Today, I finally watched The Owl. I had been looking forward to this film because it features two of my favorite actors, Ryu Jun-yeol and Yoo Hae-jin. Unfortunately, I tested positive for COVID-19 just two days before the film's release. It was either the day before or two days before that I got the result, so I couldn't watch it in the theater. Today, after completing my quarantine, I finally got to see it.

The Owl is about Ryu Jun-yeol's character, who is a blind acupuncturist. This acupuncturist gets involved in a thriller after witnessing the death of Crown Prince Sohyeon while at the palace. Personally, I was really looking forward to this film. Even from the trailer, it looked very intriguing, and I was especially excited to see Yoo Hae-jin portray the king with a certain charisma, which I found promising.

First of all, I really like actor Yoo Jun-yeol, and I found the atmosphere in the trailer appealing. The movie is very entertaining. One of the most important elements in this genre of film is that the premise is really interesting. The premise is crucial. For example, in Extreme Job, the premise is amusing; the police are undercover to catch a criminal, and they end up opening a chicken restaurant. But the chicken restaurant becomes incredibly successful. That concept is genuinely funny. Such a concept makes people want to watch it. Similarly, in this film, the setting is intriguing; you can see things at night that you can't see during the day. However, people know me as someone they can't see. In reality, I can see things at night, which is why I end up watching.

This story is very engaging, creating a strong sense of immersion. It unfolds in a fascinating way, allowing the audience to read through the film just as one would turn the pages of a novel without realizing it. The movie maintains a continuous sense of tension without any dull moments, keeping the viewer thoroughly absorbed. The pacing is smooth; the plot progresses quickly without dragging on. The direction is excellently executed, combining the setting with the thriller genre in a very interesting manner. The way it is directed is quite clever, reaching a peak during the scene where we witness the death of Princess So-yeon. This moment stands out dramatically, and the direction effectively captures the essence of that moment, showcasing a well-crafted thriller atmosphere.

In the decisive scene, it is so impressive that everyone who has seen it can relate. Please don't spoil it! There are many scenes that effectively utilize such directing techniques, like being sensitive to sound or the fact that you can't see what’s ahead. The actors performed exceptionally well. Personally, when I think of Ryu Jun-yeol, I wonder what movies come to mind. I still feel like it would be Reply 1988. Is it just me? Honestly, I don't think The Drug King is on the same level. I’m not sure what movie would represent this actor well. I don't know if he's doing well or not, but among the films I’ve seen, his performance in this movie was the most impressive. I found it to be very memorable and excellent.

It was really great. The emotional acting was necessary at various points. As we move towards the latter part, a range of emotions is required, and it was impressive how well they expressed those feelings. The other actors weren't particularly distracting either. Overall, the direction was good, the story was immersive, and the film's settings were cleverly developed. Ryu Jun-yeol's acting was excellent. In fact, Ryu Jun-yeol needed to shine here because he is, of course, the protagonist and plays the most important role. The character of the owl is essentially Ryu Jun-yeol's character, who can only be seen at night. 

Now, regarding the drawbacks or the things I found disappointing, it's not that there weren't any overall shortcomings, but I want to clarify so that you don't misunderstand. Fundamentally, I would highly recommend this movie. It's a strong recommendation. It's very entertaining.

Now, let's talk about the points that were a bit disappointing. There will be some spoilers, so spoiler alert is necessary. Most of the drawbacks appear in the latter part of the film. So, let me share the most disappointing aspect of this movie. First of all, the most disappointing part is the character played by Yoo Hae-jin. It's not that I am disappointed with the actor Yoo Hae-jin, but rather with the character itself. Later on, when the character interacts with others, there are reasonable motivations behind their actions. They all have their own stories, and you can understand why they behave that way. It doesn't mean that everything is 100% rational or that it's necessarily right, but you can see how they might act like that. When this happens, it allows the audience to engage more deeply with the story.

It becomes richer and a bit more focused. But then, going back to the movie, in the end, the one who kills is the king, and the reason for killing is something I just don't understand. From the perspective of the film, it’s just unclear; he simply kills. I don't know about the historical background; I'm just talking about the movie, just watching the movie. If he killed because he’s a psychopath, then they should have shown more of that psychopathic side. But that’s not the case either. There must be some historical context, and within that, there’s a bit of explanation. What I see is that there’s a scene where the father and son are just arguing. They have a conflict about how to accept the request. That’s one aspect that comes out, showing that their perspectives are different.

