You can still catch the South Korean blockbuster 'Emergency Declaration' in Russian theaters. Why this film is made for the big screen, and how the director juggles genres in it - in our review.

'Emergency Declaration' is an absolute hit in its home country and the highest-grossing blockbuster of 2022. A film about a virus in the post-pandemic era, it almost became a victim itself. Filming began back in 2019. Then 2020 hit, and production was periodically halted. Finally, in 2022, it reached audiences.

The film opens with a scene at an airport, where a young father (South Korean and Hollywood action star Lee Byung-hun) and his daughter board a flight to Hawaii. The girl has dermatitis, and the clean air on the islands will help her recover faster.

Also boarding the same plane are a strange young man (ZE:A k-pop group member Im Si-wan), who had previously been inquiring about flights with the maximum number of passengers, and the wife of the local police chief (star of 'Parasite' Song Kang-ho). Already in flight, it becomes clear that the seemingly charming youth is a terrorist who has brought a dangerous virus onto the plane, one he cultivated himself in a secret biolab. In the confined space of the Boeing, the virus spreads too quickly, and nearby airports are in no hurry to allow the infected plane to land on their territory.

'Emergency Declaration' by young director Han Jae-rim was quite warmly received at Cannes, where the film was screened out of competition. And it's easy to see why: the director managed to weave such an engaging, cohesive genre tapestry from plot fragments that it's almost impossible to look away from the screen for the entire runtime (which, by the way, is over two hours). At the same time, the director introduced no miracles of inventiveness into the already well-worn theme of dangerous flights, but instead placed the personal stories of all the characters at the center, tempering the tension with dramatic tones and a social message.

The director's cinephile roots are quite clear and recognizable: only the lazy haven't compared Han Jae-rim's film to 'Train to Busan' or 'Snakes on a Plane'. But here it's truly hard to resist parallels: a young father with his daughter, the danger of a confined space for all passengers, fear of the unknown, human virtue and selfishness, a critical shortage of time, self-sacrifice, the political system, and the rampant bureaucracy of the authorities.

The difference, perhaps, is only that 'Emergency Declaration' is mainstream cinema, yet it retains the spirit of classic South Korean filmmaking. From 'I Saw the Devil' to 'Oldboy' and 'Parasite'. The tense action scenes here resonate with tragic dialogues and operatic suffering, while the passengers' desperate attempts to maintain their humanity and make it to the promised land are interspersed with the monotony of a detective investigation in the spirit of 'Memories of Murder'. The only thing missing here is wit and irony. That signature confident audacity that unites most films from South Korea (which is, in fact, why we love them).

The director relies too heavily on his own knowledge of human nature and once again treads ground he has already covered a few minutes earlier, deceiving with a phantom plot twist, but in reality only stretching the runtime, maniacally squeezing every last emotion out of the viewer.

There is no hint of any understatement, mystery, or unresolved ending here. Everything is pedantically put in its place a full half hour before the film's conclusion. In the endings of such films, everything can be decided by a bold experiment, fearlessness, risk. But Han Jae-rim decisively dismissed all of the above, preferring a cozy, sentimental, and tearful catharsis, stretched out for another 20 minutes or so. These rough edges slightly mar the impression of what is seen.

Despite this, 'Emergency Declaration' is quite a powerful crowd-pleaser, with strong visuals, well-honed dynamics, excellent cinematography, and masterfully crafted suspense. It has everything you need to leave the cinema slightly stunned, but quite satisfied with the viewing.