Woochi: The Demon Slayer – Review

Here is a film that lacks a good editing yet provides a good mix between classic Wuxia and humor. Accidentally attaining an artifact that holds sway over demon-kind, skilled wizard in training, Woo-chi, is banished into a painting, taking with him the threat of the demons. Five hundred years later supernatural forces threaten humankind once more, and seeking a saviour, Woo-chi is released into this strange new world. A little bit more trimming and a tightening up of the exposition would have helped the movie flow a bit more smoothly, especially since it runs almost two hours in length.

On its 2009 release, Woo-chi The Demon Slayer, was even better sometimes than big-budget American movies. Remember as a kid when you use to watch films such as Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master? I kind of got that feeling while watching this film as I was actualy enthralled by what was going on in front of me. What aren’t lacking are all things visual, in particular the action and FX. The special effects were very well done combining seamlessly CGI and real actors. For his third film, director Choi Dong-hun reuses some of the notable cast from delirious debut The Big Swindle and sophomore Tazza: The High Rollers. However, Woochi is a film unlike no other.

Film will bring to mind plot elements from all kinds of other movies–at one point the hero’s hand turns to stone to try and crush a bad guy–and that’s right out Hellboy! Sometimes it really just dozen’t matter if its all been done before though because the film is just so much fun all around. Although for the most part this is a fun ride, the main flaws is how the characters aren’t really developed well and the editing just isn’t well done like I said before. However, the great Yun-seok Kim, who impressed audiences in the brilliant The Chaser, is perfectly cast as Woo-chi’s main nemesis. We need a good nemesis because there is hardly any scenes where Woochi actually seemed vulnerable, cause his powers seem infinite as long as he has his talisman papers.

In conclusion, yes I enjoyed the heck out of Woochi, and the Blu-Ray sported good video quality. It’s not perfect; character rendering for the demons (in demonic giant animal form as rats or rabbits) is truly dreadful. Besides the interesting setup, the action, production, art and even a measure of the directing is engaging and interesting. And the actors manage to inject a good amount of levity into the movie. To make a long thought short: I’ve watched The Sorcerer’s Apprentice first, and then the War of the Wizards the same evening. While the Disney flick was plain boring, I really enjoyed the Korean piece. Thumbs up!