Natural City
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Movie Reviews of Natural City
Movie Review: If Blade Runner had a sequel (3 1/2 stars)
Summary: 3 Stars
Right off the top, this film loses a star for putting Doo-hong Jung in the flick and totally underutilizing him. The guy is the king of Korean martial arts flicks and he gets relegated to a few, sparse action sequences.
As for the film itself, it's not bad. For those people who feel that "Blade Runner" is the end-all, be-all of human/cyborg love and that no other film should ever be done that deals with that subject: stay away from this film. While it does deal with the same basic premise, it certainly sets itself apart from "Blade Runner". Sure, it has that very cyber-punk futuristic feel, but the story almost would pick up where BR left off. We find our main character in the last few days of his cyborg love's life and what he's doing to try and save her. But we also find the familiar Asian themes of brotherhood and love vs. loyalty/duty, self-interest vs. greater good, whereas in BR the main theme was "what is life?" and that was about it. So NC tends to be a bit more complex (but I still like BR far more).
The visuals are well done and the acting is pretty solid. It does have a very stylized visual approach that will remind some of "The Matrix". The story was just play. It seemed to wander a bit here and there and the main character's actions often seemed to contradict what the whole movie was about (read: he sure has a funny way of showing affection). Maybe there's something deeper, some underlying motivation that I missed, but I thought he just came across like a d-bag to his woman. And that runs counter to the stated purpose of the whole thing.
Basically, it's a decent movie that could have been better. The action feels restrained and the story tends to try and make itself deeper than it actually is. Performances and visuals are overall solid. Sci-fi fans should enjoy this one. Action fans will feel cheated by seeing talented martial artists going to waste. I enjoyed it, and maybe I'll watch it again someday...just not anytime soon.
Movie Review: cool as hell
Summary: 3 Stars
If viewed with no preconceptions then natural city is pleasantly surprising, the plot tends to drag in places but when the action kicks off this movie definately delivers.Movie Review: Great looking but flawed, needs dubbed
Summary: 2 Stars
First the good news: I can understand the majority of high ratings in other reviews. This film looks fantastic and those used to Hollywood big-budget fare will not find it wanting.
The cinimetography is wonderful, and there are moments of simple, unadalterated beauty woven into the dark, rainy atmosphere. The scenes of the protagonist's cyborg sitting on a bench at the beach (within a hologram) are enchanting. Everything from her pose on the bench to the vibrant color that so contrasts with the rest of the film is profoundly affecting.
The special effects are first-rate, yet exist to provide an environment, not become the focus of attention.
Speaking of focus, that's the good and bad of this film. The acting is superb, but you can't concentrate on their faces because you have to read the subtitles. Dialogue dubbing has improved dramatically in recent years, and this film is begging for an English surround track.
That said, there are other problems. First, the gist of the plot is that a cyborg hunter cop is stealing AI chips in an attempt to extend the life of his expiring cyborg girlfriend, whom he has fallen in love with. Not a problem in iteself, but there is absolutely no indication for almost the entire film of any affection between them. Only in a flashback sequence at the end do you see any signs of the love they supposedly share. For the most part, she just sits around looking blankly at the ground.
Second, Natural City falls victem to the bad idea of filming the combat scenes too close. I don't understand why filmmakers do this, but all you see is twirling black-clad bodies that take up the entire frame, with no sense of their surroundings, then a quick cut to someone getting offed. Back up a little, please!
So, a mixed bag of the great and the bad. I want to rate it higher because of it's undoubted quality, but the lows sadly beat the highs. An English (or substitute your language of choice) track so you can watch the talented cast, better framing of the fight scenes, and a more genuine portrayal of the protagonist's relationship with his cyborg (this is the whole purpose of the movie, remember) would have made this an easy four stars. As it stands, it's a great visual and acting treat made sour by some poor decisions.
Movie Review: Korean Blade Runner?! You've got to be kidding me!
Summary: 1 Stars
My girlfriend and I just saw this turkey last night and all I can say is "calling it a Korean Blade Runner is just SACRILEDGE! There are only 4 things that this forgettable scifi flick even remotely has in common with Blade Runner: 1st There's a talking zeppelin with ads on it, 2nd There's a noodle bar that the main character R eats at, 3rd The futuristic police in the movie are after renegade cyborgs whom have a limited lifespan, and finally There are telephones in which you can see the very person you are talking to. Other than that this movie is nothing at all like Blade Runner! What Blade Runner had that this movie seriously lacked was a)character development, b)relatable characters, c)better edited scenes and pacing, and d)Blade Runner made total sense! Not only didn't me or my girlfriend understand what was going on most of the time but also this movie was the dullest scifi movie I've seen since Solaris! That being said it's better just to stick with Blade Runner!!Movie Review: What a disappointment!
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie is a real disappointment.
It is based on "Blade Runner", but lacks all the deep ideas that made Blade Runner so good. Blade Runner is full with violence, true, but the violence is for the purpose of the movie. Here, the violence is just for "action", and does not serve the movie at all.
It is just bad another action movie that uses Blade Runner as a makeup.