Directed by: Jang Sun-woo (장선우) Starring: Lim Eun-kyeong (임은경), Hyun Sung (현성), Kim Jin-pyo (김진표), Jin Xing, Jung Doo-hong (정두홍) Release Date: September 13th, 2002
Every now and then movies comes along that are so outlandish in both concept and execution that both critics and audiences are left baffled as to how to receive them upon release. These films are typically heralded as bombs and forgotten forever. But if the embers of the initial bombing are able to burn just bright and long enough, they are sometimes able to live a second life down the line as a cult-classic.
Resurrection of the Little Match Girl is one such film that has found its weird place in the hearts of certain cinephiles while at the same time remains one of South Korea’s most infamous big-budgeted Sci-Fi bombs of all time. Happily playing with concepts popularized by The Matrix (1999), Resurrection of the Little Match Girl offers the most gonzo blue pill experience of all time as it plunges its lead characters into a virtual world featuring aspects of almost every video game sub-genre in existence circa 2002.
An unimpressive man without any particular skills named Joo (Hyun Sung) dreams of becoming a pro-gamer like his best friend Lee (Kim Jin-pyo), who is popular with the ladies and winning lucrative prize money on the pro-game circuit. One day, Joo works up the courage to ask out a girl (Lim Eun-kyeong) he’s seen working at an arcade, but she shows little interest. Later, Joo buys one of the lighters he finds the girl selling on the street before she runs off again. When he calls the phone number written on the side of the lighter, he makes contact with the operator of a virtual game world called “Resurrection of the Little Match Girl” and chooses to connect.
In the game, his winning objective includes seeing the Little Match Girl (Lim Eun-kyeong) freeze to death. But winning also stipulates that Joo make himself the object of her desire before then. And only when his face becomes The Little Match Girl’s final thought before she freezes to death will he be pronounced the winner and rewarded with leaving the game world to live happily with the Match Girl. However, while in the game world, Joo will encounter a number of obstacles that include him fighting off dozens of other competitors that include old men, rich tycoons, gangsters, a transgendered Lara Croft (Jin Xing), and even his best friend Lee who are all vying for the same prize.
Resurrection of the Little Match Girl was partly inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “Little Match Girl” about a dying child whose hopes and dreams get swallowed up by society, as well as a Japanese manga “Mardock Scramble” about a girl who is tricked by her gangster boyfriend and left for dead before a scientist reassembles her into an android killing machine. This odd blend of stories should give some insight into just how bonkers the story ends up getting.
Nearly the entirety of Resurrection of the Little Match Girl takes place inside a ‘Matrix like’ simulated reality complete with both player and non-player characters who find themselves navigating the world and battling it out via old school video game mechanics. Everything from ‘choose your path’ story prompts and ‘House of the Dead’ style first-person-shooters to fighting games complete with on-screen health gauges, loading screens, instruction manuals, progression hints, offers to retry a scenario, and of course Game Over screens make up this bizarre VR world. This all turns what would otherwise be a very casual story of boy meets girl into one of the most unique cinematic visions of its time.
Resurrection of the Little Match Girl burns brightest with its deadpan approach to the video game inspired on-screen havoc and mayhem as characters tear apart night clubs and city streets in pursuit of one another. When the lead character Joo enters the game world, Resurrection of the Little Match Girl holds nothing back as it becomes an absurd Stephen Chow-esque comedy with the B-squad only. It’s a really cool concept but the style of the film left me with zero feelings for any of the characters once inside the game world.
The action and fight scenes are a curious blend of old-school high-flying wire work and bullet ballet mixed in with more modern style tactical shootouts that later employs computer generated weaponry specific to the magic within the virtual world. As in The Matrix (1999), anything seems possible within the virtual game world of Resurrection of the Little Match Girl and earned experience within it only increases the available possibilities its characters. In the third act, Resurrection of the Little Match Girl feels to have had a ‘Game Shark’ installed to unlock a sort of ‘God Mode’ as the lead character inches towards becoming the One eventually able to dictate reality using his willpower.
But Resurrection of the Little Match Girl gets carried away in its third act when everything becomes like a sandbox style havoc-wreaking playthrough of Grand Theft Auto without doing the missions. The music is fun and fitting but pretty horrendous occasionally too. And since the various computer effects were partly meant to have a cheesy quality to them in line with older video game aesthetics of the time, they look very crude by today’s standards. While this might add to the charm of Resurrection of the Little Match Girl for some, it will undoubtedly be a deal breaker for most.
Enjoyment of Resurrection of the Little Match Girl will greatly depend on how many video games one has played in combination with the number of substances under while watching. I personally got a kick out of the random interactions the lead would run into while going from one point to the other. These stopovers provide progression hints or operate a pop-up weapons or supplies shops just like one might encounter in an open world RPG or action game.
Resurrection of the Little Match Girl seems to be addressing a nation losing its grip on a rapidly growing number apathetic youngsters becoming lost in new fads like online gaming. In hindsight, it’s amazing to look back some twenty years later at just how far video games have come with the development of e-sports and multimillion dollar prizes. This makes Resurrection of the Little Match Girl feel to be somewhat on the losing end of a culture war yet strangely still ahead of its time. One part of me wants to think writer/director Jang Sun-woo (Bad Movie, Lies) is a mad genius while another part of me feels he’s trolling the studio with his film Resurrection of the Little Match Girl based on all the odd dualities found within.
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