Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days

Movie
German title	Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days
Original title	Sin-gwa Hamkke: Ingwan Yeon ( 신과 함께: 인과 연 )
Country of production	South Korea
original language	Korean
Publishing year	2018
length	141 minutes
Rod
Director	Kim Yong-hwa
script	Kim Yong-hwa
production	Choi Ji-seon
music	Bang Jun-seok
camera	Kim Byung-seo
cut	Kim Hye-jin ; Kim Zino
occupation
	Ha Jung-woo : Gangnim; Ju Ji-hoon : Haewonmaek; Kim Hyang-gi : Lee Deok-chun; Ma Dong-seok : Seongjusin (house god); Kim Dong-wook : Kim Su-hong; Lee Jung-jae : Yeomna ; Do Kyung-soo : Won Dong-yeon; Lee Joon-hyuk: Lieutenant Park Mu-sin; Nam Il-woo: Heo Chun-sam; Jung Ji-hoon: Heo Hyeon-dong;
chronology
	← Predecessor ; Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds

Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days is a fantasy - adventure film of South Korean director Kim Yong-hwa from the year 2018. The film is the story of its predecessor alongwith the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) continued.

action

Gangnim wants to know from King Yeomna why he was testing him. He also wants to help Kim Su-hong rebirth, even though he has become a vengeful ghost. He wants to prove that his death wasn't just an accident. Kim Yeomna agrees, but Gangnim, Haewonmaek and Deok-chun would all lose their guardian privileges if he could not prove it. They are also supposed to bring Heo Chun-sam into the realm of the dead within the 49 days, because his time has already expired. However, this would be protected by a house spirit, which is why Yeomna's grim reapers cannot fetch it. Gangnim takes care of Su-hong in the underworld while Deok-chun and Haewonmaek go to get Heo Chun-sam.

The house god Seongjunsin protects Heo Chun-sam from death because of his grandson Hyeon-dong, who has no one else. Haewonmaek can't do anything against him. However, they can negotiate that they can pick up Heo Chun-sam in August, when Hyeon-dong starts school, in 40 days. Deok-chun and Haewonmaek also learn that Seongjunsin was their guardian when they died a millennium ago. He is amazed that Yeomna stole their memory. While the three discuss what to do with the boy, Seongjunsin tells them about their past after doing Seongjunsin a big favor.

Haewonmaek was the greatest warrior of the Kingdom of Goryeo and known as Hayan Salk ("White Bengal "). He was able to win numerous battles against the Jurchen . Deok-chun belonged to the Jurchen people. When the warriors Goryeos attacked her village, she and the children fled to a mountain range. Haewonmaek met her one day in a forest and protected her from a tiger . He let her take him to the other children and protected them. One day Deok-chun told him that a warrior known as Hayan Salk allegedly killed his parents. At no time does he tell her that he was that warrior. Instead, he does everything for the well-being of the small mountain village because of his feelings of guilt. In doing so, however, he is neglecting his duties for his kingdom.

Gangnim has negotiated with Yeomna that Su-hong only has to go through two hells. On the way there, Su-hong asks him about his story. Unlike Haewonmaek and Deok-chun, his memory was not stolen from him. He too lived a millennium ago and was the son of a general of the Goryeo dynasty . After victorious battles, his father always spared the remaining enemies. Something Gangnim couldn't understand. One day they come across a boy from the Kitan people . He lost both parents. King Gang Mun-jik takes him in as a son and becomes Gangnim's brother. When both train together, he always defends. Soon he will be at least equal to Gangnim. But unlike Gangnim, he internalizes the righteous philosophy of the king.

In the current time, Gangnim is again requesting a combined trial in the hell of murder and summons King Yeomna and Lieutenant Park from a dream as witnesses. Gangnim knows that Lieutenant Park knew that Su-hong was still alive when they buried him because they saw his fingers move. To convince him that a confession and a request for forgiveness are the best choices, Gangnim tells about his past. A millennium ago he murdered his righteous brother and the girl he wanted to protect. As punishment for his act, Yeomna took the memory of Haewonmaek and Deok-chun, but received gangnims. If he were able to help the two souls to be reborn, he would also be reborn and lose his memory. It was torture to live with guilt for a thousand years every day. But what is even worse is that he can no longer ask his father for forgiveness. A millennium ago, his father was believed dead on the battlefield. But Gangnim saw his fingers move. But he did nothing, fearing he would lose his position with his adopted brother. When he changes his mind, his father has already passed away.

Lieutenant Park then confesses to his crime. Su-hong is granted rebirth. Gangnim now has to bring Heo Chun-sam's soul into the underworld. Deok-chun and Haewonmaek, who secretly overheard the whole trial from a hill, are recognized by Yeomna and return to the world of the living. But even the three of them are skeptical about getting Heo Chun-sam because of the boy. Gangnim says there is still time. Meanwhile, Won Dong-yeon is waiting in front of the gate to the afterlife.

The film ends with a look back when Gangnim's father dies. Yeomna offers him to become the new king of the underworld, as he has held the office for 1000 years. Gang Mun-jik accepts but wants to assume the form of the previous yeomna.

reception

The film opened in South Korean cinemas on August 1, 2018 and had over 12.2 million viewers.

According to Jason Bechervaise of the film magazine Screen , the script was too long. The many characters and subplots make it difficult for one to stand out. The film uses the formula of its predecessor and offers little new. The actors are well chosen for their roles, but Ma Dong-seok is responsible for the laughs. James Marsh from the South China Morning Post and Elizabeth Kerr from the Hollywood Reporter join the criticism: The Last 49 Days is like its predecessor, only "more" but not better. The dinosaur scene in particular is only so that Dexter Studios can create a CGI - T-Rex . It is positive that not every hell was shown and Ma as the house god. Adeline Tan from The New Paper draws a better conclusion and awards 3.5 stars. The film doesn't disappoint as a successor, there are new hurdles and more humor. Technically, the film is a festival. Only the complex plot and the frequent change of scene are confusing.

Pierce Conran criticizes the few female roles. If there were goddesses of hell in the predecessor, the hells ruled by them were skipped here. So Kim Hyang-gi remains as Deok-chun almost as the only woman. For Shim Sun-ah from Yonhap , The Last 49 Days is a solid sequel, with excellent CGI and good storyline, the success of which is inevitable.