Muoi: The Legend Of A Portrait (DVD) (Special Edition) (Korea Version) DVD Region 3
Cha Ye Ryun (Actor)
| Jo An (Actor)
| Kim Tae Kyung (Director)
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Customer Review of "Muoi: The Legend Of A Portrait (DVD) (Special Edition) (Korea Version)"
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Daniel Vandeberg
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October 6, 2007
See all my reviews
October 6, 2007
Interesting and terrifying!
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The film was interesting because I've lived in Korea and visited Viet Nam. The use of shade, colour, and musical background all contribute to the moodiness of the film. There's enough action to keep the film moving right along, and the smooth transition from scene to scene helps to hold your attention. Until the ending actually happens you'll never guess in a million years what it will be. And there's enough real scariness to call this a true horror film rather than a psycho-drama. My only disappointment is the English subtitles--inaccurately done by a person with no knowledge of English grammar, vocabulary, or conversation. Otherwise, "Muoi" is definitely a must for your Korean film collexion! |
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numinair
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October 1, 2007
See all my reviews
October 1, 2007
1 people found the following helpful
A Cursed Canvas
A Cursed Canvas
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When I purchased the OSTs of both "Muoi" and "Evil Twin" recently at Yesasia, the first thing that struck me arriving to together like this, was looking at both CD covers and considering the imagery only, it wouldn't be unusual to think that this movie was the Evil Twin (as Jo An and Ye Ryun look similar on the cover) and that the "Evil Twin", with a sinister Sadako clone standing by a portrait, was this movie about Muoi's legend portrait. Okay, a bit of useless information, but it came to mind and although these are two quite different films, there are some parallel aspects regarding a cursed portrait. Likewise, anticipating watching "Muoi", I'm coincidently immersed in a ghostly computer game, regarding a writer who adopts a Victorian mansion to pen a second novel, only to locate an age old curse within the house, and likewise in "Muoi - Legend of the Portrait" here, Jo An plays a writer, Yoon Hee, who travels to Vietnam to research her new novel about an age old 100 year curse of a woman named Muoi, who had died under tragic circumstances. In some ways this film could also be more the nastier twin of these portrait films, by the more grimmer bits this has over the milder (although well produced) "Evil Twin". As this movie goes, its not all bad, and kept me equally immersed this Friday night gone, and I really enjoyed it all. The story is solid, the fright parts are immediate, the music is intensely thematic and foreboding and with a plot line that doesn't leave you hanging around with dry bits of nonsense, it all flows into a tight none meandering story line, keeping you engrossed throughout the 95 minutes. It doesn't push the horror cliches much either (well, not until the end, anyway) and the period costumes featured are nice in this, (Jo An and Ye Ryun look lovely) with a welcoming addition of the Vietnam backdrop as main setting. Performances are good, specially with the two Korean ghost queens from the "Horror at Girl's School" series of Jo An (Wishing Stairs) and Ye Ryun Cha (Voice), together here to scare the bottoms off us again. This is certainly another ringu/grudge type movie, though, (even set in Vietnam) and the film makers have played into this theme than tried to avoid it, but this time its more the ringu curse motif, regarding Muoi's evoked cursed portrait, similar to the video tape of the ringu movie, than the imagery of an haunted vengeful Sadako, back bending her way into terror (eh, again, not until the end). "Muoi" also features a cursed countdown, where similarly five days are counted to the 15th lunar day of the month, a numerical date Muoi died on, and relative to viewing the portrait like it was seeing the video tape in the "Ring". No doubt the influencing ringu/grudge format, but like the Korean horror TV series "Coma", it still comes across as a decent watch, and the motifs (cursed portrait, deadly countdown) are threaded into the film well, for it all to be an enjoyable (and somewhat scary) viewing. Its also only fair to say, that the bunch of ghostly horror movies from S Korea this year, have all been certainly finely crafted productions - ("Epitaph" and "Black Room" getting top slot) - and fullfilling the spooky ambiance, that Korean films do well with, but just a wee short of the sweet spots of excellence found in "A Tale of Two Sisters" and "Phone". But, if you liked "Ryung/Ghost" (director Tae Kyeong Kim's film also), "Cello" and "Scary Hair (aka The Wig)" you should definitely like this one. Still, although well performed and paced, it all gets a bit erratic when you reach the 'Lack of a Subtle Ending' conclusion by the nature of Muoi's revenge. In fact, the ending is as subtle as an in your face ghost ride at the fun fair, and I'm sure a number of viewers will roll their eyes skywards, as if they had just heard a rehash of a tired old joke for the umpteenth time. Although the ending is satisfactory and fits into the mold of the ringu frame set, its a pity it had to hammer home its ending as it does, as the premise of "Muoi" is interesting, with a solid story background. The character of Muoi could have been treated with a little more richer fabric on to her persona, instead of making it all credible that a mistreated woman like Muoi would have to have an high octane killer Terminator Sadako machine instinct of revenge (asta la vista, baby!), by the finish - its all the woman scorned seeking vengeance....again. As for the Epilogue...I couldn't believe it! I mean, this is me here in the main, as it relates to the actors in the "Magic" series I've seen lately, and I nearly swallowed my late night snack whole, when 'it' happened again. What do I mean? Don't want to give the game away, but for those who have seen "Evil Twin" and with Jin Woo Yang getting his 'ghost treatment' near the finale, fellow "Magic" actor Joon Lee here, also gets similar treatment! Deja vu or what! Is this a case of filmic parallelism or are all of the rest of the cast from "Magic" going to be seen to get this form of 'swept away' treatment in future horror flicks? I mean, Jo Won Uhm (also in Magic) is to cameo in "Epitaph" on DVD soon, and is she...no, surely not! Magic moments these ghost films. But "Muoi", yes, its good and certainly worth adding to your collection. |
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