Jeon Woochi : relevance of soundtrack in interpretation

It is without doubt that this film has made it to the list of Korean blockbuster movies. The element of surprise in every aspect of the movie, from plot to characters, to effects and change of settings has really changed the way we perceive Korean film as either historical or melodramatic. Of course, Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard is considered historical because of its characters and (partial) settings, but I find that the perspective that is portrayed in the film is rather contemporary. 

The first part of the film seems to set itself as a backdrop to the more interesting developments that would happen 500 years later. Already, in the scene when Jeon Woochi is first introduced to the audience as a trickster who even dares mocking the king, we see the comedic aspect of this scene first as entertainment because it’s really funny, but also, a criticism of traditional values, rituals and/or manners. The musical aspect of this particular scene struck me the most, which lead me to this interpretation. Instead of playing traditional lyrical folk tunes that would evoke a certain nostalgic emotion in the audience, as it would in a historical film, the ensemble is enjoying the upbeat rhythms and harmonies that Jeon Woochi has commanded with his wizardry. I find that the importance of this particular demand during one of his ‘shows’ not only builds his character’s showmanship and humour, but also his attitude towards the set of norms that were established before his generation.

A second scene with a similar interpretation, but this time in respect to gender issues, is where Jeon Woochi had just been summoned to downtown Seoul in the present times and is battling with two demons in the form of a man and a woman. Again, the music that he chose to play were light and upbeat. What I found interesting was the way he chose to confront each demon. A number of his replicas would pounce on the man all at once, but the other group of replicas would keep a distance with the woman and attempt to fight (with hesitation). It’s also interesting that the real Jeon Woochi would focus on fighting the woman one-on-one rather than with the man. But I think the missing link here would be the actual songs that were played during this battle. It would be something to look into, since I find that the choice of background music really makes a difference in constructing this film as “other” than historical or melodramatic. 

First critique of contemporary Korean society since the beginning of the semester

Many of my classmates have already pointed out the entertainment value of this film and that is surely deserved. Though I would argue that it could have benefitted by being a bit shorter and more concise, I think the story and the interaction between the characters is priceless. The special relationship between Chorangyi and Woochi is ridiculous!

What struck me about this film, when it comes to overarching themes, is that this is the first film that critiques contemporary Korean society since the first film, the mockumentary “The Weight of Her”, that we watched in the beginning of the semester. Though the hints are subtle and not the main part of the film, I found them very legitimate and interesting critiques of Korean society.

I couldn’t get screenshots of the scenes that I am talking about, so I will have to describe them as best as possible. When Woochi has come to the future he is in a car with some of his companions. Clearly interested in the changes that has happened he starts to ask questions about society. One of the first things he comments on is the advertising girls who are dancing outside an IT store or something. This very much so mirrors one of the scenes in the mockumentary, in which the girl is looking at these girls who are just dancing around as unanimated objects.  He goes on to ask if they work for a brothel or something.

The second part of this societal critique is when Woochi and the others are walking through the city. Having already been told that Korea no longer has a king, Woochi rhetorically asks, after seeing a homeless man on the street, what happens to people when there are no kings there to feed them - all this while drinking strategically placed “Max” beer and stealing chicken wings from a local pub. Interestingly enough Woochi goes on to saying something negative about the abundance of alcohol would make him an alcoholic really fast. This critique is furthered by the description of the omnipresent alcohol commercials in the urban environment, represented by the wine posters that Woochi and the others serve themselves from.

I think there are tons of other examples of these puns and societal critiques that I have missed, but these are the ones that I “catched-on” to while watching the film the first time.

Lastly, there is another discussion inherent in this film and that is the discussion of how Korea deals with its history. That the last fight is set in Japanese colonial times is very interesting. That period is, by many, considered to be a time that Korea has forgotten. Most of the buildings and infrastructure from that time was destroyed after the colonial period or as a result of the Korean War. To bring the final battle to this period is interesting because this is in a sense a “historic film” even though it is a comedy in every sense. Reading into the choice behind this angle to the final battle, I think, will be a great angle for the final paper!

