Directed by: Huh Jong-ho (허종호)
Starring: Kim Myung-min (김명민), Kim In-kwon (김인권), Hyeri (이혜리), Park Sung-woong (박성웅), Lee Gyeung-young (이경영), Choi Woo-shik (최우식), Park Hee-soon (박희순)
The Film: “A terrible monster from the Inwang Mountains has appeared and is killing people. It’s something that no one had ever seen or heard about before, the Mysterious Beast!” In the year 1527, people are brutally attacked by the Mysterious Beast. The people who encounter the Mysterious Beast are either brutally killed or come down with a terrible affliction and eventually succumb to death. The city of Hanyang is instantly enveloped in fear. The King thinks it’s all part of a strategy laid out by the ministers and bureaucrats to drive him mad, so he calls his trusted former royal guard Yoon-gyeom (Kim Myung-min) to the palace to form a special task force to investigate.
Yoon-gyeom (Kim Myung-min), along with his longtime friend Seong-han (Kim In-kwon), and his only daughter Myeong (Hyeri), and a high ranking officer sent by The King (Choi Woo-shik), set out to hunt down the beast. While searching for the Mysterious Beast, Yoon-gyeom and the search party are faced with a huge and unbelievable secret.
Monstrum is advertised as being based on true recordings from the archives of King Jungjong’s reign during the 16th century in Joseon (now Korea). Albeit an obscure reference that could be interpreted a few different ways, the recordings mention the appearance of “something bizarre” that caused the royals to actually move from the main palace to another location for a few years. This “something bizarre” is where the writers of Monstrum found their inspiration for their monster film, and have interpreted it to mean an unstoppable & ferocious beast!
The film opens with onscreen text that sets the stage for the current state of affairs in the kingdom. With the tyrannical previous king having recently been overthrown in a coup which placed Jungjong on the throne, public approval remains extremely low resulting in different factions beginning to secretly maneuver for power. So, as reports begin to emerge of an ungodly beast roaming the mountainside slaughtering villagers, King Jungjong (Park Hee-soon) remains skeptical at the validity of the claims and fears the rumors are meant to further diminish his rule. He takes it upon himself to call upon is former royal guard, Yoon-gyum (Kim Myung-min), who is joined by his longtime friend Seong-han (Kim In-kwon), as well as a high ranking official (Choi Woo-shik) personally appointed by the king, to form an investigative task force aimed at finding out the truth.
Yoong-gyum’s daughter Myung (Hyeri), self trained in medicine and skillful with a bow, proves herself useful in the investigation and also joins the team. Her skills come in handy as she examines the bodies of several men and women who have succumbed to an agonizingly painful disease, reportedly infected by a contagion spread by the mysterious beast. When they compile enough evidence, they determine there is an enormously high probability that something is indeed out there, so they set out with a ragtag villager fighting force to eliminate it. While on the hunt, they encounter a platoon of private soldiers commissioned by an influential minister known for strongly advocating the theory of the beast within the court that join the search party. What they find in the woods surprises both parties beyond what they could ever have imagined.
Monstrum does a great job of building tension all the way up until the big reveal of the monster. And while the monster is both hit and miss when it comes to its CG work and appearance, the film makes the mistake in showing a bit too much of the monster too soon into the film. While it’s introduced at the right time, showing the beast in its entirety in wide shots as it unleashes its wrath by tearing humans limb from limb ultimately deteriorates from the thrilling nature of the beast, and this compounds exponentially as the mauling continues into later scenes. By the time the climax arrives, the film runs out of gas as the monster wreaks havoc on the palace, becoming repetitive and no longer exciting to look at.
This monster, like the monster from the now classic Korean monster film, The Host (2006), is not only weird looking in appearance but wholly unique in the cannon of monster movies worldwide in how they creatively reflect the Korean environments in which they are born in while exuding various cultural and political elements specific to the region and time they are set in. So without having come from the bottom of the ocean or from outer space, Korean monsters are a breath of fresh air in a genre that continually seems to get recycled.
The cast of Monstrum also delivers, with Park Myung-min playing the lead, Yoon-gyeom, being the real standout. From humble mountain man to the awesome royal warrior loyal to his king, he really does it all in this one. And paired with Kim In-kwon, who plays his longtime friend Seong-han, one of my favorite supporting actors with impeccable comedic timing, the two of them make a great duo during their time on screen together (which felt a bit short). They are also involved in some entertaining fight scenes that had a real martial arts film vibe to them, coming across as even superhuman in several sequences. Yoon-gyeom’s daughter, played by well-known K-Pop idol Hyeri in what looks like her first major film role, does a surprisingly good job at balancing the out the trio. Each of the characters had their own moments to shine in their attempt at corralling beast, making for some nice overall teamwork. Choi Woo-shik as the high official seems to have been added for overall flavor giving Hyeri a romantic interest, and while it isn’t necessary it also doesn’t hurt the film.
Overall, Monstrum is a slightly above average monster film set in a very unique time and setting. 16th century Korea (known as Joseon then) is beautifully recreated with gorgeous interiors and exteriors of the royal palace as well as the portrayal of the hard rural life of everyday villagers and peasants. I especially enjoyed the early segments of the film when Yoon-gyeom, Seong-han, and Myeong are happily enjoying their life living off the land secluded in the mountains. Showing them inside their little shack while they make rice porridge beside their traditional kitchen setup was a fantastic contrast to the lavish palace setting of the film’s final act.
Monstrum will come as a pleasant surprise in how good it is for those who decide to check it out mainly due to the fact that it simply doesn’t look that great judging from the trailer and and other promotional material that came before its release. The film is relatively small in scale compared to its monster movie brethren, but fierce in spirit. And if the film would have played more into its disadvantage of not having the big Hollywood dollars financing its special effects and withheld it’s monster’s rampage until further near the end, Monstrum would have had a lot more bite and possibly made it one of the best of its kind. SCORE: 6.5/10
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