The Moon

South Korea, which we know today, can compete fiercely with Hollywood films, this time trying to re-enter the science fiction genre in outer space after Space Sweeper and The Silent Sea. The Moon is a South Korean science fiction film directed by Kim Yong-hwa, which we know as the Along with the Gods series. This film stars Sol Kyung-gu, Do Kyung-soo, and Kim Hee-ae. The film is 129 minutes long and has a budget of USD 21.3 million. Will it be able to give more expectations?

South Korea is also participating in the race for mineral resources on the Moon. After failing a few years earlier, South Korea can send three astronauts to the Moon. Approaching the Moon, solar flares damage all systems in Earth’s Earth orbit, including the South Korean spacecraft. Two astronauts attempted to repair the damage to the ship but were killed in an accident. One crew member left is Hwang Sun-hoo (D.O. EXO), who is not a pilot. To bring the astronaut home, the controls recall their former director, Kim Jae-guk (Kyung-gu). But the situation only worsened when Sun-woo decided to complete the mission to the Moon alone.

Stories of similar incidents are familiar in Western films, such as successful ones like Apollo 13, The Martian, and Gravity. The Moon presents a very different story, not in a positive way, but ridiculous. The story’s logic is thrown away without regard to common sense and science. All astronauts must have basic knowledge, physical condition, and mental prime above the average normal human. Outer space is extraordinary; it’s not like we are playing in the forest or the open sea. There is no air; space is limited and far from the Earth. One small thing could go wrong, and everything must be carefully calculated to maintain the crew’s safety. All sci-fi films generally have these general rules.

From the start, it was confirmed by the plot that Sun-woo was not a pilot. But of course, every astronaut still has sufficient basic knowledge to deal with unexpected situations. When two astronauts are struck on the outside of the ship, Sun-woo somehow manages to open the ship’s hatch. How could an astronaut think of doing that? This was too ridiculous, regardless of how panicked the situation was. How is it possible, anyway, the astronaut changed his mind (against the procedures of the central station on Earth) to land on the Moon just because of purely emotional problems? With all the processes Sun-woo goes through throughout the film, we must remember that he is not a pilot, as stated at the beginning. This is unbelievable.

Beyond its impressive visual achievements, The Moon needs better script quality and a compelling story. It’s a shame the filmmakers throw away all the outstanding visual presentations with one deadly snap. Not much is offered for the genre, but at least this proves that the technical achievements of South Korean films, especially sci-fi films, are at the same level as Hollywood films. It’s only a matter of time before South Korean movies produce sci-fi films of higher quality.