Directed by: Min Byung-chun (민병천) Starring: Yoo Ji-tae (유지태), Seo Lin (서린), Lee Jae-eun (이재은), Jung Doo-hong (정두홍) Release Date: September 26th, 2003
Natural City arrived at the height of a hallmark era in the history of Korean cinema that oversaw the creation of many new genre masterworks such as Memories of Murder (2003) and Oldboy (2003). But the abysmal box-office performances of several big-budgeted and high concept sci-fi efforts like Resurrection of the Little Match Girl (2002) and Yesterday (2002) the year prior did little towards creating an appetite for science fiction among viewers leading up to the release of Natural City, despite its promise of spectacular visuals from rising new director Min Byung-chun (Phantom, The Submarine).
Ultimately, Natural City became one of the last ambitious attempts aimed at igniting the sci-fi genre within Korean cinema. Like its predecessors, it also failed to generate healthy audience numbers and received a mixed critical reception. Sadly, this caused an almost complete abandonment of the sci-fi genre in the years that followed the release of Natural City as the South Korean film industry began successfully trending towards thriller and romance.
Military policeman, R (Yoo Ji-tae) is in love with an android named Lia (Seo Lin). Having been together for 652 days, they now have only have 3 days left together before they plan to board the Muyoga, an interstellar spaceship headed for Koyo, the planet of Rebirth…a place without thoughts or memories. And without memories, there will be no pain either…
With Lia’s AI chip is in its final days, R is desperate to find a way to refurbish it before all her systems fail and she expires. But when a combat cyborg named Cypher (Jung Doo-hong) and three other deviant cyborgs break into a massive medical facility to steal the entire human DNA files from the database, R’s final days spent with Lia turn into a giant game of death between the militant cyborgs and the cities top law enforcers. Meanwhile, a breakthrough technology that could allow R to implant Lia’s AI chip into a human host in order for her to continue living leads R to hunt down a special girl named Cyon (Lee Jae-eun) from the city’s slums who is said to be an ideal host body for Lia.
Natural City opts for an unorthodox non-linear approach to its opening scenes that creates a bit of a speedbump for getting into the film initially. The plot and dialogue in Natural City can also feel superfluous and even hard to follow when supporting characters attempt to move the DNA hacking and spirit downloading subplot along since it takes so long to reveal how they are connected to the main story of R trying to save his dying android lover Lia. This does help Natural City do some world building but it may be best to focus on the central characters R, Lia and Cyon first and foremost where the tone and style of Natural City are the most interesting and original.
Natural City features some top-notch action and fight choreography when characters decide to throw down or tactical teams are deployed to intercept the rogue cyborgs. Some may even recognize legendary action director and fight choreographer Jung Doo-hong (City of Violence, Arahan) in this one as the lead deviant combat cyborg. All the elaborate combat sequences can be enjoyed for their visual achievements but there’s very little emotional impact in the majority of them. This is where Natural City tends to drag and cause viewers to check out which is unfortunate since so much effort appears to have been put into staging each fight scene.
Natural City is a visual and technical marvel unlike anything previously achieved in South Korean film, although much of the design and narrative inspiration feels to have been drawn from other well established sources. Some sequences felt like a straight rip from Blade Runner (1982), James Cameron’s Aliens (1986), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Terminator (1984), The Matrix (1999), and even 2046 (2004) and other Wong Kar Wai works like Fallen Angels (1995). Paying homage to the greats is one thing, but these imitations in Natural City never exceed their original sources. For example, the costumes of the generic combat cyborgs in Natural City are incredibly lame and cheap looking. Black ski masks and sweatshirts are just unacceptable, especially considering all the other great costumes and style that go into the movie.
On an interesting note where Natural City may have come first, I was actually reminded quite a bit of the recent Blade Runner 2049 (2017) while re-watching Natural City especially in regards to R’s robot girlfriend Lia and him trying to make her more real as his companion. Also, the female combat cyborg whom Cypher brings to his aid resembled a much underdeveloped Luv, the badass female replicant from that same film. And while it isn’t specifically stated, Natural City was most assuredly inspired by the same Philip K. Dick novel that Blade Runner was adapted from. That being said, Natural City adopting key characteristics from each of the examples listed above (some of the all-time great sci-fi movies) make it highly watchable, especially for die hard sci-fi fans.
Natural City is probably the Korean sci-fi outing that’s come closest to what is often described in literary terms as hard sci-fi with its overall look and concept. Had it come out some ten or 15 years earlier, Natural City may have proved a to be a landmark science fiction film. But being so similar to much that we’ve already seen and heard in decades prior, it fails to leave a lasting impression. At its heart, Natural City is somewhat of a brooding a sci-fi melodrama that will undoubtedly find some deserved appreciation within specific viewer bases, but since it wants to be everything all at once, Natural City ultimately gets bogged down in one too many action sequences that look cool but feel lifeless like the robots it wants us to care for.
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