Sinkhole (싱크홀, 2021) – Movie Review (영화 리뷰)
Welcome to the land of Korean cinema.
Before I talk about today’s movie: 2 days
ago I had a chat with Deryk from „Flicks,
Snacks And Knick Knacks” and „Asian Movie
Enthusiast” about underrated Asian comedies.
So of course I chose Korean ones.
If you’re interested in our conversation,
link is in the description, and go visit both
of their channels, ’cause they’re great.
And speaking of comedies, let’s talk about
a movie which really, really surprised me,
the 2021 disaster/comedy, „Sinkhole”.
The movie stars Kim Sung-kyun who starred
in the show „DP” recently; Cha Seung-wonn
who starred in „Night In Paradise”; Lee
Kwang-soo, if you’re a fan of „Running
Man” you know him very well; Kim Hye-jun
from „Kingdom” and the great drama movie
„Another Child”; and Nam Da-reum.
Awesome cast!
Kim Szang-gjun moves into a new apartment
with his family.
He had worked for 11 years to buy the house,
but shortly after they move in, the whole
building disappears in a sinkhole.
The family gets separated and the residents
trapped in the building are trying to survive.
This movie is wow!
Just wow!
Time and time again a blockbuster comes out
that is just supposed to be fun and entertaining
but ends up being so good
the whole project to an artistic level.
A movie like „Train To Busan” is very
much like that, and such is „Sinkhole”.
This is a pretty intense movie, there are
jaw-dropping action sequences where you’re
gonna hold your breath.
I know I did.
It seems like they used quite a bit of practical
effects, and even the CGI is better than usual.
And it all blends together perfectly.
And just the scale and the scope of the disaster
scenes is just mindblowing!
Somehow the movie is able to navigate between
being really tense and exciting, and really
funny at the same time.
Every action scene matters, the stakes are
real, and it’s all presented so well that
you can feel it!
But the situations the characters find themselves
in are just so funny!
It’s not an easy feat, mixing these two
approaches but it works perfectly.
It works because the movie very much focuses
on the characters.
The first act is actually pretty low key,
but it sets up the characters really well.
And throughout the movie characters evolve,
relationships evolve.
And everyone’s really smart and resourceful!
Even though they’re afraid, they make very
logical choices, they all have common sense…
It was so refreshing to see a comedy where
characters felt like actual people!
I have to mention Kim Sung-Kyun and Cha Seung-won
becase both of them were absolutely incredible.
Their characters are vastly different at first
glance, but during the movie both actors display
a huge range.
From the most vulnerable to the bravest, from
the funniest to the most dramatic.
And they have great chemistry together.
But everyone else was great too, not a single
weak performance to be found here.
And despite the movie being really funny,
it also says a lot about how hard it is to
actually own a house or an apartment these
days.
I know that especially in Seoul the prices
are through the roof.
I don’t know about the rest of the world,
but it’s the same where I live, the prices
have gone absolutely crazy.
It’s basically impossible for the common
man to buy a house these days.
You can take out a loan of course, but it’s
really bad business for you.
Anyway, there is some very relevant social
commentary in the movie, and I didn’t find
it to be obnoxious or on the nose at all.
This is something that people from all around
the world can relate to, unfortunately.
Also, the movie never runs out of ideas to
up the excitement.
The third act is absolutely unbelievable,
one of the best sequences I’ve seen in a
long while.
And since the characters are so relatable,
the action is 10 times more intense, because
you care for them you know?
Such a great movie!
„Sinkhole” is a highly entertaining film,
that it is elevated to an artistic level by
the sheer professionalism that is behind it.
From the acting, to the action, the humor,
the drama, it’s all there and it works.
When you grade something I think you have
to look at a product for what it is.
For a disaster comedy, this one’s a masterpiece.
So I’m gonna give „Sinkhole” 95%.
Major, major surprise for me, and I highly
recommend it to anyone.
You’ll have a great time with it!