Jeon Woo Chi as Criticism of Modern Societal Values

Overall, the film was a bit confusing for me to watch, and after having finished watching it, I still as if there were major plot ties that flew over my head. However, what I did get from it is that it seems to critique modern society by juxtaposing it with the ideals and morals of people who lived during the Joseon Dynasty.

When Woochi is summoned from his imprisonment in the scroll and is taken into the wizard’s car, he exclaims: “How this land has changed!” The camera pans over the city streets in a disorientating shot that makes the urban landscape seem chaotic and intimidating. As the camera captures a sea of people scurrying outside through a voyeuristic gaze, the wizard notes: “They waste their lives chasing desire, when one must seek spiritual fulfillment.” 

The wizards’ spiritual practices in public spaces in the city seem comically out of place, which adds to the film’s overall comedic effect, but also highlights the change in values in society from one set that emphasized spiritual health to one that is dominated by capitalist values. 

In the fight between the wizards and the goblins on the city streets, Woochi summons many clones of himself to fight against the goblins. I interpreted this as a way of Woochi using the measures that were necessary to fight in modern society. In a time where individual strength and valour have been overshadowed by the capitalist ability to conjure copies to maximize efficiency, Woochi’s clones seem to satirize the workings of capitalist society.

Historical Misrepresentation in Jeon Woo-chi

In her book, Kyung Hyun Kim describes Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard as a new type of sagŭk film set in the premodern era that exploits national Korean history by purposely misconstruing historical facts for comedic effect. According to Kim, the sagŭk Korean film genre misrepresents history by adding modern elements to such films. Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard thus uses a variety of special effects present in many blockbuster martial arts, action and fantasy films. It is also fast-paced, with frequent cutting and hectic camera movement, creating an effect in which the audience is immediately thrown into the action. The film’s story line alternates between Chosun era Korea and modern-day Seoul, but it blurs out the initial historical setting with its hectic editing, its immediate immersion of the audience into action sequences, and its arbitrary inclusion of mythical elements. The sudden switch from Chosun era to the present day represents the disorienting impact of globalization on South Korea and its historical affinities. While Korea—and the film— celebrate the nation’s rapid industrial progress, however, they simultaneously eclipse history’s unsavory details. 

The Relationship between Magic and Technology

The film Jeon woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard, directed by Choi dong-hoon who also directed other successful contemporary Korean films such as The big Swindle, follows the story of a Taoist wizard who strives for ambition more than a sort of enlightment.  Through the magic he utilizes from his introduction to the film and the action sequences are all made possible with the technology available today.  One very neat camera technique was used to demonstrate how Jeon Woo Chi is able to break space and time by a series of distorted image use, camera panning, and editing.  Another notable and impressive sequence takes place in the fight against the two demons where Woo-Chi makes multiple copies of himself which is interesting how they composed such an elaborate scene to provide such an illusion.  and there are many more I have not mentioned and these special effects are no doubt the selling point of this film and it goes to show our admiration to such fantastic powers we know that does not exist.

It is interesting to note how old folklore are excavated and reformed into a modern film that appease the masses and the inverse relationship of how magic, an ancient notion, is being portrayed more and more realistic, as one would say, with the new technologies becoming available to film makers.  But out of all the magic Woo-Chi uses, the most prominent one I find is the ability to bend time and space, which is seen when he is able to interact with images to the extent of entering it, switching clothes with it, or taking food or drinks from it.  This particular section reminded me of cyber-punk elements where characters find themselves in a sort of virtual reality in cyberspace where they are able to interact with the images around them like Woo-Chi did.  And in a way, this space-bending interaction stays true even within our society today, with the use of internet and other media-involved technologies.  As one has stated in the past, an over-developed technology could sometimes be seen as equivalent to magic.

Lenin Amaya

Is This Just Real Life...?

