Peril at Sea: Rescue at Dongji (2026) Review

Directors: Fei Zhenxiang, Guan Hu

Notable Cast: Zhu Yilong, Leo Wu, Ni Ni, Yang Haoyu, Chen Minghao, Ni Dahong, William Franklyn-Miller, Li Jiuxiao, Wang Yiquan, Kevin Lee

 

Living in the shadow of Hollywood, the big war story blockbuster is essentially its own genre. Although Chinese cinema handily receives the “jingoistic” label more often than not, let’s be up front and honest here - they learned how to do it from Hollywood. And judging from Rescue at Dongji, they’ve taken the classic war-film elements, given them a Chinese cinematic twist, and let them rip. Rescue at Dongji is a bombastic flick, layered with incredible performances, white-knuckle action, and a heartfelt narrative that speaks universally. While it certainly feels like it owes much of its success to lessons learned from previous films, it does so in a way that makes it feel fresh, and that’s ultimately what matters. 

 

Part of what makes Rescue at Dongji (sometimes noted as Dongji Rescue) so fresh is that it strikes a balance between the rousing heroics and the war's innate brutality, which these films so often miss. Its narrative is certainly centered on the village's heroics. The focus remains on two brothers, played by Zhu Yilong and Leo Wu - outcasts even on the island they were raised on, adopted by a local fishing family, and their relationship with each other and the life they live in the village. By focusing on them and then building the settings around them, the film moves from being just a historical action drama to a film about humanity. It’s an incredibly smart choice.

 

His Name is Ahn Jung-geun: Harbin (2024) Review

Director: Woo Min-ho

Notable Cast: Hyun Bin, Park Jeong-min, Jeon Yeo-been, Jo Woo-jin, Lee Dong-wook

History is an infinite source of inspiration to the culture at large, shaping civilizations into what they are today; the influence of the past is something that shapes current-day mindsets the world over. South Korea has had a very tumultuous and challenging past like many other nations, and so it is no surprise that various mediums would look back to inspire their own telling of stories from yesteryear. Film is a massive avenue for retelling slices of history, and of course, just like the figureheads explored in these works or the very events being depicted within them, there always comes talks of propaganda or skewing facts to fit personal or political narratives. 

To say that a film, such as Harbin, is subject to finding itself outside of historians or politically fueled conversations from being had would be foolish, but to say that a film with a subject matter like this cannot be entertaining would also be to discredit a film as such. I went into this one with certain expectations, given that I am a huge fan of director Woo Min-ho and his previous works. In fact, his work prior to this, The Man Standing Next, also takes a piece of political history, albeit more modern than the events that unfolded in Harbin station that fateful day; suffice to say, director Woo has really become one who has a knack for telling these stories through cinema. So, how does this stack up to Woo Min-ho's previous works? Honestly, I think it fairs quite well, and of course, with these types of movies in general, I think the mileage will vary from person to person.

The Old Man and the Sea: Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023) Review

Director: Kim Han-min

Notable Cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Baek Yoon-sik, Jung Jae-young, Heo Joon-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, Lee Kyoo-hyung, Lee Moo-saeng

 

I will go out on a limb and say it right away: Noryang: Deadly Sea is perhaps the best of the Admiral Yi Trilogy. It's got the emotion and melodrama that helped push the first film along, and it takes the more war-driven elements of Hansan and pushes the envelope even further. This is one brutal and sprawling conclusion to Yi's epic naval battle journey, as told by director Kim Han-min.

 

It's been nine years since the initial theatrical release of Roaring Currents, and the finale here is worth the wait. We see a filmmaker entirely in touch with his material, and the passion on display is felt in every frame. The sense of scale, the thundering score, the visuals, everything fires on all cannons (pun intended). Noryang takes a nearly decade-old franchise and pushes it into the stratosphere of great trilogies.

 

Horrors in the Aftermath: Godzilla Minus One (2023) Review

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Notable Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Mio Tanaka, Yuya Endo, Kisuke Iida, Saki Nagatani

 

At this point, we might be in one of the best ages for Godzilla. As a long-time fan myself who used to watch Godzilla Vs Megalon on repeat on a shitty VHS tape, it’s truly a golden age. Just in one year, we have a new Godzilla TV show on Apple+, a new Godzilla/Kong film, and the topic of this piece - the latest Toho Godzilla stand-alone story, Godzilla Minus One. It’s so much content it’s hard for my heart to hold it all in. 

 

Godzilla is the word. And the word is spreading, even in the US. 

 

Despite Godzilla’s dominance in newer US films, TV, and video game appearances, it’s hard to deny that a new Toho Godzilla film isn’t the most exciting thing from the kaiju franchise. Even though Godzilla Minus One is essentially remaking the original Godzilla film at its base, the participation of director/writer/visual FX guru Takashi Yamazaki and strong initial marketing hyped this film to a new level. Could it hold a candle to the strength of the last Toho Godzilla “reboot,” Shin Godzilla? Could it tell a new story with Big G in a way that could still be exciting?

 

The standing ovation that Godzilla Minus One received at my theatrical screening says in its own deafening Godzilla-like skreeonk, abso-fuckin-lutely. 

 

Swing Kids (2018)

Director: Kang Hyeong-chul

Notable Cast: Do Kyong-soo (D.O), Park Hye-soo, Kim Min-ho, Jared Grimes, Ross Kettle

Set during wartime and taking place in a prison camp, Swing Kids decides to shake things up within the war genre confines by bringing life to the very real depressing times of the era by injecting life into the scene by way of tapdance and song. Does it work? Given that director Kang is at the helm, the answer is a confident yes.

There admittedly isn't a lot going on with the plot. It's things you'd expect given the setting but what we do get is a plethora of memorable and completely entertaining characters set to burrow their way into your heart. From the cocky but relatable lead, played extraordinarily by D.O of E-XO fame, to an overweight Chinese immigrant who is probably my favorite of the many side additions.

Clearly when going into a movie like this, one is there to see the dance moves on display and there is no shortage of song and dance here. Many classics from the era, both Korean and around the world are played here and admittedly I didn't know most of the songs, but that said, it grooves and gets you amped up the way a good dance movie should. I really wanted to go out and get my own tap shoes the moment the credits began rolling. Gared Grimes, a very renown tapdancer, just stole every moment here, both in terms of dancing and acting. A pleasant surprise. To further add to that surprise is the fact that all the English-speaking actors were great, perhaps a first for Korean cinema.

A possible turnoff and a bit of an annoyance to my viewing experience was how dark the film veered at times. Sure, it is war and the horrors of it can be felt, but I think the shocking, although completely effective outbursts of graphic violence and showing it very much like it is may hinder how wide of an audience this otherwise delightful and very light-hearted film extends to. Something like this should be enjoyed by the whole family but is most certainly not a child friendly feature given these hard to watch moments.

Any moments with these two guys is pure gold.

At the end of the day, Kang Hyeong-chul has once more reaffirmed himself as Korea's leading comedic director. He crafts brilliantly unique laugh fests with just the right amount of heartstring tugging drama and an over abundance of visual flair, making him one of the absolutel best. If you see one movie this holiday season to get you pumped, make it Swing Kids.

P.S. Name a movie with more impressive editing this year? I didn't think so.

Written by Josh Parmer