Directed by: Lee Yong-ju (이용주) Starring: Gong Yoo (공유), Park Bo-gum (박보검), Jo Woo-jin (조우진), Jang Young-nam (장영남) Release Date: April 15th, 2021
As the product of genetic manipulation and stem cell cloning, Seo-bok (Park Bo-gum) has developed phenomenal telekinetic powers and, perhaps more importantly, is said to be able to live forever should he continue being injected with a specially designed serum and not encounter any major bodily harm. Having lived out his entire life thus far within the confines of a highly secretive research laboratory, his mundane existence consists of daily tests that involve a lot of poking and prodding. With humanity facing a paradigm shift of unimaginable proportions should the longevity research prove fruitful, Seo-bok becomes caught in the middle of a black-ops proxy war between those who believe him to be the savior of mankind and those who see him as a destroyer.
Meanwhile, retired secret agent, Gi-hon (Gong Yoo), is blackmailed into carrying out one last mission by his former employer who retains compromising information on him. Gi-hon is tasked with escorting and protecting the valuable human clone, Seo-bok (Park Bo-gun), as he is transported to a more secure location due to the dangerously mounting pressures both domestically and from abroad. But a surprise assault on their convoy during transit pits Gi-hon & Seo-bok at immeasurable odds as they fight for survival against those who wish to steer the course of the future in their favor. Gi-hon’s haunting past and Seo-bok’s frightening future collide as they become allies in the turning point for mankind.
On paper, the plot summary for SEOBOK sounds very intriguing and full of potential as South Korea’s latest Sci-Fi offering. And although this year’s earlier SPACE SWEEPERS failed to ignite the imagination in ways the great Sci-Fi stories can, after having set the new benchmark for visual effects within a Korean film, the underlying concepts within the core story of SEOBOK sounded more than promising. Add in the two mega-popular multi-generational stars Gong Yoo (Train to Busan) and Park Bo-gum (Coin Locker Girl), even with coronavirus fears driving audience numbers way down aside, SEOBOK came primed to make big waves regardless of its lasting impact on the Sci-Fi genre as a whole.
Unfortunately, SEOBOK falls victim to a number of technical, story, and tonal imbalances that significantly minimize its cinematic impact. There is an air of artificiality to the overall production design of the film, where environments are far too clean and appear recently built. There are typical control rooms and command centers with scientists and employees blindly staring into screens as they robotically smash away at their keyboards, and by-the-book action sequences that have an inauthentic rehearsal quality to them. It all feels like nice and neatly packaged entertainment, which is fine, unless you’re trying to take audiences into new spaces, both physically and psychologically, that stimulate the imagination or provoke discomfort through the creative and believable introduction of new worldviews and possibilities, as great Sci-Fi tends to do.
I was reminded a lot of the hollow production that was 2018’s The Negotiation while watching SEOBOK. The special effects, which are meant to inspire awe in the destructive force Seo-bok is capable of unleashing when provoked, leave a lot to be desired. The action comes in short, quick bursts of digital effects that key scenes in SEOBOK often resemble the computer generated worlds of a video game. Seo-bok uses his telekinetic abilities sparingly to blow holes through walls, create giant craters in the ground, and stack piles of rocks like a pre pubescent Magneto would in an X-Men origins story.
There is 40 minute stretch or so of SEOBOK that comes after some lackluster shootouts and car chases that see both Gi-hon and Seo-bok take turns shedding tears as they reveal their fears and regrets. Gi-hon specifically dwells on his past while Seo-bok questions his future. Typical ideas surrounding what immortality means for the soul in the case of death or everlasting life are discussed.
Since Seo-bok lived in a kind of captivity his whole life, he behaves a lot like a man-child, which is fine. Think the character “7” from Stranger Things meets A Werewolf Boy. Seo-bok asks a lot of “why” questions as he ponders the meaning of life and death, like a child does. “What happens after death?” At one point, Seo-bok, whom has never experienced sleep, asks Gi-hon if falling asleep is similar to dying. The philosophical musings aren’t deep in any way and don’t go beyond simple thought experiments one might encounter in an intro to philosophy course. I’ve had several of these with my elementary school students who found the exercises mildly amusing if not a little bit frustrating overall.
Like so many films of its kind, SEOBOK wants to hold the audiences hand through nearly every step of its story. Leaving nothing to the imagination or mystery, characters predominantly communicate in ways that either explain the world or progresses the story in some meaningful way only. There is only one memorable scene where the two leads sit face to face and talk like real men might have in their situation. This is when Gi-hon makes instant noodles for Seo-bok in his hideout. Gi-hon’s amazement at Seo-bok’s ability to put away bowl after bowl, or never having used chopsticks before, is finally a moment of real and fun character development. It’s too bad this naturalistic approach to developing the characters doesn’t last much longer than this little interlude of what may ultimately have been a scene of product placement.
The performances in SEOBOK are competent but not memorable in any way that stick with you or warrant repeat viewings. Gong Yoo, who reportedly took the role thinking it could help him answer the age old question “What is the purpose of your life?” gives a soul-searching performance that would have been perfect had the source material not been paper thin. SEOBOK simply can not carry such emotional weight brought in by the beloved actor. The same could be said about the subdued and introspective performance from Park Bo-gum, that results in both leads seeming to care too much about something so philosophically light and fluffily designed for general entertainment.
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