Before watching Jeon Woochi, I assumed that this movie was targeted towards children. After watching it, and reading Kim’s article, I realize that there is much more to the film. Kim introduces this idea of “creative evolution”, which, from my understanding, is the inability to distinguish between what is false and what is true. In the case of Jeon Woochi, it is the inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. What aspects of this film is fantasy? The most obvious would be the ability to cast spells and be a wizard by extension, the goblins, and the ability to travel quickly through time. If this is fantasy then what is reality? I would say that the time periods in which Jeon is alive would be closest to reality, therefore the Chosun period and present day, or the year 2009. Therefore it is within reality that fantasy exists. But, as seen in the movie, the ‘reality’ or the time periods are also intertwined; while fighting Hwadam, the two fall into a window and the scene fades to white. Immediately afterwards Woochi opens his eyes to find himself back in the Chosun dynasty. Woochi notices that something is not ‘right’ about this place, shoots an arrow into the chest that the flute had been in and Hwadam, wearing a modern suit comes out. Creative evolution allows for the plots to bleed into each other. Another way in which reality bleeds is how the widow looks exactly like Inkyung. She is a mortal character (unlike Woochi, Hwadam and the wizards) yet she is the same physical person. This begs the question... What is real life, and what is fantasy?

Computer graphics, is it always helpful?

           As professor Cho mentioned, Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard is based on a Korean folk tale, it did not give me any advantages since I do not recall reading this story during my childhood years. However, I have seen this movie once before, but to be honest, it is not one of my favorites (despite the fact that I really like Kang Dong-won).

           In the reading, Kim states that “mixed-genre trend typified Hollywood cinema of the 1970s …” (201, Kim), and it surprised me since this type of genre seemed quite recent in the Korean films or dramas that I have watched (the time lag in Hollywood and Korean film/drama it did not occur to me – or perhaps, I was not exposed to them). When I first saw this movie, it seemed very chaotic and somewhat disorganized. I do not usually enjoy time travelling, so this can pretty much explain my first impression on this movie. However, after watching it again, where I actually pay attention to the camera movements, angles, etc., this movie seemed much more interesting than I first perceived it as. As Kim mentions, “modern films in Korea largely depend on glossy images generated by 3-D technology, computer graphics that place human characters somewhere between live-action and animation, and visuals and narratives reminiscent of video games” (202, Kim), there is no question in the use of computer graphics in this movie. Although I felt like some scenes were “over-exaggerated” with such technology, it played an important role in transforming the folktale into a movie; in the past, the readers had no chance but to imagine it in their heads, not knowing if they are picturing the right movements or not, but with the help of technology, audiences can visualize it. For instance, how Jeon Woo-chi would be able to handle the wind, the rain, use amulet, etc. 

Still, I cannot agree that graphics always helps the audience to focus on what is shown in the film since the goblins (rabbit-looking, and rat-looking) were too animation-like and seemed awkward to me (this is quite interesting, since I do not have any problems seeing ogres in Lord of the Rings with the actors, but somehow these goblins make me uncomfortable). Even if new technologies helped the directors to express something more than what can be filmed through their lens, I believe it is important to find a balance, so it will allow the viewers to engage closer to the film, rather than distracting them. 

Reflection on Reality

I was in Korea when Jeon Woochi came out in the theatres. It was screened at the same time as Avatar, which became the highest-grossing film in South Korea even till today. After watching both movies, I preferred Jeon Woo-chi over Avatar and recommended Jeon Woochi to friends who couldn’t decide which movie to watch. I found the fast pace, mix of past and the future, fantasy and the spectacle highly amusing, and overall it went well with my belief that movies should be entertaining. However, re-watching Jeon Woo-chi after a whole semester of EAST 313, I realized that behind the laughter, the movie was filled with criticism towards Korea’s capitalism and the increase of corporate power.

 As Chorangyi and Woochi walk the streets of modern day Korea, they are startled by all the light and technology. However what surprised them most was that there was no King to feed the people. To answer Woochi’s question, the priest-wizard tells him that corporates, modern day merchants, run the country and that they’re the ones who built the buildings. Then Woochi responds, “Merchants are corrupt fiends by nature. Yet you say they are feeding the people?” Along with his remark, we constantly see and hear news reports in the background about government scandals and corrupt deals behind the back. For me, this all became even more amusing after realizing that the president of Korea at the time was Lee Myungbak, former CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and that the movie was funded by CJ, one of the biggest che-bol groups in Korea.

