Talchul: Project Silence

Obviously a riff on the dog eat dog quote ... so no pun intended. This is a "catastrophe movie" (if you remember or have seen some of them way back in the day, mostly in the 70s and maybe 80s, though coming back from time to time, San Andreas one of the "newer" ones) ... packed with some bite ... I mean dogs, to spice things up ... not in a eating them ... I won't even go there with a joke ... especially because the dogs are the ones attacking.

The story is quite paper thin ... but there is one side character ... when he is introduced I didn't really like him ... he is quite sleazy and tries to rip our main character off ... but later he becomes a really fun comical character who almost single-handedly saves the movie.

Characters doing stuff that does not make much sense ... but suspend your disbelief and you'll be good I reckon ... this is about having fun with a ridiculous idea ... nothing more, nothing less.

I watched this earlier today and i thought it was REALLY GOOD! Unlike movies like Train To Busan, where i genuinely was invested in/cared about several of the characters, Project Silence's main flaw is that it barely had me caring about most of the characters due to the shallow writing (character-wise).

But as a roller coaster/popcorn, not too heavy, fun action/thriller it's definitely a solid movie. The cinematography/visuals and atmosphere/tension is very good and much to my surprise the CGI fx for the dogs was pretty good! Lord knows i HATE bad CGI monsters/creatures in movies and in this movie they did a good job!

Hundreds of people get stuck on the airport bridge when thick fog causes a huge car pile-up. We follow Jeong-won and his daughter Kyeong-min, golf player Yoo-ra and her tour operator Mi-ran, an elderly couple Byeong-hak and Soon-ok (who suffers from Alzheimers), and truck driver Jo Park (who mainly serves as comic relief) as they deal with their situation.

Soon after the accident mutated dogs escape from the truck they were being transported in. Dogs were experimented on to be used for infiltration purposes for the military, but the dogs eventually became too aggressive. Doctor Yang, the project manager who is also trapped on the bridge, activates the dogs remotely, but also finds himself in a life-threatening situation when the dogs become out of control.

As the dogs start attacking people, it becomes a quest for survival for our heroes. To make matters worse, the badly damaged bridge is on the verge of collapse. The film had the potential to be a lot more suspenseful, but I guess they didn't want it too serious, so there's plenty of humour so the film can appeal to a wider audience. Some of the action sequences are well done, although the visual effects are not the greatest and the dogs are clearly CGI. This is still a very entertaining movie, so get the popcorn ready and enjoy this rollercoaster thrill ride.

The concept underneath was fine, and it had potential too, but it did not transition into an effective finish by the climax, and I believe the writing is to be blamed!

Neither the characters nor the conversations they participate in have substantial impacts, primarily because the screenplay wandered cluelessly most of the time, failing to achieve the necessary tone and decorum!

The CGI too had its probelms, now generally I do not mind slight to moderate imperfections in visual effects, especially if the narrative is keeping me engaged, in this case however, frailties became quite apparent, to a point where they start acting as obstacles in the path of my enjoyment.

Based on the IMDb plot synopsis, Talchul: Project Silence seemed like my kind of movie. A group of characters trapped in an unusual location, pursued by a terrible threat. I also tend to enjoy South Korean films, so I went in with high expectations. However, the movie has several issues, from questionable CGI to illogical character decisions and a number of scenes that defy basic physics or logic.

That said, the movie certainly succeeds in being entertaining. It quickly becomes clear that realism isn't a priority here, and once I let go of expecting logic, I found it a highly enjoyable sci-fi thriller. If you immerse yourself in its over-the-top world and accept its own set of "rules," the film is a lot of fun. The lead character even draws some interesting parallels to Train to Busan: he's a selfish businessman in politics who, with help from his daughter, learns to care for others as the story progresses.

The characters are distinct and unique, though many of their actions feel forced and a bit absurd. While some of the CGI occasionally breaks immersion, which is unfortunate for a story that benefits from full engagement, I still enjoyed this movie overall. If you're looking for realism and rational decisions, you may want to skip this one. But if you're in the mood for a fictional horror movie with an entertaining, nonsensical story, it can definitely be a fun watch. [6.5/10]