Natural City is a film that you will almost always hear being compared to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. This isn't Blade Runner, but this is really one of the closer films to it. I guess you can call this the "Korean Blade Runner."This film isn't about the hunting down of cyborgs, although you do have that
in here. The main part of the story deals with a human in love with a cyborg. Don't be afraid by that, because this film plays out nothing like a romantic drama. It is far from it. You have a futuristic city and cyborgs walking around. This sounds like a sci-fi thriller and that is what you get.Not surprisingly, this is a slow burn rather than an fast action adventure. This film runs at almost 2 hours and the matrix type of action takes up little of that time. This is a little disappointing since Doo-hong Jung, one of the greatest martial artists out of Korea, plays the villain.While the action may be lacking, the story is in tact. It isn't as deep as some may like, but it is more than enough to carry this film.Visually, this movie is fantastic. The setting is believable and it has that dark feeling just like Blade Runner. The futuristic elements aren't over done either. There is still a sense of realism in the year 2080.The actor choices are fitting, although some of the characters do suffer from little background and airtime. Ji-tae Yu succeeds with the lead, Jae Eun Lee is a good supporter, and Rin Seo is a lovely cyborg.This film may take a bite from Blade Runner, but it does have other elements to stand on its own. Sci-fi fans will come to appreciate this.
May 15, 2007
