6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jeon Woo-chi, an undisciplined womanizing Taoist from the Joseon era, ends up in present day Korea causing mayhem with his knack for magic.
Starring: Gang Dong-won, Kim Yoon-seok, Yoo Hae-jin, Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ahForeign | 100% |
Action | 54% |
Fantasy | 4% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart somehow make a previously unknown journey to the Korean peninsula during his childhood touring days? For years pundits have sought hidden meanings and barely concealed subtexts in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, with Mozart’s apparent interest in Freemasonry regularly being mentioned as the overriding idea behind the opera. But some might wonder if somewhere, somehow Mozart might have heard about the Korean folktale that is twisted, turned and reshaped into a special effects laden martial arts comedy in Woochi: The Demon Slayer, an epic South Korean fantasy that was an incredible success in its native country during its theatrical exhibition. Folktales and fairy tales may be a sort of universal language, but some of the finer points of these oft told stories can sometimes get lost in translation, and some may feel that has happened here, especially since Woochi: The Demon Slayer deals with two different timeframes which include various characters appearing in different guises, as well as a perhaps overall too convoluted conceit that occasionally hobbles the narrative flow and forward momentum. But for those who are willing to be at least occasionally confused, Woochi: The Demon Slayer can be quite a bit of fun. It’s unabashedly silly quite a bit of the time, combining a cartoonish ambience with a pretty sumptuous physical production and some very appealing special effects to create a wondrous sensibility that is kind of akin to (perhaps appropriately, given his rendering of The Brothers Grimm) a Korean accented Terry Gilliam film. That’s also true in a somewhat more negative way, for the film, like some of Gilliam’s work, is at times undisciplined and more than a bit haphazard, positing some hoops for any potential viewer to jump through.
Woochi: The Demon Slayer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This relatively recent vintage film's elements are in top notch condition, and the high definition presentation is a largely very commendable affair. The film has been rather aggressively color graded throughout, but even the sequences with the ever popular blue hues lack little if any fine object detail. More "normal" looking scenes really pop with excellent vigor, and the film is very colorful, with a panoply of bright primaries especially evident in some of the costumes. Contrast and black levels are solid throughout. CGI is very artfully blended into the live action elements and looks excellent. There were some very minor stability issues with regard to some close cropped parallel lines in some of the sets and costumes, but otherwise this is a sparkling and clear presentation that's a lot of fun to watch.
Woochi: The Demon Slayer features lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 mixes in both Korean and English. Both sets of mixes are virtually identical save for the voice work, so choice basically comes down to whether or not you're an original language purist or alternatively if you prefer not to read subtitles. The 5.1 mixes are very robust, with a really aggressive low end that offers some spectacular LFE in some of the special effects sequences. Even the Korean language version appears to have been post looped (at least in part), so there are occasional mismatches between lip movement and what's being spoken, but that said, dialogue is always crisp and clear and well prioritized, which is especially important since the sound design of the film tends to be on the busy side at times. Fidelity remains excellent throughout and dynamic range is extremely wide.
- Interview with Director and Cast (480i; 5:18)
- Interview with Director, Key Staff and Cast on Pre-Production (480i; 10:55)
- The Training Process (480i; 3:48)
- The World Outside the Frame (480i; 8:48)
- Production Design (480i; 14:34)
- Action and Special Effects (480i; 16:08)
- Shooting and Lighting (480i; 6:22)
- Post-Production: Sound and Editing (480i; 6:00)
- Visual Art (480i; 15:17)
- CG Scenes in the Pre-Production Stage (480i; 26:04)
- CG Mixed in with the Final Stages (480i; 10:43)
- The CG Process – The Before and After (480i; 2:41)
Woochi: The Demon Slayer is a lot of fun and if it is sometimes hard to discern exactly what's going on, in the long run that may matter less than might be expected. The film is just a riot of goofy (even goony) performances and outlandish action sequences. There's a breathless quality about all of this, helped along by some manic editing and bizarre shifts of timeframe and location, but through it all there's such an affable character and uncommon grace that any potential stumbling blocks are pretty easily overlooked. This Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic and it comes jam packed with some excellent supplements. Recommended.
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