Action & fantasy in intriguing story

Film review: Along With The Gods

MANILA, Philippines — What happens after death has always fascinated humans. Do souls get another chance at a new life in another universe? Does heaven, where religious faith says the departed goes, exist? Or do they morph into other beings fated to continue learning life’s lessons through eternity?

South Korean author Joo Ho-min had a theory that he presented to the public in a webcomics titled Along With The Gods. As the blurb about it says, his story is: Opening the gate to the place where no one has been to but eventually reach.

Along With The Gods is set in the Afterlife. This is where a soul goes after death. According to its laws, all deceased must go through seven trials over a period of 49 days. These trials are divided into seven categories of sin. These are betrayal, violence, filial piety, murder, indolence, deceit and injustice. Only after clearing all seven trials can the deceased be reincarnated and will be able to start a new life. 

Ho-min’s premise so piqued the curiosity of readers that his comics tale topped all the views in the Naver portal site and eventually sold over 450,000 copies in the paperback edition. It is now acknowledged as the biggest selling Korean webcomic of all time. With success such as that, can a movie deal be far behind? Of course not. Along With The Gods, six years in the making at a cost of $36M, has recently become the most expensive film produced in South Korean motion picture history.

Written and directed by Kim Yong-wha, it is also the biggest box-office hit. In fact, it is so big that a part two, Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days, is already scheduled for release this summer. But before that happens, let us take a look at part one, Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds, which is now showing in local theaters. 

The deceased in the story is Kim Ja-hong, a firefighter who died in the scene of a fire while trying to save a little girl. He is taken to a purgatory by three Guardians of the Afterlife. The trio is thrilled about receiving what they believe is a Paragon soul. They see Ja-hong as a model of excellence, somebody with a good life and a meaningful death who will most likely just breeze through the trials. He is their 48th soul. This means they are only two souls short of the required 50. Once they get their 50th soul reincarnated, the Guardians will themselves be reincarnated and sent back to Earth. So they have a lot riding on the fate of Ja-hong.

But it turns out that their task will not be easy. As they face the courts in the trials, secrets are revealed in Ja-hong’s life that put his reincarnation at risk. With their fate in the Afterlife also in danger, the Guardians must now defend Ja-hong and get him acquitted of his sins. Otherwise, he will be doomed to spend eternity in hell while they will have to wait for they do not know how long for another Paragon.

Just like what usually happens with films based on material from another medium, director Kim Yong-hwa worked with the assumption that the viewer is familiar with the webcom story. Unexplained bits and pieces abound and unexplained characters and situations surface and disappear. But total attention to what is going on in the screen solves this problem and what is left is a deeply involving drama spiced with spectacular action scenes.

South Koreans have acquired the reputation of becoming very good in all that they try to do. This attempt at epic filmmaking is no different. Along With The Gods is a high-quality production that lifts Korean filmmaking to new heights. It is not yet on the same level as Lord Of The Rings but I can assure you, these guys will get there soon. And those behind Along With The Gods even have an advantage, they are Asians.

The cast which includes some of Korea’s biggest stars, turn in capable, wide-ranging performances. As in many things Asians, emotions, pent-up of in full view here, are also on a grand scale. Think action star serious in one breath, angelic sweetness in the next. Cringe-funny in another and thought provoking in the next. 

Then in a manner that is typically Asian Kim Yong-hwa, blends action with fantasy and drama in an intriguing narrative with a total disregard for genres. This is why it should not surprise you to discover that enjoying visually exciting hell and its creatures will turn into deep emotional purging in the blink of an eye. Don’t feel ashamed. I am sure you will not be the only one teary-eyed in the theater.

That never happened with The Matrix or Lord of the Rings. 

Released by VIVA International, Along With The Gods is now showing nationwide.