Even though Woochi criticizes such a state by saying that “Such a land is destined for grief and ruin” he does not seem to do anything about it.  He does not condemn the corrupted evils of the society like an action hero should. Instead, we see Woochi “materialize” booze, perfume and stylish clothes from the advertisements and enjoy the things contemporary Korea has to offer. He only seeks revenge upon the man who killed his master, and when that business is dealt with, he just lives on his life like the rest of the people, wooing his lover. Why did the director leave it at that? Why criticize with words but not act upon it? Is that also a reflection on reality?  

JeonWooChi

Jeon Woo Chi is a 2009 fantasy action film directed by Choi Dong-hoon. When people who have already watched a lot of newly developed editing technologies such as 3D effects in films, they might not be satisfied nor amazed by its awkward use of technology. However, considering the fact that it was released in 2009, I conclude that JeonWoochi is a brilliantly constructed film. This move was the first to depict a classic Korean hero as a charming figure fit for the 21^st century. Its main characters were based on the Korean heroic classic Jeonuchiljeon, and in this film, the setting jumps ahead to the modern era. JeonWoochi is an immature wizard who spends his time looking for a magical mirror and bronze dagger, and his Joseon era world collapses when his master is murdered by the most powerful goblin, Hwadam. His revenge then actually takes place in the present. Thus, the part in Joseon Dynasty felt like the original story of a super hero, while the second part of the movie set in the present was said to be the hero’s first adventure. Even if the story line is simple and easy to follow, each character is quite fun and fresh. All wizards in this movie can disappear or copy themselves using a talisman, move through time and space, and leap long distances in a snap.  Although the director challenged himself to portray these movements in an effective way, unfortunately, its editing looked unbalanced and choppy, and the ‘fade’ editing effect was awkwardly used. Still the clumsy editing did not really damage the overall effect of the film.  Using fancy wire action, standard CG, good sets and a car chase, it successfully blended Korean folklore, comedy and action which made for a truly entertaining, engaging experience. This movie was overall light, easy on the eyes and brain. 

Is The Taoist Wizard Purely An Entertainment Film ?

The Taoist Wizard directed by Choi Dong Hun is a fantasy action movie. It seems like a classic blockbuster. I really enjoyed the film due to the twists and turns in the plot. When I compare this film to all the other films that we have watched in class I feel like this one is that hardest to analyze. This film is purely for entertainment. All the battle scenes where they are jumping so high and the use of animated characters like the goblins is to suture the viewers into the world of the movie. The sound used in the fighting scenes is non diegetic sound meaning outside of the story world to create a more believable space. The music is to create atmosphere and develops the idea of how viewers are transcending space as they watch the film.

The plot involves a lot of changes in space either between a difference of 500 years between1509 and 2009 or in terms of smaller space from a changing room to a beach or from the battle scene back into dream. After reading the Kim Kyung Hyun article I was thinking about how  the director shows the characters continuously transforming and transcending space, does he want us to question whether or not Woochi’s reality is an illusion? During the battle scene the space changes back to where his master lived in 1509 and he wakes up and the whole film up to this part has been a bad dream. The use of that narrative technique is used quite frequently in many Hollywood films that I have seen, this made my view of the film more concrete that it is mainly for entertainment and not to convey a secret political message. All in all I really enjoyed the film especially with the cute protagonist.