At the beginning, there's a feeling where the father just doesn't want to go out. Instead of focusing on the other characters who play significant roles in different scenes, it would have been better to concentrate on the character of Injo and develop him more three-dimensionally. I mean, he shouldn't just be portrayed as a bad guy or a psychopath; there should be some understanding of why he might act that way. If there had been just a little room for that, it would have been nice. Also, Injo suddenly becomes lighter in tone midway through, which caught me off guard. In the latter half, he becomes unexpectedly light-hearted, and I was a bit thrown off by that. I'm not sure how others felt, but for me, it felt a bit out of sync. I wonder how others perceived that shift.

I felt a bit broken. First of all, the biggest flaw I see in this movie is the artificial characters, and suddenly, in the latter half, the characters become excessively lighthearted, which really threw me off. Secondly, in the latter half, no matter how much I understand that it’s dark at night, it’s just a bit blurry. By the time we reach the latter half, the character Ryu Jun-yeol is just an ordinary person. He becomes just an ordinary person, and the setting becomes meaningless to the extent that he is just doing his job moderately. But then suddenly, it seems like his luck has improved. In the beginning, he couldn’t see anything with just a little bit of light; that was the setting. So in the latter half, it’s completely dark, and you can see everything. I understand that there are aspects that are unavoidable in a movie, but I think it should have been done more appropriately. And then...

In the second half, that wicked Injo is fully revealed, and Gyeong-soo is captured. But he doesn’t die right away. He says something like, If you're blind, live like a blind person, and just walks away. I just can't accept that this bad guy, who killed his own son, is telling someone who was trying to kill him to live like that. It feels absurd. Later on, Gyeong-soo, who shouldn’t be wandering around the palace so freely, ends up moving around as if it's easier than his own front yard. By the end, it gives off a rushed feeling. I wonder if those who have watched this can relate a bit. I feel like it could have been a bit more realistic in those parts. So, what I found disappointing was the flat portrayal of the character Injo, played by Yoo Hae-jin.

The artificial character is disappointing, and in the latter half, the settings established in the beginning collapse, creating a sense of disconnection. The character, who is portrayed as a complete psychopath, suddenly becomes very empathetic. The protagonist was supposed to have certain traits, but those all fall apart in the ending, which feels overly fantastical. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable. These aspects have significant merits that can easily overshadow the flaws. While there are both drawbacks and advantages, if the drawbacks are more pronounced, it naturally becomes unfavorable; however, if the advantages outweigh the flaws, it remains worth watching. The drama's ability to immerse the viewer is genuinely impressive, and the owl setting is interesting, executed excellently in terms of direction, making it enjoyable to watch. Overall, I personally found it very entertaining. So, despite some minor flaws, I think it would have been better if the latter half had taken a more serious approach.

I actually wish it had a heavier and more substantial feel, and I think it would have been much better if it had been more artificial. It's disappointing because the movie is so entertaining, and the flaws are quite regrettable. If only a few of these shortcomings had been fixed, it would have been much better. However, despite that, among the various Korean films I've seen recently, this one was genuinely enjoyable. I really enjoyed it. So, I would give it about three and a half out of five stars. It's fun! To be honest, people often talk about how movies are a waste of money these days, especially since ticket prices are high. But this movie is not one of those; it's worth the money. Honestly, those who have seen it found it entertaining, right?

I enjoyed watching it, but despite these shortcomings, the advantages somewhat cover them. They really cover them sufficiently. It would have been great if there had been a little justification, showing the audience what kind of character the artificial character is in a cinematic way. I wish they had focused more on the artificial character, even at the expense of other characters. It's really disappointing. The chief minister's role was too long; it was unnecessarily lengthy. I think that power could have been minimized. Just a simple composition with the artificial character and the concubine, and the son—something like a father-son dynamic—would have worked better. However, the real culprit was directed elsewhere. Please don’t misunderstand; there are also shortcomings.

Despite everything, The Owl is really fun. Oh, it was really enjoyable. Since it's fun, the downsides are just disappointing. I don't know what will happen to The Owl now, but I think it will do well. I believe it will definitely surpass the break-even point. Is the break-even point 2.1 million? That's not easy. These days, even surpassing 1 million is a challenge, but I think it might exceed 2 million. If it’s 2.1 million, I still feel like it will surpass that. However, it hasn't crossed 1 million yet, which is a bit disappointing.

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