Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds Blu-ray Movie Review

It's a Wonderful Afterlife.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 11, 2018

If any of you are etymology geeks like I am, you may delight in finding new cognates of words with which you may be familiar, but whose variances you may not be totally up to speed on. Such a discovery awaited me as I researched the background of Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds, an interesting if tonally inconsistent fantasy film depicting a fireman’s trek through a Buddhist afterlife where his earthly existence is judged by a coterie of gods and goddesses, all to determine whether he should be reincarnated or spend eternity in a somewhat less blissful state (evidently Buddhists have hell, too, just in case you were wondering). It turns out that Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds is based on a Korean “webtoon” by Joo Ho-Min, which several online sites further describe as a “manhwa”, a term I had never previously stumbled across (to my recollection, anyway), but which immediately of course reminded me of the Japanese term manga. The two words are (probably expectedly) related, and the evident pre-existing popularity of the comic book (if I may be permitted to use an old school term) helped to make Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds a huge blockbuster in South Korea when it was released during the holiday season of 2017. (According to the venerable Hollywood Reporter, Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds was so popular in its theatrical release in South Korea that it easily “trounced” a little film called Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi.) Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds begins with a terrifying fire in a skyscraper, with Kim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun) toiling fearlessly to save a little girl trapped in an upper floor. A horrifying fall seems to have a happy ending, with the little girl extricating herself from Ja-hong’s protective clutches and running to the safety of her nearby family, and Ja-hong himself almost shocked to think he’s survived such a precipitous flirtation with gravity. Except — he hasn’t survived. As he surveys the carnage of the fire, he hears his name being whispered, and he’s soon greeted by two spirits who inform him they’re two out of three “guardians” who will escort him through a coming 49 day series of trials that will examine the life Ja-hong has led, which in turn will decide what’s “going to happen next” (so to speak). Ja-hong is understandably distraught by all of this, and as he’s snatched up into a vortex that transports him to a cosmic lair, he almost pathetically cries out that he needs to see his mother one last time, a clue that there’s a bit of a backstory here that will need to be explored.

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds begins with the following quote, supposedly culled from Buddhist scripture:

When a person reaches the afterlife, they are judged 7 times over the course of 49 days, tried by deceit, indolence, injustice betrayal, violence, murder and filial impiety, only the souls who pass are trials are reincarnated.

While it's already apparent that things may be getting "lost in translation" (what might "filial impiety" be, for instance?), this brief "introductory course" in Buddhist eschatology at least appropriately contextualizes Ja-hong's coming tribulations, though since Ja-hong died a hero saving the life of a child, he's almost instantly deemed a "paragon", seemingly with his ticket already punched for reincarnation. Of course, things turn out to be considerably more shaded once a few revelations (which push the story near melodrama) come out. But one of the issues facing this arguably overlong film (clocking in at over two hours) is that even ostensible bad guys turn out to have redemptive qualitites, something that tends to undermine any sense of suspense.

A great deal of Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds is almost inevitably vignette driven, as Ja-hong journeys through various celestial realms to receive trials in those foregoing (sometimes odd) categories. Here the film tends to be unnecessarily repetitive, with a situation set up that would seem to suggest Ha-jong’s chances of making it through the gauntlet are endangered, only to have his real impulses revealed by his “defense team”, leading to “acquittal”. What starts to weave the story into a more melodramatic ambience is Ja-hong’s relationship, both during life and now in his afterlife, with his mute mother and soldier brother. Soo-Hong (Kim Dong-Wook), the brother, becomes increasingly important in the tale for reasons which won’t be spoiled here, other than that they complicate Ja-hong’s chances of successfully navigating the seven trials and thereby reaching reincarnation.

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds is a veritable riot of CGI, and the variant landscapes and characters that Ja-hong encounters provide a nonstop array of visual wonderment. But the film has a rather odd inconsistency as it moves into what should presumably be “three hankie weepie” territory. Writer and director Kim Yong-hwa isn’t shy about tugging pretty viciously at the viewer’s heartstrings, but then he attempts to inject silly comedy, some of it almost at a “meta” level as quasi-angels kind of react in silly fashions to teary eyed events.

The story gets to one denouement pretty much as expected, only to suddenly dart off in a new direction, since the three guardians attempting to chaperone Ja-hong through his journey have a chance to escape a certain kind of limbo themselves and be reincarnated. That sets things up for part two of this enterprise, which is due to premiere in Korea within a few weeks.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. I haven't been able to track down any really authoritative data on this shoot, and one thing I'm wondering about is if this is yet another Asian market release which had a 3D theatrical exhibition but which is only being released "flat" on domestic Blu-ray. One way or the other, a lot of the constant CGI has been designed to offer at least the intimation of depth, with things like flames in the opening conflagration, or, later, a huge avalanche, darting out at the viewer. The film looks almost entirely green screened in terms of backgrounds, something that gives things a soft and rather hazy ambience quite a bit of the time. Fine detail is still quite good on the actual performers, especially in terms of things like small lacerations that Ja-hong has on his face, or some of the finery in the pretty opulent costumes. As seems to be the case with a lot of Well Go USA releases, there's fairly noticeable banding on display. You can see it as soon as some of the production mastheads, and then during the credits sequence which features a supposed flashlight illuminating text, but it crops up in the feature as well, especially when bright lighting conditions suddenly change.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds features an enjoyable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Korean. This effects laden outing features a complex and inviting sound design, one the regularly exploits the side and rear channels for all sorts of otherwordly effects. There are a number of standout sequences, including a kind of wild "water roller coaster" ride where environmental effects populate the surround channels very appealingly. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly as well, and is typically well prioritized.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (1080i; 3:59) is a brief standard EPK with snippets of interviews, snippets of scenes being shot, and snippets of scenes from the final film.


• Character Intros (1080p; 2:11) is a similarly brief overview of some of the characters in the film.


• Teaser Trailer (1080p; 00:51)


• Trailer (1080p; 2:04)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the disc has been authored so that the supplements follow one another automatically. After the trailer for this film plays, the disc then moves on automatically to trailers for other Well Go USA releases. Those other trailers also play at disc boot up.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're willing to overlook some maudlin tendencies as Ja-hong's home life and history are explored, Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds is a fairly enjoyable viewing experience, with good performances and some arresting if patently fake looking CGI. The film may play better for those with a firm schooling in Buddhist scripture (though my hunch is this film is not exactly a paradigm of religious "accuracy"), but it is enough of a general carnival ride that even those without any religious leanings whatsoever may find it at least occasionally intriguing. Video has some intermittent issues, but audio is great. Recommended.