In 2019, South Korea will open its World Cinema Landmark Project in Busan to celebrate 100 years of cinema on the peninsula. Since the release of Korea’s first domestic film Fight for Justice (translated title) in 1919, the Korean film industry has gone through periods of change as turbulent as the country’s political history, with audience tastes following suit. Shortly after Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation, as well as Japanese censorship and restrictions, films with themes of freedom came into fashion and following the Korean War the domestic film industry experienced a golden age of creativity during the 1960s.

In the 1970s, many of the government controls placed on the Korean film industry during the PARK Chung-hee dictatorship would hurt expansion, with audience members showing a lack of interest for the propaganda films that were frequently released during the time. However, removal of government censorship and regulation during the late 80s, coupled with strong attendance numbers from Korean moviegoers, would help the domestic film industry recover.

Korea’s movie industry would go on to modernize at the turn of the millennium to better compete with Hollywood films. Slickly produced and well-written features such as Swiri (1999), Joint Security Area / JSA (2000) and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) helped local films maintain control over the domestic box office and showed that Korean filmmakers had the technical know-how to make high quality productions.

Though Korea would have no shortage of inter-Korea espionage thrillers, following difficulties the local film finance industry encountered after the IMF Crisis, romantic comedies and melodramas came into favor with the country’s risk-averse film investors. Inexpensive to make and easy to market, the modern Korean film industry’s early attempts at fantasy films would cross-pollinate with safe but compelling romantic fare.

Il Mare (2000) and Ditto (2000)

2000 saw the release of two “time-romance” films, Il Mare by LEE Hyeon-seung and Ditto by KIM Jung-kwon. Both films dealt with similar themes of protagonists separated by time. In Il Mare, Eun-joo (Gianna JUN aka JUN Ji-hyun) and Sung-hyun (LEE Jung-jae) are two people living in separate timelines, two years apart, who communicate by leaving letters and objects in the mailbox of the seaside estate of Il Mare. The film’s sleek visuals and clever plotting did not help Il Mare see immediate success at the box office, but the film has since gone on to become a classic and was given an American remake titled The Lake House, which re-paired Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, who had previously starred together in the American action film Speed. Though it presented an intriguing concept, Il Mare’s success was partially stymied by the release of Ditto, which hit theaters only four months earlier and had a similar plot. 

In youth fantasy melodrama Ditto, college student and HAM radio enthusiast YOON So-eun (KIM Ha-neul) strikes up a friendship with fellow hobbyist JI in (YOO Ji-tae) after they connect via radio. When the two attempt to meet, they discover that they are living more than 20 years apart, with So-eun in 1979 and JI in in 2000. Set partially against the backdrop of Korea’s politically tumultuous late 70s/early 80s time period, Ditto’s contrasting of pre-democracy and post-democracy of Korea may have been the extra element to help the film strike a chord with audiences as it would go on to outsell Il Mare. 

Examining the themes of Il Mare and Ditto, the use of time as separation can be examined as an interesting allusion to the division of Korea, with both films requiring the female lead to make a sacrifice for the greater good. Though both films offered compelling plotlines, the time-romance genre would not see enough success to warrant additional doppelgangers.

The 386 Generation refers to Koreans who were in their 30s (3), were born in the 60s (6) and were politically active in the 80s (8). This generation of Koreans had grown up during a period when Korea had the fastest growing economy in the world and would witness Korea become a democracy. This growth was not without its headaches as Korea’s rapid acclimatization to capitalism would come at great cost, with many factory workers and laborers living difficult lives but not receiving an equal amount of the country’s new found wealth. Issues faced by the 386 generation would resurface in the fantasy films of the early 2000s.

Save the Green Planet (2003)

If romantic dramas were a safe approach to testing the waters of fantasy with Korean audiences, JANG Joon-hwan’s Save the Green Planet (2003) would be a complete dive in to the genre. Mixing elements of black comedy, science fiction and thriller, JANG’s debut feature film’s use of eye-popping colors and elaborately detailed set pieces would take full advantage of Korea’s high quality production capabilities. The film’s plot, which includes frequent tonal shifts, revolves around LEE Byeong-gu (SHIN Ha-kyun) who has become paranoid that aliens are about to attack Earth. In a plot to save the world, he kidnaps KANG Min-shik (BAEK Yoon-sik), a pharmaceutical company executive that he believes KANG is a high-ranking alien official, and proceeds to gruesomely torture the man. KANG’s disappearance doesn't go unnoticed and soon the police are on the hunt for Byeong-gu. 

Though on the surface Save the Green Planet may seem like a loony and violent genre movie, JANG injects the film with a healthy dose of social commentary. Byeong-gu’s paranoia and unstable mental state are the byproduct of a lifetime of trauma brought on by bullies at various levels of authority. His crusade to save the world from an alien invasion, that may or may not be real, is fueled by a desire to seek revenge for the loss of his mother due to unethical pharmaceutical research. Other traumatic incidents from Byeong-gu’s past, which include the maiming of his factory worker father and the bludgeoning to death of a previous girlfriend, are all related in someway to corporate entities. Essentially, Byeong-gu isn’t just fighting aliens. He is attacking capitalism itself. At the time, this sentiment surely struck a chord with members of the 386 Generation, who just several years removed from the IMF Crisis, still carried some resentment for the uneven distribution of wealth that had followed Korea’s successful emergence as a capitalist country.

