Like "Wolf Warrior 2" in China, the commercial success of "The Battleship Island" in Korea can be largely attributed to its extreme patriotism. From a pure critical point of view, "The Battleship Island" is rather mediocre, if not utterly catastrophic.
Admittedly, the film is not a total disaster. There are some brutal and bloody action scenes. But this rare merit is easily overshadowed by more CGI-enhanced (in other words, fake) action sequences. Also, Hwang Jung-min and Kim Su-an perform well in the movie such that the love between their characters, the father Kang-OK and the daughter So-hee, undoubtedly moves the audience. Yet most characters in the movie are flat and one-dimensional, especially Park Moo-young, played by Song Joong-ki.
To make things worse, countless problems lie in the plot, the storytelling and the editing. How did Park arrive at the Battleship Island? Why did Park survive long after being shot and severely wounded? Why were the Japanese completely unaware of the meeting of the Koreans? Why did the Japanese give up after the death of their commanding officer? Why did the Koreans see the explosion of the atomic bomb, which was physically very far away? Why does the movie end suddenly without a fourth act?
Admittedly, the film is not a total disaster. There are some brutal and bloody action scenes. But this rare merit is easily overshadowed by more CGI-enhanced (in other words, fake) action sequences. Also, Hwang Jung-min and Kim Su-an perform well in the movie such that the love between their characters, the father Kang-OK and the daughter So-hee, undoubtedly moves the audience. Yet most characters in the movie are flat and one-dimensional, especially Park Moo-young, played by Song Joong-ki.
To make things worse, countless problems lie in the plot, the storytelling and the editing. How did Park arrive at the Battleship Island? Why did Park survive long after being shot and severely wounded? Why were the Japanese completely unaware of the meeting of the Koreans? Why did the Japanese give up after the death of their commanding officer? Why did the Koreans see the explosion of the atomic bomb, which was physically very far away? Why does the movie end suddenly without a fourth act?