Natural City

I saw a screening of this film recently at the Milan Fair and I'm inclined to say that, while it was rather interesting, I would not suggest it to anyone but hardcore fans of SF. In a way the concept is reminiscent of Bladerunner: The (male) officer of law falling for the (female) cyborg/clone/android that has an 'expiration date', while on the other hand, he is fighting the rebellious cyborgs/clones/androids. There are a number of twists in the plot that add interest, the photography is very good, the acting is fine and the action scenes are typical Asian. All in all, quite interesting but not fulfilling...

I don't understand the low rating of this picture.

THIS is what science fiction SHOULD be!!! Too much sci-fi has become pretty people in black PVC or leather bondage gear blowing things up in 360 slow-mo. Natural City actually sits back and tells a tells a story without bludgeoning us with Matrix-lite effects.

This is as much a sad tale of love denied as it is a renegade cop, a cyborg, a "hooker with(out) a heart of gold" and the military-industrial complex of a the future.

YES, the story is derivative of Blade Runner. Most, if not all, sci-fi of today is derivative of either Blade Runner, Mad Max or 1984. Move on. Enjoy the good stuff when it happens.

LOVED the fact that they did not stomp all over the subtleties of this movie with the standard industrial metal soundtrack that is de riguer in much sci-fi. The piano score was haunting and kept us grounded in R's sorrow for his pending loss.

Come into Natural City with an open mind and no Blade Runner hang-ups and you will be rewarded with a very good film. Not since Minority Report have we seen sci-fi done with this much respect paid to thinking grown ups.

I read through the reviews here before I watched it and didn't know what to expect: a classic or a bummer? In my view, the truth is in the middle and the average vote of currently 5.8 seems justified. "Natural City" is by no means a movie on the "Blade Runner" level. Take away the futuristic eye-candy, and what is left? A man is in love with a cyborg lady without really telling us why, how or what for. Real character development is not happening! He gets in a conflict with his friend over the cyborgs which leads to gratuitous violence with faces covered in blood like in a million action flicks before. Meanwhile, a girl plants flowers in a roof garden to provide a contrast to the post-war destruction scenery around. "Natural City" doesn't really have any new ideas, it simply spices up the collection of familiar trade marks with "Matrix/Equilibrium Next Generation" visuals which is fine for web 2.0 designers but not for the art of film making. Everybody who truly believes this is going to be a classic should go watch "Soylent Green" where it was the actors and the story that mattered.

Still, "Natural City" is a movie that has its touching or stunning moments. Actually, I liked that explanations were not provided in many cases. One might argue whether it is a deliberate attempt to open it for interpretation or simply plot holes. But I think, if we once really caught a glimpse of the year 2080, there would be much that we won't comprehend, either. You know how silly SF movies of the 1950s seem today because they applied manners, moral standards and ways of conversation that are outdated. In this respect, I'm curious what people will think of "Natural City" in the future. Keep it in the archive.

Did you know that George Lucas was inspired to make "Star Wars" from a Japanese film called "Hidden Fortress"? Bet some of the reviewers here didn't. Why get all bent out of shape when the person who made "Blade Runner" did the same thing. Every film maker is inspired by someone else's work.

OK, the action and visuals are nice. The characters are very mechanical and they don't go deep into them so the movie seemed more focused on action and CGI. There were some slow spots between the action and the characters really didn't pull me in much. Yes, there is plenty of borrowing from Blade Runner but it didn't bother me much. Hollywood borrows plenty as well. I don't get upset about it. Without sampling there would be no Hip-Hop or Star Wars.

If you like action, sci-fi, and CGI and don't need a lot of character development, give it a go.

Natural city

While Natural city gets often compared to blade runner, I think it is a comparison is not quite fair to Blade runner. Don't get me wrong I don't think NC is a bad movie, but it is not the ultra paranoid Phillip K dick style future noir. The film looks great and shows a dirty, unhappy view of korea's future like Blade runner.

I admit I got a little lost and bored at times but the film has great visuals and for the most part the story is a interesting take on cyborgs robots and the like. The gun battles and the various martial arts action scenes were well done(except for a minor overuse of Slo-Mo).

Worth a rental. If you're a Sci-FI addict it should be on your list.