Save the Green Planet was not a massive hit at theaters, but the film would go on to become a cult classic after its popularity received a boost from DVD sales.

The Host (2006)

Just three years later, Korean auteur BONG Joon-ho would also release a genre film with political undertones. In The Host (2006), a doctor working for the US Army orders his Korean assistant to dump hundreds of bottles of formaldehyde into the Han River. Several years later, after all of the fish have died off in the river, a monstrous, amphibious beast emerges, snatching people before it dives back into the water. During one of the beast’s attacks, snack shop owner PARK Gang-du (SONG Kang-ho) witnesses his daughter being taken by the monster. When Gang-du discovers his daughter is still alive, he attempts to rescue her, but finds himself in frequent confrontation with government authorities that have their own plan for dealing with the monster. The Host was released to critical and commercial success and welcomed more than 10 million viewers during its theatrical run. The film was also lauded for its spectacular special effects, which continued to show South Korea’s advancement in the field of visual technology.

The Host was partially inspired by a real-life incident that involved the US government disposing of a large amount of formaldehyde in Seoul. Though BONG has gone on record to say the film is not anti-American, The Host’s critical portrayal of the US military certainly paints it as an unwelcome interloper. The film’s portrayal of an incompetent, dishonest Korean government covering the truth and working with a foreign government against the better good of Korean citizens probably also felt familiar to members of the 386 Generation who had witnessed similar situations near the end of PARK’s regime in the early 80s.

Snowpiercer (2013)

If BONG Joon-ho’s The Host revealed the Korean film industry’s skill for producing convincing visual effects, his 2013 sci-fi film Snowpiercer would show that Korea was capable of producing an effects-laden blockbuster that could compete with Hollywood on an international level. BONG’s first English-language film, Snowpiercer featured an international cast, and was produced with what was Korea’s largest film budget ever at the time.

  

The film, based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige is set in a dystopian future where the world has entered a new Ice Age and the only surviving humans live in a train that continuously circumnavigates the globe. The train’s passengers are separated by social class, with the wealthiest passengers residing near the front and the poorest passengers inhabiting the slums in the rear. In the film, a group of passengers from the lowest class are led by Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) in an attempted uprising, and head for the front of the train to take control of the “engine”. The film, which also stars Octavia Spencer, and frequent BONG collaborators Tilda Swinton and SONG Kang-ho, examines themes of class and the unfair nature of capitalism, which again, may be a message that members of the 386 Generation can empathize with.

A decade into the new millennium, Korean audience tastes have changed. A box office once dominated by gritty, crime thrillers and melodramas is now making way for more fantasy films. In the previous decade, the release of the CGI-heavy film D-War (2007) taught the Korean film industry that it would take more than just cutting edge special effects technology to attract audiences. Building on the success of special effects films from the past, and providing many of the special effects for foreign productions, the South Korean film industry made the jump to big-budget blockbuster territory with Along with the World: The Two Gods, and additionally retooled the romance-fantasy drama hybrid format with some success.

Miss Granny (2014) and Will You Be There? (2016)

15 years removed from attempts at making “romantic-time dramas”, the Korean film industry took a second stab, this time with some success. Not quite a time-travel movie, HWANG Dong-hyuk’s comedy-drama Miss Granny involves themes of cross-generational confusion. In the film, OH Mal-soon (NA Moon-he) is a 74-year old widow with a fiery personality. One night she visits a mysterious photography studio where the photographer promises to take years off of her life and is shocked to discover she has been changed into a 20-year old woman. Peppered with social commentary, Miss Granny connected well with audiences, not just in Korea but worldwide, having been adapted for multiple countries. The magic behind Miss Granny’s success comes from two sources. First, Miss Granny invites audiences to view a character they are all familiar with, while temporarily granting viewers a wish everyone has pondered; “What would I do if I were young again with the knowledge I have now?”. HONG Ji-young’s Will You Be There? presents audiences with similar wish fulfillment. The film revolves around So-hyun (KIM Yun-seok), a terminally ill man who wishes to see his lover who died 30 years prior. So-hyun receives 10 magic pills that allow him to travel through time. When he arrives in the past, he meets a younger version of himself and the two work together to try to change the future. Will you Be There? was a modest hit at the box office and gives some insight into the psyche of Korean audiences, who now live in a stable and wealthy country and look to fantasy film as a form of entertainment and escapism.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)

Korea’s latest fantasy film has been a blockbuster release like no other. KIM Yong-hwa’s fantasy epic Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds had already been presold to more than 100 countries before its domestic release and since then it has gone on to be a monster hit quickly ascending Korea’s list for top-grossing films of all time. Based on the webtoon written by JOO Ho-min, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds tells the story of a recently deceased man (CHA Tae-hyun) who is led through the afterlife by a grim reaper to stand trial for the life he lived. After its release, the film became a blockbuster in near record time, selling 10 million tickets within its first 16 days of playing in theaters.

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds’ remarkable box office success will surely serve as a blueprint for future Korean fantasy films as the market continues to expand for an audience that is ready to consume more of the fantastic.