User reviews

The film moved at a fast pace.

Some great performances . I hope the young girl won some awards- she deserved them.

Emotionally gripping for me to watch this because I tend to be overwhelmed by what happened to the characters in war-plot movie. The casts were all great and wonderful in their roles, each bringing out one another's best aspects and molded their chemistry throughout the journey in this movie. There were various themes on humanity being touched and carried on as the key to this movie while you are brought into an existential reflection of what if you are part of it in that war-era period, what would you have done to stay alive and what would you have chose to do. Watch this movie without getting too hung up on the political facts but more on being in the shoes of those who had to plough their way for survival. I also like the cinematography of the scenes when everyone trying to escape and working together towards it although I must say the ways certain gun shots shown just a bit hard to comprehend how certain people so easily died while certain just survived.

From all the Asian countries Korea has the best movies. I don't know why that is, but it's just a fact. I saw enough Asian movies by now to come to that conclusion. Gun-Ham-Do is certainly not the best Korean movie I ever watched but it's well made and worth a watch. As usual it's very loud verbally, like almost all Asian movies. I don't know why but they seem angry all the time when they talk. In this movie they could be though as it is a war movie about Hashima Island, more a concentration camp than a work environment if you ask me. There are some really good battle scenes, especially at the end. It clearly shows they put some effort in this movie. I wouldn't say all the actors are great actors, because for that some extras looked too fake in their expressions, and that's the case for most Asian movies. It seems they like to exaggerate a bit. And for that I score this movie lower. The story is interesting though, with good visual effects. If you like Korean movies give this one a shot.

A Japanese island, 9 miles from Nagasaki, enlarged & used from 1897 to 1974 to mine coal w/shafts going down 2/3 of a mile beneath the sea. Oddly, given the Pacific rim geologic history of subduction, that there's massive sedimentary (typically surface heavily vegetated wetlands) deposits of coal forming there. It's common name is Gunkanjima, meaning battle ship. The actual name is Hashima Island. From the '30s to the end of WWII Chinese & Korean conscripts/prisoners numbering in the thousands worked those mine shafts w/80+ temps & 95% humidity & some might say brutal treatment. During that time period an estimated 1300 miners died.

The movie mixes factual & fictionalized events. Kudos goes to the production of one of the best movie sets/props I've ever seen (actually built in Chuncheon, Korea) - Game of Thrones level. Also to the costuming & makeup personnel for the grimy authenticity & cinematography for the great camera work. Acting was spot-on although as is typical in these types of films the baddies (the Japanese in this case) are made to be really bad dudes. Forewarned - lots of violence, especially towards the end.

I know the movie is emotional and all but it's too long and have so many unnecessary long scenes. A lot of Korean movies suffer from this kind of long cheesy build. They make their movies too dramatic and unnecessarily long and this title is one of them.

Profound for the simple reason that this film breathes life into history by presenting this extraordinarily gripping true story. Absolutely stunning. One amazingly kinetic experience, splendid production values and some of the most intense staging and action you'll see within the korean film industry.

The performances are very good, but unfortunately, what does the director really want to say? A lot of space depicts traitors and running dogs, and the father of his daughter turns an anti-Japanese film into a prison break film. The whole film can not see the resistance of the workers, the persecution of the Japanese is only through various aspects to show, the front may only be a rolling nail plate, right? This is also the director who was bought up by Japanese money.

As an Indian guy, I never really knew about the Japanese invasion of Korean peninsula and their atrocities towards Korean people. This movie gives an insight into it. I think Germany and Japan became allies because both think they're the most purest and superior bloods among their neighbours. The Japanese red light district is something that I think no other colonial power has implemented in their colonies. If I'm wrong please forgive me. After watching this movie the one thing I did wish was, if that THUG GUY and STRONG LADY could live together. Everyone who worked in front of the camera and behind it did a really good job. Thanks very much for this movie.

The CGI was amazing!! The storyline was great. This movies too much oily and dirty, after watched this it will makes you wanna take a shower hehe

Thankfully, I was given a chance to view this film at the closed preview just a day before the opening in Seoul. So with free tickets, along with free drinks and popcorn which was provided by the distributor of the film, I was in a very happy state when the viewing started, which fell much to dismay at the end of the film.

By the way, I said 'thankfully' because I did not had to spend a dime for the ticket. Still, I am regretful that I wasted my good 2 hours for... for this piece.

I do not want to give away spoilers for those who want to watch this awful film, but I can simply narrow it down to one thing; entertainment characteristics of the films.

Whenever we go to a movie theater to see a certain film such as this, we visit not expecting to watch a historical document film, but expecting a nice 'fictional' plot, of course being based on the historical events.

The movies, after all, are always fictional. As much as it tries to depict the history much close to exact facts as possible, it is nevertheless, fictional lines and fictional stories which were re- created for viewer's pleasure.

After the preview finished, there was a Q&A session with the director Mr. Seung-wan Ryoo. One of the audience asked the director whether this film is bound to be criticized for creating much of the 'fictional story' instead of accurately following the exact turn of events.

But... films being fiction, is the biggest premise that all the audience agree on. For watching well made historical films such as 'Braveheart', 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Titanic', 'Das Boot' and so forth... I don't ever recall people criticizing these films for being too fictitious. '300' was absurdly fictitious as well, but was quite well received by the viewers. Quite entertaining too.

So, when the audience asks the director, whether this film to be criticized for being 'too fictitious', I think he meant to say he was not mesmerized with the story-line, at all.