Taoist Wizard Jeonwoochi

Other classmates have talked about how the first thirty minutes of the film was confusing to them, since they did not have enough background of Korean history. However, even as a Korean, I have not heard much about the story of Jeonwoochi. However, according to internet sources, “Jeon Woo Chi based on classical novel of unknown origin dating to the Joseon era that tells the story of a free-wheeling, mischievous Jeon Woo Chi, which gave him powers of Taoist magic”. After reading the original story, the director, Choi Dong Hoon, wrote and directed this fantasy action film, incorporating excessive 3D effects. The Presence of ancient Korea and conetemporary Korea where the characters are able to move quickly between the past and the present, was interesting. For example, when Woochi first came to the Modern era, he was being critical of the women as well as the non-existent king who left the citizens to be in hunger, which indicated the flaws of contemporary Korea. However, although the excessive use of 3d effects allowed to depict the fast-moving world within the movie, as a viewer, it was extremely hard to follow along, leaving me to be distract at times, since the camera movements were very fast and camera angles were excessively used in each scene. Kim explains in her article “Modern films in Korea largely depend on glossy images generated by 3-D technology, computer graphics that place human characters somewhere between live-action and animation, and visuals and narratives reminiscent of video games” (Pg. 202, Kim KyungHyun). This clearly explains that the use of wire sets, car chases, and good sets in the film Jeonwoochi, indicates the characteristics of modern films in Korea. 
I thought the use of mirrors while shooting the character Inkyung was interesting in that mirrors not only serve as self-reflexive tool, but also as a barrier of the self and the virtual image of the self. The use of mirrors in the beginning of the film led me to think that Inkyung might be a deceptive character later in the film. 
Overall, the film was comedic and interesting as it moved back and forth between past and the present. However, there was excessive uses of 3D effects as well as fast pace time with unrestrained use of camera angles from all over the place, which led me to be distracted.

Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard

     I know that Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard is based on Korean folklore "The Tale of Jeon Woochi" but I do not know how much it resembles the story. In this film, Jeon Woo-chi and other characters transport from the Chosun Dynasty to the Present. To make this happen, there are a lot of technological effects involved. We started to see these effects from Korean modern movies and dramas starting in 21th century (Volcano High school, Arahan Jangpung Daejakjeon). Kyung Hyun states that “Modern films in Korea largely depend on glossy images generated by 3-D technology, computer graphics that place human characters somewhere between live-action and animation and visuals and narratives reminiscent of video games” (Kim 202). While I was watching this movie, I was amazed by all the 3-D technology and the computer graphics; however, it made me very difficult to concentrate from time to time. I feel like all these fancy wire actions, CGs and editing were way too distractive. These effects makes me think that this movie was made for teenagers. I’m sure teens were fascinated by the wire actions including characters flying and walking on walls. To me, Jeon Woo-chi was not a hero. He was just a weird character with special power.

     It wasn’t just 3-D technology that distracted me. This film had terrible pacing especially in the first part of the movie where it was not linear at all. The director did not give the audience any cues when he made the several big jumps from the Chosun Dynasty and the present. With the fast pacing, I did not have the chance to really enjoy the effects.

     At the end of this movie, the only thing I remember is Kang Dong Won (Jeon Woo Chi). I never expected Kang Dong Won to play characters like this. He was always the HOT one in the movies or dramas. Kang Dong Won is also in Haunter, which came out a year after. This movie switches genres from comedy to drama with many CGs and 3-D technology just like Jeon Woo-chi. I will watch Haunter over the weekend to compare the difference. I wonder if all the 3-D technologies, wire actions, and CGs were necessary in this film. Did it really help the audeince to focus? Was it just me who felt distracted by these effects?

Flexibility in time, space, and gender

I think the most noticeable motif in the film Jeon Woo-Chi is the water. The first shot is the raging ocean at night with thunder in the background. The last image is the calm and bright ocean which In-Kyung and Woo-chi enjoy together. Thus, water plays an important role in the film because it reinforces the theme of flexibility in time, space, and gender.

Kim’s essay “The End of History” talks about the rebirth of the new popular genre, saguk, in Korean films at the turn of the twenty-first century. For decades, saguk films fell out of public favor and existed only on television. Previously, they were targeted at retired men and were neither witty nor spectacular (207). Starting 2000, however, saguks were no longer required to get historical details right. Consequently, there was this transition from historically accurate films to historically inaccurate films (Kim 209).

