Seoul Vibe

As "Seoul Vibe" (2022 release from South Korea; 140 min) opens, it is "1988 Saudi Arabia", and two guys are driving a Jeep in the Saudi desert, delivering cases of weapons. The two guys then return home to Seoul just as the Olympics are about to open. As they are picked up at the airport, it seems they are followed by "men in black". At this point we are 10 minutes into the film.

Couple of comments: as the movie unfolds in the first half hour, this results in an easy comparison of the wanting to be the Korean version of the "Fat & Furious" franchise, and in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with that, if this version is compelling in its own right. Alas, that is where the movie falls way short. The multiple street car chases, which form the core of the movie, are okay at best. I can't help but think back to that other Korean action movie that was recently released: "Carter", Korea's version of "Mission Impossible", and a movie that absolutely blew my mind on every level. Compared to "Carte", "Seoul Vibe" is a poor third cousin once removed, if you know what I mean.

"Seoul Vibe" opened this past weekend on Netflix, and the New York Times had an interesting review on it. That was good enough for me to give it a chance. I must say, I was quite disappointed when all was said and done. Of course don't take my word for it so I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

OMG!! It captivated both eyes and ears.

It's a film of perfect material for entertainment.

The clumsy characters who aim for American culture are so cute.

By combining hip-hop, fashion, and music in 1988 Korea, the eyes and ears of the audience were entertained.

I think I've never seen a Korean movie with this kind of material.

The scenes of car-chasing in the old car are amazing and it's killing me.

People who have only seen serious and message-filled Korean movies will be surprised to see this movie.

It's a great movie to laugh and enjoy.

I hope these kinds of movies come out often in Korea.

I recommend it to everyone who needs a laugh.

Seoul Vibe may not have all that's advertised in it, but beneath it's corniness there's a sociocultural read of the 1980s South Korea. The American dream of a young man from a torn down neighborhood. The gold wear, fast cars and sneaker worship tells the miraculous story of an economy with it's flood gates broke open. Seoul Vibe in this regard lives up to it's name. Cast put up a vibrant performance portraying playful youngsters. When Dong-Wook mocks the patriotism but stay behind for the duty it shows the natural and societal attitude of a generation. It's a movie with a fresh vibe to pass the time in a fun way.

Apart from the fact that the film is rather conventional and not very original, it's atmosphere, the set up and the characters are good enough to lead you to the end.

The real dissapointement come from the chasing and racing parts. It feels too fake, too much CGI. And when it's not CGI, most of them feel too slow.

The soundtrack is quite nice.

You could have thought that with all these sponsors, they could have done better. A point that will probably irritate more than one. Especially when famous drinks explod exactly like in a commercial, this was clearly not necessary.

Worth the watching anyway.

Seoul Vibe (2022) was really fun to watch! I really enjoyed it. This movie not that much high exiting but, good to watch. I will definitely recommend it to everyone to watch this movie. Korean most of the movie's are really great to watch. And this one is also not different from others. This is definitely good to watch. In the movie sounds and video quality was great too. I do not know which platforms are offering to watch this movie but, I am watching on Netflix and good though. If you want to explore more than you should definitely watch this movie. I hope you will not be disappointed.

22 January 2025 Watched H Dubbed On Netflix.