Directed by: Kim Ji-hoon (May 18, The Tower) Starring: Ha Ji-won (하지원), Ahn Sung-ki (안성기), Oh Ji-ho (오지호), Lee Han-wi (이한위), Park Chul-min (박철민), Song Sae-byeok (송새벽), Cha Ye-ryun (차예련) Release Date: August 4th, 2011
Four years after the massive domestic success of the historical drama film May 18 (2010), director Kim Ji-hoon returned with his latest offering set to bring in big audience numbers with his off-shore oil drilling mutant monster movie Sector 7 starring Ha Ji-won (Pawn), Ahn Sung-ki,(Nowhere to Hide) and Oh Ji-ho (The Grand Heist). And while being a very different subject than May 18, Sector 7 also arrived with nationalistic overtones that domestic audiences tended to respond well to with its final titles regarding off-shore territorial disputes between Korea and Japan. But audiences did not take the bait and Sector 7 became one of the biggest flops of its time. Looking back some ten years later, the domestic failure of Sector 7 may have created a bad press ripple effect that saw it mocked and avoided on a scale far more than it deserved.
A brash oil rigger named Hae-jun (Ha Ji-won) is determined to find oil at the Sector 7 drilling site after having lost her father some 25 years earlier at the same site in an underwater accident. When the site is deemed a failure after multiple drill sites fail to produce oil, the crew is called to retire. But when the old Sector 7 manager (Ahn Sung-ki) and family friend of Hae-jun’s returns to help close the site, the remaining crew along with the Sector 7 veteran make one last ditch effort to strike oil.
When luck finally comes their way, the crew briefly enjoys in their spoils and life on the rig becomes joyous once again. But their celebrations are cut short with the sudden arrival of a mysterious man-eating beast that begins to have its way with the crew. As the crew struggles to survive the unrelenting onslaught of the horrific beast, Hae-jun and the surviving crew members discover a dark secret at the heart of Sector 7.
Those expecting Sector 7 to resemble a more serious monster movie like Alien (1979), The Thing (1982) or even Bong Joon Ho’s The Host (2006) will surely find it disappointing. The performances are a bit uncomfortable to watch in Sector 7 because character actions and mannerisms are so exaggerated. Big thumbs up and peace signs get thrown with full force and much of the comradery on board the rig feels forced. Although it can often feel cartoonish, Sector 7 may best be viewed as a sci-fi horror blockbuster more in line with the Resident Evil (2002-17) franchise or even Deep Blue Sea (1999) if they are to find its intended entertainment factor.
The creators seem to have been aiming for something like an Ellen Ripley type character from Alien (1979) with the main character played by Ha Ji-won. And while they nearly ace it in regards to her tough look and attitude, the tension feels somewhat lacking when the character eventually goes head to head with the beast in Sector 7. Also, veteran actor An Sung-ki has some fun Gandalf styled moments as he gets his turn to square off against the monster complete with staff and flame weapons, but it just goes to more of the imitation over originality that Sector 7 suffers from.
And while arguably a stylistic choice, Sector 7 utilizes a bit too much green screen and CGI effects for its own good. This makes nearly the entire production feel like an extended video game cinematic or live-action manga adaptation. For those not in the mood for its style, they will likely be turned off entirely by these effects. However, there are moments of awesome imagery to lavish in at times and the monster is wildly disgusting and ferocious like something out of the Resident Evil or Dead Space franchises. The final battle with the hideous creature lasts nearly 40 minutes and is so over the top and crazy that it actually becomes quite enjoyable as a creature feature in its own right.
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