DIRECTOR:
Kim Yong-hwa LEAD CAST: Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon &
Kim Hyang-gi SCREENWRITER: Kim Yong-hwa PRODUCER:
Kim Yong-hwa & Won Dong-yeon EDITOR:
Hye-jin Kim, Zino Kim & Na-young Nam
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Bang Jun-seok GENRE: Action/Sci-Fi/Adventure CINEMATOGRAPHER: Kim Byung-seo DISTRIBUTOR: Lotte Entertainment LOCATION: South Korea RUNNING TIME: 139 minutes
Technical assessment:
3.5
Moral assessment:
4
CINEMA rating: V
13
MTRCB rating: PG
When
firefighter Kim Ja-Hong (Cha Tae-hyun) dies in the line of duty, he is greeted
by a trio of guardians and their boss reaper. They become his escort to the
after life. Since he died by saving someone else’s life, he qualifies to the
so-called paragons—and could possibly reincarnate within 49 days should he be acquitted at the
seven trials of seven different levels of hell. In the same way, the trio of guardians
will be granted reincarnation too, so they would do all their best to guide Kim
so he will be acquitted. Kim should not be found guilty of sins of betrayal,
violence, indolence, etc. However, a certain angry spirit will come which would
make it even harder for Kim to pass the seven trials.
Along with the
Gods
gives a different take on what happens to a soul in the afterlife. It combines Buddhism’s
law on karma and reincarnation and the Christian belief in eternity and the
concept of seven deadly sins. However it is put, the treatment is very much an
existentialist view on life. The film is technically superior using GCF (computer
graphics), green screens and with superior actors in the cast. The story is dramatically
woven with bits of fantasy, adventure, and at some point, horror without losing
its core of heart wrenching human drama.
Along with the
Gods
makes one reflect on the most significant virtues and values that human beings
should strive for in life—kindness, forgiveness, heroism, generosity, compassion,
love—as all these and more would make one accountable in the afterlife. The
body dies but the soul lives on and whether one has been good or bad would
determine the fate of the soul. Although the complexities of human weakness is
shown in the film, still, the film challenges each one to rise above weakness—to
sacrifice if need be. All good deeds and good intentions will not be left
unnoticed. In the end, one’s heart will be judged as to how much love it was
able to give while living on earth. The concept of sin may be too much for the
very young audiences so CINEMA still recommends that children should be
accompanied and properly guided in watching this film.