That's it for this film. Not entertaining at all. If you want to destroy the actual history, you should at least try to make it fun & pleasing as possible.

Director pointed out when he recalled the actual history of Battleship Island, his imagination unraveled beyond limitation. I believe that's where the problem lies. Getting carried away by one's imagination too much.

Additionally, one audience pointed out this film being quite similar to Bollywood made history movies if we forget dancing on the Bollywood films, and much of violence on this film. Most of Bollywood history films (Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of them, big love for Khans), while completely ignoring the actual turn of events, there is a one a bright shining (Good looking as well) hero who saves the day for all, or die-trying, very dramatically.

But even I love Bollywood movies, I didn't expected to watch "Special Bollywood edition Korean film" with additional blood-lust.

A very harrowing tale based on true story of what took place during world war II on that island. It is heartbreaking and, at times gut wrenching, to watch. Although this movie has a lot of blockbuster appeal for on screen dramatics, it does capture the horrors of war and remembering what happened on that island. This is only a small part of the atrocities that occurred during world war II, but it is one that should be remembered.

For those wanting to continue with other films, here are some recommendations: Flowers of War, City of Life and Death, Unbroken...to name a few.

I don't know how much of the movie is based on true events and how much is just fiction but a single element that is always present in WWII movies centered around Japan and the Japanese's rule is their brutality and cruelty. And that part at least is true. The Japanese government turns a blind eye to what its predecessors have done not too long ago but for many other countries that have experienced the sheer violence of the Japanese regime, it is not so easily forgotten. I do not have to be a Korean to understand the pain and empathize with the Koreans that were forcefully taken from their home and subsequently abused and plundered by the Japanese.

The movie itself was fine but I didn't like its pacing and the way some parts were written. The story would jump forward and there would be little to no explanation of what happened to lead up to current events. The ending was realistic, many had died but some managed to leave the island alive.

While having seen many Hollywood True Historic event based movies, this was the first Korean movie that I have seen ever. So Ji-Sub from "Oh My Venus" fame and Song Joong-ki from "Descendents of the Sun" fame, are the two actors who brought me to this point, leading to "The Battleship Island". And their performance has been really great. The direction is quite good, leaving very few logical loopholes and the movie captures your constant attention. While within Korea and Japan most of the people would be aware of such an incident, people like us truly have no idea about such events even happening. And while it is a hair-raisingly tragic affair, I am thankful for making this movie available worldwide and enjoyed the narration and acting overall. P.S. The child artist is amazing as well ! Kim Su-An. A must watch for fans of either Korean Movies or the above mentioned actors!

A Korean action movie set on the notorious Hashima Island, where Korean immigrants and Chinese prisoners of war were forced to mine for coal from the 1930s to the end of WWII. Although "inspired by true events", the plot is pure fabrication. It's highly watchable, though, thanks not only to the compelling situation, but the genuinely touching relationship between second-rate musician Jung-Min Hwang and his screen daughter, Su-An Kim.

Brilliant but chilling film based on a true WW2 story. It's horrific what happened to the Koreans on this Battleship Island, where they were forced into slave labour by the Japanese. The film casts light on a hidden part of WW2.

I can't decide whether this was intended to be a drama or comedy, as it has equal parts of both (in the beginning), although the drama is more dramatic than the humor is funny. I also can't understand why a girl was cast as a boy who dresses like a girl (the role of Lee So-hee), unless she was just passed off as a boy in the film, but still looked more like a girl than a boy. Confusing! The characters' intentions are also somewhat unclear at times. Having said this, it was still a good, enjoyable film though.

Some great photography and action scenes. The final battle scene during the escape is awesome!!

In terms of the scale of this movie, the extras, the production values (very high!), the excellent plot, the quality acting, cinematography, you name it, this movie has it all. This is the kind of larger than life movie Steven Spielberg might have made, if he was Korean, quite extraordinary. I would say though that the CGI, while very good, isn't "quite" as good as the best that Hollywood can do, but it's still extremely well done. It's not a family movie though, there is some extreme violence in this movie, but war is war and war is very violent. The movie does take some liberties with the story, I'm not sure all of it is 100% historically accurate, a lot of it "is" true though, like the fact the island was mined for it's coal, but a lot is included for the sake of making an interesting story. It does cover some aspects of the Japanese army's behavior which is an enduring national shame for that country, such as the use of "comfort women", i.e. Forcing Korean (and other nationalities) female prisoners to be the sex slaves of the Japanese army. I can honestly say, some of the best movies I have ever seen in the past few years have come from South Korea. The quality of the movies coming out of the South Korean film industry are every bit as good as Hollywood makes, and in many cases better. Terrifically entertaining movie. Well worth your time to watch.

I'm speechless. This bombast of film lets the viewer in complete awe and I don't know what to write at first. One of the best films I've ever seen. What an effort, what an almost perfect creation. Anyone who cannot empathize here should seriously go to the doctor. The unbelievable but fact-based story, the extraordinary acting performances above all the little girl who probably delivers the best acting performance of a child in this century, the never-ending and mostly well-done effects and the immense sound, the intensive and damn well-thought-out social study that runs through the entire film. In this film there comes one masterly crafted scene after the other, despite the long running time of 151 minutes in the directors cut. I could go on praising the film, but that would go beyond the limit here.

We'll wait a long time for such an incredible film experience, I'm almost certain of that.

I couldn't take my eyes off of this film for a moment. It's a masterclass on how to balance pace, story, cinematography, a great cast, soundtrack, characters, emotion .. I was totally hooked from start to finish. Watch it.