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James Marsh

2/5 stars
Based on a hit Korean webtoon, director Kim Byung-woo’s ambitious science fiction fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy stars Ahn Hyo-seop as a reclusive loner who discovers that his favourite online novel has become a reality.
Lee Min-ho and Chae Soo-bin also appear, as do K-pop starlets Nana and Blackpink’s Jisoo, but they all take a back seat to the film’s polished, if generic, spectacle.
It is impossible to conceive that a feature film like this would exist without the success of Train to Busan and Squid Game.


Both of these international hits opened the floodgates for high-concept genre fare within South Korea’s risk-averse industry, and audiences have been inundated ever since, with their influence and aesthetic visible in every frame.
Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy begins with recently fired office worker Dok-ja (Ahn) trolling the anonymous author of his favourite online novel Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse for not ending the story to his liking.
Specifically, its hero, Jung-hyeok (Lee), is revealed to be deeply flawed – a revelation that leaves Dok-ja crestfallen and disillusioned by the saga he has loved since middle school.
Journeying home with co-worker Sang-ah (Chae), Dok-ja is astonished to receive a reply from the author, challenging him to rewrite the story’s ending.

At that moment, their train jolts to a halt, and Dok-ja realises they have been transported into the novel’s fantasy setting. Everyone must survive a series of increasingly dangerous challenges if they are to proceed to the next level.
Each scenario pits them against fantastical creatures, or occasionally each other, and winners are rewarded with coins, power-ups and even sponsorship from unseen spectators.
As the only remaining fan of the source material, Dok-ja has a prophetic advantage over other players, but his efforts to help Jung-hyeok go unappreciated.
Instead, he assembles a motley crew, including Sang-ah, guilt-stricken soldier Hyeon-seong (Shin Seung-ho), feisty fighter Hui-won (Nana), and Gil-yeong (Kwon Eun-seong), a boy who can communicate with insects.

Director Kim delivers some bombastic visuals, but struggles to conjure anything of substance. Dok-ja might have all the answers, but remains utterly unsympathetic, and following his odyssey feels like watching someone play a video game on cheat mode.
The rest of the cast are equally one-dimensional, though it must be noted that Nana effortlessly eclipses the woefully inert Jisoo, while the film’s overarching theme of “together strong” is pitifully uninspired.
For a film based on a webtoon about a world consumed by a novel that unspools like a game, Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy quickly dissolves into a vacuous torrent of derivative media “content” desperately in search of a reality to call its own.
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Nana (left) as feisty fighter Hui-won and Ahn Hyo-seop as recently fired office worker Dok-ja in a still from Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy.

Ahn Hyo-seop in a still from Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy (category IIB, Korean), directed by Kim Byung-woo. Lee Min-ho and Chae Soo-bin co-star.

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Featuring Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin and K-pop’s Nana and Jisoo, this Korean sci-fi fantasy fails to live up to its ambitions


Featuring Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin and K-pop’s Nana and Jisoo, this Korean sci-fi fantasy fails to live up to its ambitions.


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An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Featuring Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin and K-pop’s Nana and Jisoo, this Korean sci-fi fantasy fails to live up to its ambitions

Featuring Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin and K-pop’s Nana and Jisoo, this Korean sci-fi fantasy fails to live up to its ambitions