Natural City

..... in fact, a lot better than expected. I watched both trailers before the movie to see if it looked any good, and it did. It looked stunning, just a bit empty. On watching it, i found it to be very accomplished, it put most Hollywood films to shame. In saying that, though, there really aren't any US equivalents to this. Yeah, it borrows from plenty of other movies, but none of them would be so daring or have such a sombre tone. This is quite bleak and nasty stuff. Highly recommended, just don't expect a happy ending or any humour. If great, Blade Runner-style visuals are your thing, you'll find plenty to enjoy. Four out of five.

Although the plot and storyline were a little predictable, I was really impressed by some of the acting, camera-work and better than Hollywood graphics and visuals. The CGI was nicely done and contributed seamlessly to the movie. The acting wasn't bad either. This movie was clearly a labor of love considering the attention to details and overall look. Ignore the obvious plot and story development, just sit back and enjoy this one as a pretty picture, knowing that all good things don't always have to come out of Hollywood.

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...

so i was watching NATURAL CITY the other night... and right from the beginning it smelled like Blade Runner, Equilibrium & Returner. So far, not so bad and thats what this movie is all about: its "not so bad".

set in a futuristic Korea its the story of a special forces officer falling for an artificial girl whose chip is about to expire. as we watch NATURAL CITY, we witness his attempt to fixing the "expiration matter" while having the worst days of his life at work (mind you, he is eliminating replicants for a living).

i wont go more indepths as the rest of the story is as thin as ice & i don't wanna spoil too much. for most fans of the korean action cinema this flick definitely was a slight letdown- and its getting apparent to everybody watching the flick..... as there is nothing we aint seen before.

on the positive side NATURAL CITY offers decent acting, above average cinematography, some tense sequences (god knows, i prayed for more of them) and subliminal impulses to have a thought or two bout what the director may have wanted us to reflect upon. a good 60 % rate would be appropriate, I'd say.

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.