Release date: April 2012
A
science-fiction omnibus film, presenting different views of the future. The
first piece features zombies—a virus develops out of waste-food being re-cycled
as feed for cattle which turns folks into flesh-eat ghouls. Lot of staggering
zombies, charnage and bodily fluids, and even a zombie Adam and Eve. The second
story posits the question of what makes humankind different from other
entities. What if a robot gains so much intelligence that it might reach… enlightenment?
The robot in question lives in a temple and questions existence (in a very
Buddhist sort of way) while the other monks and nuns come to consider it as a
great teacher. Will society be able to accept such a robot or will it be seen
as an abomination? No matter how much an entity feels, thinks, and questions
like a human, can it ever be considered anything more than a machine? The third
piece tells a tale of a family preparing a doomsday shelter in the heart of
Seoul in anticipation of the collision of an asteroid with the earth.
For "The
New Generation", the piece featuring zombies, I was bored to tears. The
only flash of genius was in the television news panel. It was also puzzling why
re-cycling would be depicted as the danger to the future of humankind rather
than as one important part of the effort to save the earth. Odd choice. My take: no stars
The middle piece, “Heaven’s Creation”, was beautifully created, well-acted, gorgeous to watch, emotionally moving and thought provoking—a masterpiece! This must have been an interesting film for the cast and crew to work in, with one of the protagonists being basically a life-size dummy of wire and shiny plastic. The thoughts and emotions that flickered across the robot’s face were sheer filmic wizardry! The director for this segment, Kim Ji-woon, has directed an eclectic variety of films, I look forward to more in this more speculative vein. My take: 5 stars!
The third section, “Happy Birthday”, had some great comic visuals and an unfathomable plot: something about an asteroid coming to destroy life on earth and a billiard ball being launched to try to save the day. In this work as well, sequences focusing on TV news panels or the shopping channel were wildly funny. The direct of the first and third pieces, Lim Pil-seong, has a genius for satirizing broadcasting. My take: 5 stars!
The middle piece, “Heaven’s Creation”, was beautifully created, well-acted, gorgeous to watch, emotionally moving and thought provoking—a masterpiece! This must have been an interesting film for the cast and crew to work in, with one of the protagonists being basically a life-size dummy of wire and shiny plastic. The thoughts and emotions that flickered across the robot’s face were sheer filmic wizardry! The director for this segment, Kim Ji-woon, has directed an eclectic variety of films, I look forward to more in this more speculative vein. My take: 5 stars!
The third section, “Happy Birthday”, had some great comic visuals and an unfathomable plot: something about an asteroid coming to destroy life on earth and a billiard ball being launched to try to save the day. In this work as well, sequences focusing on TV news panels or the shopping channel were wildly funny. The direct of the first and third pieces, Lim Pil-seong, has a genius for satirizing broadcasting. My take: 5 stars!
My take for the whole ensemble: 3 stars
The robot at its prayers.
