movies typically have. (Canadian filmmakers, take note!) "Pandora" takes on the disaster movie genre, and for the most part it does it pretty well. The movie looks very slick and expensive, having a wide scope that doesn't feel the least bit phony or stage bound. There is a lot of tension and excitement as well. Also, the human characters are written very well, showing them to be flawed but sympathetic individuals with a lot of depth. I will admit, however, that in the last part of the movie they do get kind of overblown with feelings of duty and nobility to one's country, and that gets the movie to be somewhat sappy. Another problem is that at over 135 minutes, the movie is too long for its own good, and as a result has some very slow spots. But I admit that despite the overlength of the movie, I was never bored at any moment. Definitely recommended, but some viewers might want to wait to watch it until they are in a somewhat more patient mood.

This movie is nothing new about the script, even the story is striking familiar with the Japanese people. This movie retell the story of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Powerplant disaster with Korean adaption. However, the actors/actress and director deliver a emotional, heartbreaking story with a sense of reality. The heroism acts is not just random actions, it is a sense of responsibility, love and a clear mindset. I believe, this movie should pay tribute to Fukushima 50, the name of the group of volunteers that stay and handle the situation within 20km zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

"Pandora" is a disaster movie from South Korea that happened to stay low enough on the radar to avoid my interest up until now in mid-2017. So when I found this 2016 movie in the Asian section, I was naturally interested and after having read the synopsis, I decided to give the movie a go and went to sit down to watch it.

It is the thrilling storyline that really keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, because writer and director Park Jung-woo really managed to construct a very realistic and compelling story that deals with an interesting topic. And the storyline is really helped along quite nicely by an interesting character gallery.

I will say that the storyline worked out on multiple levels, because you are equally interested in what happens to the power plant and on a national scale, but at the same time you have an equal interest in the characters throughout the movie. So this was a great accomplishment for writer and director Park Jung-woo.

While mentioning the characters, then it should be said that the people they had cast for the various roles and characters were quite nicely cast, and they were performing quite well with these roles and characters. Now it was generally an entire cast of new faces for me, so I was more than happy to see new talents on the screen, especially when they performed as nicely as they did here.

The special effects and CGI in "Pandora" were quite good and quite convincing. I was especially impressed with the explosion when the power plant exploded, that just looked very cool.

A disaster movie like this is naturally enhanced by a great music score, and the music they composed for "Pandora" was quite good. It had excitement, yet it was still subtle enough to serve as background music. It most definitely added a good layer of suspense and thrill to the movie.

There is a great sense of urgency and panic throughout the movie, and that really helped to cement the realism that permeated the movie. And I was especially impressed with how the various characters went about dealing with the situation, ranging from ordinary residents to high ranking government officials.

"Pandora" is a rather compelling story, and I must admit that I was genuinely surprised with how exciting and interesting director and writer Jong-woo Park had managed to make this movie. Especially since there is a very realistic feel and atmosphere to the movie. If you enjoy disaster movies and if you are a fan of Asian cinema, then you definitely owe it to yourself to sit down and watch this movie.

Honestly, I watched this movie without any expectations whatsoever. It turns out to be an incredibly emotional ride til the end. The plot, acting, graphics and ambiance are reasonably realistic. The last time I watched a movie feeling this emotional was when I was watching "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". I know that the acting and script are a bit Asian (well, this is an Asian movie), but all in all, this is a good movie. I admit that I watched it twice already.

This movie clearly deserves a 7 or 8 out of 10. You can already guess the story. However, the acting was mind-blowing. A movie that's simple but speaks out the truth of such harsh experience or possibility. I personally recommend to watch the movie with family (not kids if they're not used to violent movies). Don't miss it out. Great watch with loved ones.