There are two elements in Jeon Woo-Chi that create confusion due to the blurring of line with their counterparts. First, it is the dream and reality which is portrayed as the same. Woo chi once mentions that life is but a dream. In fact, there are two identical scenes of Woo Chi waking up from a dream which complicates the viewer’s understanding of reality and dream. Near the beginning, Woo chi wakes up and tells his master how he kissed a girl in his dream. This scene repeats itself later in the middle of Woo Chi’s battle with Hwadam. However, Woo chi realizes that what he is experiencing is a dream and shoots the black zither.

Second, there is the obscuring of line between science and magic—or technology and magic. Magic in the film is portrayed as something that is real, not a trick. On the other hand, technology is depicted as trickery in the eyes of Woo Chi and Chorangyi. In one scene, Chorangyi wrestles with the locked door because the voice of a woman through the intercom demands them to provide identification repeatedly.

Furthermore, there are two aspects in the film that removes the boundary between the two opposites. For instance, the gender norms are blurred. Chorangyi is played by a male character but in the end, it is told that he is actually a girl.

In addition, the boundary of time is removed because the ancient and modern times are portrayed as the same. At first, the audience thinks that the film is about two stories: the story of Woo Chi in pre-modern society and the story of a female doctor and a male patient in postmodern world. It is revealed later on that both stories are one and the same, played by same characters.

Thus, the motif of water plays a crucial role because it denotes the flexibility between two binaries—in time, gender, and space. However, it is true that some things do remain unchanged over time, like the corrupted politicians in pre and postmodern worlds.

Woochi as Childhood Dream Movie

When Watching Woochi: Taoist Wizard, I could not help feeling that the movie was 'too much' for me to handle. The cuts are extremely fast, the characters are so over-the-top and one-sided that it is almost too hard to sympathize with them...at the same time, all of these elements seemed to conjure up some weird nostalgic feeling in me.

Suddenly I turned to my friend about halfway through the movie as I realized aloud to them, "This is like my dream movie as a kid!"

"Woochi" included all those elements that I sought in those years (as a 6-10 year old, probably): extremely fast-paced action and plot, characters that were easy to understand, bright colours, a handsome hero I could daydream about, settings that changed all the time and literally in the blink of an eye--not to mention, the movie was probably completely void of takes that were longer than four seconds so it was very easy to be entertained the whole time (or at least "occupied;" I didn't find it that entertaining).

Then I started considering how much movie interest changes as one grows older, and what elements are the most obviously different.

Woochi contains a lot of those Blockbuster elements--but it's as if they are on steroids. I'm guessing Woochi was a big budget film, it was easy to "get," and seemed to really have its own concept that would be easily sellable/advertise-able. I like a lot of those ideas, but when a movie (like Woochi) goes so over the top, it's difficult to really love it. This is for several reasons, I believe.

First, I am trained to build a certain refinement when it comes to film. I should like movies that have longer, more artistic takes. I should like movies that have characters that are complicated and "rounded." If not, I feel guilty--and this idea has actually trained me to genuinely dislike movies like Woochi that are just too, perhaps, "obvious."

Secondly, and maybe more obviously, it's nice to have a movie that challenges the viewer in some way. Woochi simply was not challenging--there was no fill-in-the-blank, up to your interpretation moments; it just gave it to the viewer exactly how it was. This ties into the point above about feeling guilty with this sort of thing.

The watching process of Woochi kind of brought up a blank in terms of reaction from me. I didn't really feel anything but I was definitely able to recognize that this movie is something I would have loved as a kid. What else does that? And where exactly does this guilt in me come from? It's interesting to consider....

Fusion or Conflict: Intriguing or Lacking?

Fusion or Conflict: Intriguing or Lacking?

