The restless

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Movie
German title The restless
Original title 중천 , Jungcheon
Country of production South Korea
original language Korean
Publishing year 2006
length 102 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Cho Dong-oh
script Cho Dong-oh,
Choi Hee-dae
production Kim Sung-su ,
Jo Min-whan ,
Xia Zhang ,
Choi Joong-hwa
music Shirō Sagisu
camera Kim Young-ho
cut Nam Na-yeong
occupation

The Restless ( kor. 중천 , Jungcheon ), or The Restless - Kampf um Midheaven , is a South Korean fantasy epic from 2006. Cho Dong-oh's directorial debut combines action elements and CGI- generated characters as well as countless martial arts Arts scenes.

action

The film begins with the fall of the Silla rulership in 924, an era in which the corrupt nobility is drunk on luxury and indulges in decadence. The powerful clans of the country are at war against demons who are literally overrunning the country. The once royal elite unit, called the demon fighters or Chuyongdae, rebel against the corrupt nobility on behalf of the people, but fail and are almost completely wiped out.

The roaming around Yi Gwak, a former leader of the legendary Chuyongdae, rushes to the aid of a peasant woman who is attacked by a horde of demons. In gratitude, he was given a princely meal, which was, however, poisoned with a sleeping pill in order to get the bounty placed on him . Even before the agreed royal army arrives, the weakened and numb Yi manages to escape into the forest, where he soon loses consciousness. When he wakes up again, he ends up in the so-called “pre-heaven”, where every deceased stays for 49 days and has the opportunity to prove himself as a benefactor in order to be reborn as a person . However, it soon turns out that Yi Gwak is not dead yet.

Then the attractive leader of the heavenly guardians, Archangel So-hwa (referred to here as "Chuneen"), appears with her mounted entourage, who clears the skies from oncoming demons under the guidance of the evil Ban-chu, Yi's former fatherly friend and commander in chief of the demon hunters , locked. Because in the vestibule a fight rages between the white-clad guards and Ban-chu's people, including old Chuyongdae fighters and demons recruited for personal purposes. With his fight, Ban-Chu wants to bring about a change in the laws of death and rebirth in order to break through into the world of the living with his host of demons. For his project, however, he needs a certain soul stone as the key to the portal of the living. When So-hwa is attacked by the figures, Yi saves her life because he recognizes in her his murdered lover Yon-hwa, but So-hwa cannot remember her earthly life. Nevertheless, she flees with him from the fighting, while the remaining guards are brutally slaughtered.

So-hwa or Yon-hwa leads Yi to her old master, who, worried by the reports of the strengthened Ban-chu, wants to stop the power-striving villain with the help of his soul stone. However, this must first be immersed in the "pond of reflection" when the moon is full . The wise old man entrusts Archangel So-hwa with this task, but at the same time warns her that her mission will fail. Meanwhile, however, Ban-chu and his henchmen are also looking for the amulet in order to implement his plan.

Pursued by his former companions, Yi and his lover set off on a journey to the pond in question. On the way, they are constantly attacked by former fighters friends. However, Yi can successfully fend them off with his magical sword, which is only reserved for the living. After further attacks, however, he is seriously injured by the ruse of a jealous admirer who takes possession of So-hwa's body. He dies a short time later in the presence of So-hwa.

However, Yi, who is constantly haunted by visions, soon wakes up again with the help of his mentor Ban-Chu. At least now, reality and fantasy merge. Ban-Chu, who previously conjured up a ritual for a full moon, takes So-hwa and the soul stone into his possession and brings them to the "pond of reflection" guarded by a horde of demons. Yi rushes to the aid of "his" heavenly being, fights his way through the overwhelming power of the monsters until he faces his strengthened and graying mentor and master. Yi kills this battle-hardened villain in a final duel, but loses his loving So-hwa, who chooses suicide and jumps into the pond with the soul stone.

At the end of the film, So-hwa escapes through a portal, leaving Yi, who is presumably dying, behind. However, the film offers plenty of room for interpretation at this point, so that one cannot clearly say what happens to both of them.

Reviews

“The South Korean fantasy epic 'The Restless' could easily be cited in the filmmaker's textbook as a prime example of the term“ form over content ”: The whole film with its sprawling CGI settings just looks so unbelievable that the 102 minutes are full of effects Turn out to be definitely worth seeing even without a profound story. "

- Christoph Petersen : Film review on filmstarts.de

“'The Restless' may not be a perfect film in the end, but it is definitely a good film. Anyone who likes fantasy films is offered 'fantastic' in the truest sense of the word. What we are offered here is almost unbeatable in opulence and a pure feast for the eyes that is unparalleled in Korean cinema. 'The Restless' stands out clearly above the average of the genre and is a very clear recommendation from me for genre fans. "

- Film review on pride-of-korea.de

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Review on filmstarts.de , accessed on June 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ criticism pride-of-korea.de of 9 June of 2007.