I went to the theaters expecting a lot because 'Superman ieotdeon sanai'(The Man who was Superman)was Gianna Jun's latest film, her first Korean film that she filmed after her Hollywood debut 'Blood: The Last Vampire'. Her co star Hwang Jung Min, while unfamiliar to international movie fans, is known as a serious actor here in South Korea. I also liked the director Jung Yoon Chul, seeing both his previous films 'Marathon' and 'Shim's Family'. When I walked out of the theater, I was totally shattered with disappointment.
'Superman ieotdeon sanai' tells the story of third rate television producer Song Mi Na(Gianna Jun),who, in a last attempt to achieve fame and fortune, makes a documentary about a local townsman(Hwang Jung Min)who thinks that he is Superman. This 'Superman' claims that he is Kal El of Krypton, son of Jor El, and that he can't use his superpowers because the evil Lex Luthor implanted a bit of Kyrptonite inside his head. So he helps people in ways like carrying heavy luggage for the elderly, getting rid of perverts in front of local high schools and standing upside down in an attempt to push Earth away from the Sun to avoid a collision. At first, Mi Na just wants to use this man in order to make a smash hit documentary, but as time goes by, she starts to feel sympathy towards him and learns the real truth about his real life story........
The synopsis may sound interesting enough, but the movie itself was crap. Gianna Jun and Hwang Jung Min give great performances, but the movie feels like a skyscraper that looks magnificent from the outside but if you go inside it, there is so much work to be done. The story lines don't connect. One moment, this guy thinks he's Superman, next thing you know, he gets his memory back, and before you have time to figure out what happened, he dies. I have never felt time go by slower while watching a film at a theater. I can't connect with the characters like the director intended, I don't feel sympathy toward the characters and I ABSOLUTELY disliked the cinematography. They should have put more time and effort in making a major motion picture. It was released in theaters nationwide in less than three months after it first started filming.
I'm sure that when this movie gets released overseas, it will be promoted as a sad tearjerker starring 'Hallyu'star Gianna Jun, but don't let it fool you. This movie was a waste of my time and energy.
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