Jeon Woo-Chi was a difficult movie to watch but at the same time entertaining. Part of the reason why I found this film difficult on the viewers had to do with the mythology and folktale related to the plot. Like a couple others have mentioned, I was quite lost in the first 30 minutes or so. But this was probably because the targeted audience was domestic. I think having the proper background and the ability to understand the Korean description without having to constantly read hard into the subtitles would have definitely helped. Another contributing factor to my state of confusion was also the clashing of time and chronology. We live in a world where time flows chronologically and we have adapted to think and operate so. Whenever a director mixes up the time, it intentionally makes the viewers think extra hard. It’s a technique not uncommon. It brings emphasis and attention to details we normally would have missed.  Similar techniques were used in previous films screened in this course. For example, Peppermint Candy.

Pertaining to the title of this post, time was merely one amongst many which all centered around the idea of “fusion and conflict”. By fusing elements that are not usually associated together, the director created conflicts in multiple aspects of this film and through them the viewers’ attention was successfully captured. In terms of time, the directors fused the old Choson period with the 21^st century. This involved the popular idea of time traveling amongst targeted audience, most likely young adults and teenagers. The idea of fantasy was also fused with reality, a common conflict in every person’s life. The computer editing provided the fantastic magic, wizardry and images of goblins and gods. And yet the setting traveled back to the 21^st century and the background was depicted with things that are real to us in present time. The choice of shooting the climax battle in an artificially constructed street setting meant for the film shooting within the film further challenged the internal conflict of fantasy versus reality. In addition to these, numerous cultural elements were also presented as a fusion between the traditional and modern trends. For instance, the music played when Woo-chi was tricking the King was imaged through traditional Korean music instruments but overlaid audio with up-beat and trendy music style from the 21^st century. Another instance was when Woochi and the dog saw how the commercial girls on the streets and girls in the clubs dressed. Again, this invoked a conflict between the traditional and modern perceptions of women and their body. In term of effect, despite the potential discourse within each of these cultural fusion conflicts, they generally served as comedic tools to keep the viewers entertained.

In summary, I think Jeon Woo-chi was an entertaining film to watch. It definitely appealed to the viewers’ senses through conflicting fusions in elements like sound, culture, time and fantasy. However, that was about the extent of this film. The conflict in time took away the flow required in a quality film. To depict conflict of fantasy within reality unfortunately also made numerous and countless scenes appeared to be “too fake”. The exaggeration traded away the finer details. Furthermore, there was little plot neither involved nor developed. The film in general was too superficial and lacked depth in many aspects. I took this film as something for a good laugh and show off the 3D technologies but definitely not a serious or content based movie. 

Jeon Wu Chi---East Asian superhero

Unlike the other blockbusters we have watched in this semester, Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard based its story on traditional folktale and departs from the theme of reunification. It's generally a fun movie to watch, the trio Taoist Wizards and Woo Chi's dog-turned-man sidekick use exaggerated facial expression and ridiculous acts for comic effect. However I found it hard to keep track of the plot in the first 45 minutes, the setting is chaotic and the conversations happen way too fast to follow. Most of the time I was just staring at the subtitles and tried to figure out what's going on. I was a little bit overwhelmed and completely zoomed out during the the part when Woo Chi was framed by the three Taoist gods into the scroll. But luckily, I was able to make it through the rest of film regardlessly. Perhaps, it's due to the simple story and conventional settings of the characters. Especially the character Woo Chi, reminds me a lot of the protagonist Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Sun Wukong is a monkey who acquires supernatural power through Taoist practices, and he also has a master who he protects in their way to pilgrimage. He has plenty of strength, like transforming into different animals and people, using his hair to make colones of himself, and his weapon is a golden cudgel that can change its seize just like the one Woo Chi has. For me, Woo Chi brings nostalgia and makes me feel like he is actually the Sun Wukong, who is just transformed into a South Korean Taoist magician. What I found interesting is the fact that the goblins are actually not that bad, they do not tend to destroy the city and the motivation of their evil deeds are not fully explained in the story. They're just bad villans. And they're portrayed as half human half animal, which also shares similarity with the Chinese fictionized novel I talked about earlier. However, the three gods are extremely stupid and useless, they are the one who messed up everything. The protagonist Woo-chi is rather a anti-superhero since what he really cares is building his own fame and flirting with the beautiful widow. Another thing to mention, this film was released in 2009 Christmas after Avatar. Although it was categorized as a blockbuster in South Korea, it only accounted for one-fifth of the budget of Avatar. Nevertheless, Woo Chi did not lose the battle with Avatar. So what drew Korean audience to the cinema? I think in this movie, the casts really do a good job in making their rather simple characters fun and dynamics. I am so used to Kang Dong-won being melancholy,so it's nice to see him goofying around.

