Woochi: The Demon Slayer

Woochi: The Demon Slayer

9/4/2013 2h 16m 6.8/10

Overview

Spanning four centuries in Korea, this epic action-adventure concerns a powerful pipe and a trio of wizards who will do anything to protect it.

Director

Choi Dong-hoon

Top Billed Cast

Kim Yun-seok

Kim Yun-seok

Hwa-dam

Lim Soo-jung

Lim Soo-jung

Seo In-kyeong

Ju Jin-mo

Ju Jin-mo

Shaman

Gang Dong-won

Gang Dong-won

Jeon Woo-chi

Yoo Hai-jin

Yoo Hai-jin

Chorangyi

Song Young-chang

Song Young-chang

Buddhist Monk

Reviews

Dali Parton

Dali Parton

2/9/2017

3/10

(spoiler free) I've watched a lot of Korean movies over the years - from the silly (Sex is Zero) to the sublime (Oasis) and enjoyed most of them, even some of the more marginal titles like Spygirl and A.F.R.I.K.A. But for me, and the group of people watching it with me, Jeon Woochi was a big bust. The biggest problem I had with this movie was the terrible pacing, especially in the first 30 minutes of the movie where the timeline was not linear and the director did practically nothing to inform the audience that he had made a jump in time until wrapping up the scene and rejoining the main timeline. Other problems included a major lack of funny - there was so much opportunity for "fish out of water" jokes, but the writers barely even tried. And it wasn't like the comedy was too subtle either, much of the humor in the movie was just too ham-fisted to laugh at. There were also way too many fast cuts during action sequences - it made it difficult to enjoy the biggest feature of the movie: the excellent CGI. The director barely gives the audience a chance to focus on the contents of a shot before cutting to a new camera angle. I recognize these fast cuts are a modern Hollywood style, but it is still a terrible one to emulate. The story itself was, as expected, fairly simple. But even then, the telling of it was too convoluted - due mainly to the confusing timeline. I haven't given any examples to illustrate my criticism because I wanted to avoid spoilers as much as possible but still provide a counter-point to the misleadingly high rating (7.0 as I write this) and the other 5 or so reviews which all gave the movie exceptional scores. It was on the basis of that rating and the other reviews that I purchased the korean blu-ray and would strongly recommend that no one else waste their time or money the way I did. I suggest watching the older Arahan which has a similar "wizardry in the modern city" plot. I had a lot more fun watching Arahan despite its flaws. Also, watch out for the korean blu-ray. It is poorly mastered - the black levels are elevated making the picture look washed out and hazy unless you have a fancy display that can correct the problem.

Similar Movies

The Accidental Gangster

5.2

The Accidental Gangster

2008

Noryang: Deadly Sea

6.3

Noryang: Deadly Sea

2023

A Tale of Legendary Libido

5.8

A Tale of Legendary Libido

2008

Kundo: Age of the Rampant

6.6

Kundo: Age of the Rampant

2014

The Sword with No Name

6.1

The Sword with No Name

2009

The Age of Blood

6.1

The Age of Blood

2017

The Princess and the Matchmaker

7.1

The Princess and the Matchmaker

2018

Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead

5.7

Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead

2018

Iljimae the Chivalrous Robber

0.0

Iljimae the Chivalrous Robber

1961

Blades of Blood

6.4

Blades of Blood

2010

The Divine Weapon

6.5

The Divine Weapon

2008

Heaven's Soldiers

6.0

Heaven's Soldiers

2005

Sword In The Moon

5.2

Sword In The Moon

2003

The King of Fighters

0.0

The King of Fighters

2019