Yonggary (FIlm Review)

A Film really only Koreans could love…

Like all directors Shim Hyung-rae wanted to make a film based on his favourite monster or film and that being the 1967 Kaiju flick Yongary (He added an extra “Y” for his). So in 1999 he got too make the most expensive Korea film of its time with CGI and other cool shit only known as Yonggary.

But unfortunately due to Shim Hyung-rae marketing strategy’s Using American Actors and Setting it in NYC it can of Defeats the purpose of it being foreign made.

Even though it’s been poorly received, Korean audiences liked it for the time and Yonggary and Cycor are still popular among children.

A team of scientists working on a remote dig site find the buried body of an enormous monster, perfectly preserved even after 200 million years. As soon as the beast is uncovered, however, an alien spacecraft suddenly appears above them and brings the monster back to life! The creature immediately sets about levelling the surrounding urban landscape and shrugging off the best firepower the military can throw at it. A lone scientist, working on decrypting an ancient set of hieroglyphics, may be on the verge of finding the aliens' weak point, but will it be too late.

Let’s face it. It might be entertaining at least to say. But the constant plot wholes and predictable and stupid and guessable story really drags the film down. The Cast is only American actors but with the language barrier of a Korean crew and Americans who no doubt don’t speak a single word of Korean makes the direction hard to see.

Although the cast have gone on to better things they’re not unknown… We have Dan Cashmen who starred in Saving Privet Ryan. But overall the acting is god awful… D-War was just a step up on this and the whole film.

The Special Effects I can’t argue with for its time, Korea first real film using extensive CGI and I will admit they did well for their time but it still looks poorly put together.  Still the fight Between Yonggary and Cycor was entertaining.

Here are some facts I found

In front of the Yonggu Art Headquarters, there is an eight foot statue of Yonggary in the parking lot

In an interview, Shim Hyung Rae said that most of his fan mail regarding Yonggary came from Japan

Along with America, Thailand also calls this film REPTILIAN

Because of the popularity of the SD forms of Yonggary and Cycor, there is a brand of food, particularly chicken nuggets, in Korea that used the SD forms of the characters.

Before the theatrical release of YONGGARY, there were plans for a sequel. It is unknown whether this plan is still in the works or not.

By the end my Final Verdict is Not Recommended but it is if you’re a die Hard Kaiju fan or you love Bad Films.

Jesse’s “Yonggary” score 19-100%