Jeon Woochi: The Easy Transition from Past to Present

Joen Woo-chi was a film that was relatively easy to digest, and I found it to be quite entertaining although there were some minor aspects of the plot that I was still unclear of when the film ended. This uncertainty was probably due to a cultural barrier. Aspects related to the story’s mythology, like the gods’ roles in the film and why they could see a cat on the woman’s shoulder for example are parts of the film I did not clearly understand. If I had had a background in Korean mythology and Daoism when watching Jeon Woo-chi, this film might have been easier to follow.

In the reading for this week, Kim states, “The multiple traditional spaces that Jeon Woo-chi engenders – the Kyongbok Palace; the phallus-shaped mountains of traditional landscape paintings, with white rings of clouds just below their peaks; and the dimly lit sarangbang (guesthouse usually occupied by men) chambers where demons hide under the skins of yangban aristocrats – all morph into hyper-urban forests composed of thin, glass-surfaced buildings, mental institutions, Catholic churches, and sets for movies and fashion photo shoots, which are all common sights in contemporary Seoul” (211). This is an interesting quote to reflect on as the film definitely brings about a juxtaposition-ing between the two Korean worlds and times: traditional and contemporary. It’s always interesting to watch a film where a character from the past travels to the present because we always get to see the part in the movie where that character is either shocked, confused or in awe of the changes that have occurred in society since his own time period.  For some reason, this film did not show the characters from the past to be that shocked of Korea’s present day society. Although Woo-chi and his side-kick were certainly surprised of some aspects of the modern-day world, they easily accepted the new technologies and culture. Does this then say something about the film’s aim in connecting the past to the present in a smooth, agreeable and uncomplicated way? Why did it choose to do so in that way instead of having a character shocked and critical of what the world may have become today compared to the “good old days” of the nostalgic past?

Jeon Woochi

The film, ‘Jeon Woochi: the Taoist wizard’ was filmed by Choi Donghoon in 2009. The genre of the film was the fantasy, the ancient Taoist wizards trying to find and get the flute of the prophecy. “Hollywood has successfully specialized and congealed the fantasies of its mass audiences by visualizing innumerable iconographies that range from remote Western landscapes, small provincial towns in horror films, glossy war scenes of rural Vietnam, and decayed urban skyscrapers that are repetitively destroyed in many disaster and superhero films” (pg. 201, Kim KyungHyun). If I just look at the storylines of the film (without taking any notes), I would say this film mostly target elementary students. However, even though the story line of the film is kind of child-ish, some parts include the satires the political issues. For example, when Chorangyi found the bag with the moneys, there was a picture of the politicians. There are many hidden moneys in politician-world that citizens never know. The bags with the money and the picture of the politicians together refer that someone threat with the pictures to receive money.

In this film, audience can see that there are many 3-D technology and computer graphic technologies were used. “Modern films in Korea largely depend on glossy images generated by 3-D technology, computer graphics that place human characters somewhere between live-action and animation, and visuals and narratives reminiscent of video games” (Pg. 202, Kim KyungHyun). Jeon woochi just walk in to the pictures or wall to move back to the past or present. Also, when Jeon Woochi face with Hwadam, audience could see that there are many of Jeon Woochi-s at one place, which was used by computer graphic. The fires on the fan that Hwadam holds also filmed by the computer graphics. However, sometimes the computer graphics confuse the audience… Whenever Jeon Woochi moves back to the 500 years ago (Joseon) and come back to the present (2009) confused me the most during the movie.