A Marvel-ous Superhero Journey: Hi-Five (2025) Review

Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol

Notable Cast: Yoo Ah-in,  Lee Jae-in, Ahn Jae-hong, Ra Mi-ran, Kim Hee-won, Oh Jung-se, Park Jin-young, Shin Goo

Before this review begins, I would like to express my admiration for Yoo Ah-in as a performer and my gratitude for his contributions to Korean cinema as a whole. I think he has made some of the most incredible performances the country has seen over the last decade, and I am beyond delighted to see him back on the screen once again. I will not get political here, but it is a shame to see him completely absent from the marketing of this film, and his lack of presence on even the poster is seen here. His character is absolutely hilarious, and he steals the show every time he is in frame, which thankfully, is quite often. With that out of the way, how is director Kang's latest comedic outing, this time being a superhero genre piece? It's absolutely fantastic, and I'm eager for everyone to see this one. If you love superhero movies in general and enjoy Kang's brand of extravagant humor, then this will be one you won't want to miss!

Hi-Five is about five different recipients of donated organs. Said organs vary, but each donation came from a dead superhuman, and his powers have been bestowed upon these five different transplanted individuals. The cast here is stacked, and if I can recall correctly, we have Lee Jae-in as Nine Girl. She is a taekwondo enthusiast and practitioner, and she becomes super strong. Also, there is Ahn Jae-hong as Tank Man (I think, or maybe it was Boy, they make jokes on that), who has the ability to blow super powerful breath from his lungs. Yoo Ah-in (yay!) plays as Hwang Ki-dong, and I cannot remember his superhero name, but he can manipulate any electronically run object within a huge vicinity. Kim Hee-won is the Battery Man, and he can heal people, provided he hydrates afterwards. Last, but certainly not least, is Ra Mi-ran, and I won't spoil her power as it is revealed in an entertaining way in the film. These five seemingly ordinary individuals come together, realizing they possess extraordinary gifts, and, of course, evil lurks in the background. We have a cult leader, played by veteran actor Shin Goo, who has the ability to absorb the lifeforce of other powered individuals, and he strengthens himself each time. He has a large group of people brainwashed, and is looking for our titular five heroes. You can see where this is all going to lead, but I can tell you that you won't expect how it unfolds.

Hi-Five is definitely going to be the summer Korean blockbuster to beat. It is a fast-paced, hilarious, and hard-hitting romp that blends broad humor with intense and equally hilarious set pieces, which will have you cheering and laughing alongside each absurd and impressive moment. We get a chase sequence that I cannot put into words, just how hard I laughed at. The visuals in that sequence are truly special, and I'm amazed by the music that comes into play. Talk about an iconic scene in the making. The laughs are played broadly and more often than not stick the landing with utter perfection. If you have seen the other classic Korean superhero movie, Arahan, strip back some of the grounded brutality from that, and you get Hi-Five. The combat may not be as intense as that one, but it is just as inventive and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. This isn't an overly serious film, whatsoever, but when the drama bubbles to the surface, the tonal shifts never become as jarring as, say, Kang's previous, and also excellent, outing, Swing Kids. This one stays pretty consistent in what it is going for, but you do get very invested in these wonderfully written characters and will be rooting for them along the way. Everyone here works with an infectious chemistry, and all five of our leads possess an electrifying presence. They are so funny, and each has the right amount of heart, and you get snippets into their past without needing full-blown origin stories for each. The film never derails to focus big flashbacks, but brings itself alongside the current threats that are looming over them. I hate to take such an apparent jab, but this feels like peak Marvel, and I genuinely think the bigwig execs could take some notes from this movie. It doesn't do anything the genre hasn't tackled before, but it never forgets to feel like a comic book first and foremost. Again, there are some totally absurd visuals and the way the main girl speeds along at multiple points, but it is done with such sincerity on display, that you find yourself totally invested, and it feels real to the world it establishes so brilliantly.

The whole cast here is dynamite. Typically, I gravitate towards a specific character in these types of films, but I found myself equally favoring each person in our core five. Again, I know I mentioned Yoo Ah-in before, but he is excellent here and just steals every scene he is in. He has an eccentricity with his image and the way he presents himself here. While he is goofy and often makes you laugh with his manipulations, he lays on those iconic dramatic chops, and you really feel for where he came from and what caused him grief. It doesn't try too hard to strike a chord with your feelings, but Yoo brings that gravitas to his performance that I think others may have struggled with. Honestly, the same sentiment can be said about the rest of the cast, almost to the exact wording, even. Lee Jae-in, Ahn Jae-hong, Ra Mi-ran, and Kim Hee-won go for it and give it their all. They all play off of one another so well, and I truly hope that Hi-Five is successful enough to spawn a franchise. I could only imagine how well this plays in a jam-packed theater. I cannot remember the last time I laughed this hard so consistently. Director Kang taps into the fun of his Scandal Makers / Sunny era, while trying to make something that plays to as big a crowd as possible, and he succeeds gloriously with Hi-Five.

I'm amazed at how much I enjoyed Hi-Five. I assumed I would like it at the very least because one of my favorite filmmakers was helming the project, but to be honest, I've been very tired of superhero cinematic offerings for quite some time. Yet, Kang injects new life into a worn out genre and gives it the oomph it has been sorely lacking for many years now. If he decides to bring the Hi-Five gang back for future installments, I'll be there day one! This is easily one of the best films to come out so far in 2025. This gets my highest recommendation possible. I don't think it will work for everyone, but for those it resonates with, you will have an absolute blast with this one. 

Written by Josh Parmer