World Beware, Woochi The Wizard Is Here

WOOCHI THE DEMON SLAYER (DVD)
Cine Asia 

Release date: April 25th 2011
Certificate (UK): 15
Running time: 120 minutes

Original language: Korean with English subtitles
Year of production: 2009

Director: Dong-hun Choi

Cast: Yun-seok Kim, Su-jeong Lim, Dong-won Kang

Sometimes I get the impression that people associate Hollywood exclusively with superficial and pointless movies produced only to make money. But the temptation to use this medium to pay the bills is not only present in Hollywood…

Woochi, otherwise known as Woochi the Demon Slayer is a Korean comedy film with fantasy elements and a hint of drama, but I’m hurting my brain trying to summarise the film’s ridiculously overcomplicated story.

I think it’s about an arrogant, childish wizard called Woochi (Don-wong Kang) and his dog-turned-human servant (Hae-jin Yu). They are blamed for a crime they didn’t commit and punished by being locked up in a painting for 500 years.

They are later summoned by three goofy Taoist gods in modern day Korea, because evil goblins are on the loose. In Woochi the Demon Slayer a pointless story is occasionally interrupted with lengthy fight scenes that never seem to end. In a movie that is two hours long, every time the goblins are killed I think my suffering is over with the end in sight. But they come back again and again for yet another fight which drags on for several minutes.

I wouldn’t recommend anyone to try to figure out what the film or any of its characters have to do with Taoism. My limited knowledge of Taoist philosophy defies everything I witnessed in the Woochi the Demon Slayer. I think the portrayal of the three Taoist gods is borderline offensive to a devoted student of this tradition. Maybe the filmmakers thought it would be funny to create these goofy, overzealous characters and call them Taoists. Maybe this was their idea of a ‘subtle’ comedic touch. That is my best guess anyway.

I quite like the soundtrack; it reminds me of a role playing game and suits the fantasy genre perfectly. It was actually the music that made me want to like a film but I eventually couldn’t.

Apart from some impressive special effects, the film sets are also amazing and full of detail.

The two disc DVD edition comes with deleted scenes, ‘Making of’ footage the pre and post-production stages, interviews, press conference and even footage of the film’s premiere. This is the kind of DVD I would like to have with a movie I actually enjoyed watching.

I don’t quite know who this movie is for. Playful music, use of magic and a comical sidekick all imply that Woochi the Demon Slayer was made with a young audience in mind.

On the other hand the film’s pacing, editing, jumping back and forth between different worlds, dreams that turn out to be real and vice versa make it quite difficult to follow the story, even for grownups. I tried to look beneath the surface but there was nothing much there.

The mess the film makers intended to be the story is complied of a series of random and superficial ideas taken from the fantasy genre without any meaning. While Woochi the Demon Slayer managed to make me laugh a few times and I enjoyed viewing some of the special effects and magnificently built sets, ultimately the film left me with feeling nothing.