Believer 1 was pretty good, and simpler in terms of scale. Grittier, more mysterious. And most importantly, more tension.
Believer 2 is... all over the place. First, the lead actor is a different actor which was quite jarring for me as I kept wondering where the old actor was.
Second, the build up for Believer 1 was great. It had this Mission Impossible-esque element of needing to cheat your way as the main cop into deceiving a drug dealer, to help you catch everyone higher up on the food chain. There is that sense of "close to boiling point" where the characters are all a knife's edge away from killing each other. Right before they actually flat out go berserk and kill each other.
It's tons of fun, realistic and set designs were also so compelling in the first one. There is a set for tense deals with a drug dealer, a set for a huge ship shootout, a set for a meeting with the mysterious Mr Lee. The first show constantly kept you immersed and was never boring. Characters were always doing something to catch each other, kill each other or deceive each other.
Contrasted against Believer 2, where the characters simply start the show trying to track down Mr Lee. There is no tension, as everyone in the show has the simple objective of slaughtering each other but for little reason.
The new characters introduced are cool in theory but they are missing that motive or incentive to exist in the movie. They are just there to be tough. The action sequences are generally ok except for the car chase scene which has the worst "fake green screen generated effect" I've seen in a A tier action movie.
The new Mr Lee is also, just flat out less scary and compelling compared to the villains of the first movie.
It is not that bad a movie. But it is noticeably less fleshed out story wise, and it reflects in all the character's motivations. The female cop who is assistant to the main cop, honestly does nothing in the show except walk from airport to hospital.
The female new villain is JUST a killer, and not in a good way.
The new Mr Lee is flat out disappointing.
The side characters in the twin mute drug chemists are also used less effectively in the show, where they were entertaining and helped create a glimpse into the main character's story and past.
Instead 2 just INSERTS things to force a backstory into the main character instead of hinting and easing you along into it.
There was talk online about the new actor being a more suitable and expressive actor than the old actor. But frankly I just couldn't see this so-called improvement in acting expression. If anything his appearance makes him seem more bland and faceless as an action hero protagonist.
Korean action cinema is insanely competitive. This does not hold up.
Believer 2 is... all over the place. First, the lead actor is a different actor which was quite jarring for me as I kept wondering where the old actor was.
Second, the build up for Believer 1 was great. It had this Mission Impossible-esque element of needing to cheat your way as the main cop into deceiving a drug dealer, to help you catch everyone higher up on the food chain. There is that sense of "close to boiling point" where the characters are all a knife's edge away from killing each other. Right before they actually flat out go berserk and kill each other.
It's tons of fun, realistic and set designs were also so compelling in the first one. There is a set for tense deals with a drug dealer, a set for a huge ship shootout, a set for a meeting with the mysterious Mr Lee. The first show constantly kept you immersed and was never boring. Characters were always doing something to catch each other, kill each other or deceive each other.
Contrasted against Believer 2, where the characters simply start the show trying to track down Mr Lee. There is no tension, as everyone in the show has the simple objective of slaughtering each other but for little reason.
The new characters introduced are cool in theory but they are missing that motive or incentive to exist in the movie. They are just there to be tough. The action sequences are generally ok except for the car chase scene which has the worst "fake green screen generated effect" I've seen in a A tier action movie.
The new Mr Lee is also, just flat out less scary and compelling compared to the villains of the first movie.
It is not that bad a movie. But it is noticeably less fleshed out story wise, and it reflects in all the character's motivations. The female cop who is assistant to the main cop, honestly does nothing in the show except walk from airport to hospital.
The female new villain is JUST a killer, and not in a good way.
The new Mr Lee is flat out disappointing.
The side characters in the twin mute drug chemists are also used less effectively in the show, where they were entertaining and helped create a glimpse into the main character's story and past.
Instead 2 just INSERTS things to force a backstory into the main character instead of hinting and easing you along into it.
There was talk online about the new actor being a more suitable and expressive actor than the old actor. But frankly I just couldn't see this so-called improvement in acting expression. If anything his appearance makes him seem more bland and faceless as an action hero protagonist.
Korean action cinema is insanely competitive. This does not hold up.