On September 28, RWV releases the South Korean sci-fi blockbuster 'The Moon' in theaters. The film was produced by the famous studio CJ, which gave the world Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasites'. Whether to expect a new Asian hit — find out from our article.

In 2023, space somehow especially beckons filmmakers from around the world. They sent there both a Latin American farmer and now a k-pop star marine from South Korea in the film 'The Moon' (Deo mun). And, perhaps, in the latter case, it turned out to be most engaging for those who seek spectacle in such projects rather than plausibility.

Nadezhda Vasilyeva

In Space, But Not About Space. Review of 'The Challenge' — The Main Russian Film of 2023

The most anticipated and loudest premiere of Russian film production — the film 'The Challenge' — has hit the screens. The first film shot aboard the ISS, with real cosmonauts and in zero gravity. M

Open material

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream

In 2029, South Korea sends three astronauts to the Moon, including marine Hwang Seon-woo (Do Kyung-soo from the boy band EXO), whose father previously participated in a similar mission that ended in failure.

Due to a solar flare, a disaster occurs, and only this marine survives, with no experience in spacecraft control or other critically important skills for survival in space. And then, scream or not, he'll have to muster all available inner resources. Meanwhile, all forces are thrown into saving the guy, even pulling the founder of the program and former flight director Kim Jae-guk (Sol Kyung-gu) out of obscurity, who worked with Hwang Seon-woo's father.

Bring Him Home

Obviously, among the closest references for the film were 'Gravity', 'The Martian', and 'Ad Astra', which also told stories of human survival in lifeless space. The creators do not hide this and almost make their hero grow potatoes. Otherwise, the project is based on the same three pillars — colorful space vistas, a tense plot unfolding between heaven and earth, and human drama (here, not so much about survival as about father-son issues, which are understandable both on Earth and beyond).

The creators, led by director Kim Yong-hwa (still the 'Along with the Gods' dilogy), placed special emphasis on drama. For this, additional storylines were introduced — Kim Jae-guk's dreams of conquering the Moon, coupled with difficult and ambiguous decisions, as well as his relationship with his ex-wife, who now holds a leading position at NASA rather than working for the benefit of her native Korea.

Due to this overload of drama, the film gets an overly drawn-out and tearful ending (which, generally speaking, fans of Korean cinema are always prepared for). But to be fair, it must be admitted that overall the balance between epic action and personal tragedies is maintained decently.

Although sometimes logic leaves the chat in dynamic episodes, one cannot help but note the ingenuity with which the filmmakers approached the matter. Where else will you see a person flying over the lunar surface on a drone? Or an astronaut naturally running from a meteor shower?!

Is It Worth Watching 'The Moon'?

A fact hard to argue with — Americans have lost their almost exclusive right to space, both in real life (hello, 'Chandrayaan-3'!) and in cinema. More and more vivid examples of science fiction films are emerging, shot far beyond Hollywood and made with maximum quality and spectacle. 'The Moon' is proof of that. And it is one of the best options for viewing on the big screen this fall.

Trailer:

'The Moon' in all cinemas from September 28.