Real (2017) User Reviews

Had potential, but lacking in many ways

[lilseena · 4/10 · 14 February 2018]

I just watched the movie Real and I can only give it 4 stars.. For me the movie was confusing. I understand that they want to bring complexity and create space for people having their own interpretation. But for that to happen there need to be enough elements to form a decent plotline. For me the narrative was so little and it focused too much on the aesthetics. Although it was pleasant to watch and I liked the color schemes, It simply is not enough if the story is lacking.

Besides all the negative aspects Kim Soohyun's acting was really refreshing. It was nice to see him take on two roles for this movie. Both were very distinctive and it was a pleasure to see him in different roles than I've seen him before. I always appreciate actors/actresses who show how versatile they can be.

Despite the positive points like acting, visuals and music these will not save the movie if the story is lacking.

Real Review: Really disappointed and wanted it to be over as soon as possible!

[Achyut_Prashast_Singh · 4/10 · 17 January 2018]

Movie: Real (18): Action - Korean

Positives:

• The lead actor Kim Soo-hyun is good in his performance and impresses at times.
• The production values are praiseworthy, especially towards the end.
• The action scenes are well shot and executed.
• The concept nevertheless is intriguing despite the execution.

Negatives:

• The screenplay is engaging in the first 30 minutes, but things start to go out of hand as it starts to get convoluted
• In my opinion, predictability is not something that is bad. In case of REAL, the predictability of a few basic things is what makes one feel less excited to know what's going to happen further.
• The editing is disastrous, as there are plenty of scenes which could've been easily done away with. Right after the first half was over, I just wanted the film to be over as soon as possible.
• The action is good, but the placement is another major disappointment, as it's not placed when you need, except in the climax.

Repeat value: No

REAL is amongst the list of South Korean films which have disappointed me. And it's sad for action movie lover like me to have an action film in that list.

Not the best, but definitely not the worst film in Korea's history

[Ana_mCai · 6/10 · 24 January 2018]

The plot is confusing and a mess however, every single action sequence in this movie is fast-paced, fluid, intense, and beautifully shot. It kind of has a John Wick-esque to it. It is visually stunning. But the one who carries the film is definitely the main character, actor Kim Soo Hyun. His performance is nuanced enough to elevate the film, and he is able to eliminate the image of an innocent good guy from his previous works such as My Love from Another Star. Kim Soo Hyun does not deserve the critique he gets, he should instead be applauded for his performance.

Great story, complex brain game, however lacked artistically.

[nickdavis-80923 · 24 November 2020]

I saw a scene from this movie while surfing on instagram, I was intrigued. Doing research beforehand I was informed what this movie was made of and was excited to see a mpvie where I, the viewer would have to dissect this story and put the pieces together. Watching the movie I was thoroughly impressed by the beautiful design of this futuristic world, and the performances given by this incredibly talented cast. I also appreciated that this film has its own genre and cannot simply classified as Action, Noir, etc. The plot was very interesting and perfect for the psychological roller coaster that this movie went for. However there were things I did not appreciate. Again, I loved dissecting this film and analyzing this plot, however it comes to the point where the director, a young director, was simply making certain aspects complex, for the sake of being complex. Much like a young musican may write highly complex and dazzling compositions to impress a crowd. The movie lacked substance, or that which makes the beautiful art of film thrive. Leaving out certain key bits of information are great for leaving the audience in limbo until it is revealed which will relieve them. However i disagree with the directors choice to hold everything back. Some of the characters have unknown origins or motives, which causes the audience to have a lack of connection to said character. Why havent we addressed clearly who are the rivaling parties? To simply address them briefly in conversation takes away from the effect of the film and added suspense and tension that could have been utilized. Hopefully this young hotshot director will grow and use his talent to write complex, unique stories to write with much more substance.

Not Good Enough

[PennyReviews · 2/10 · 12 September 2019]

So, why two out of ten stars for this movie? Because the performances were really good so I had to give them that.

However, the story was ... hmm ... complicated. It didn't make sense most of the time and when it finally did, it just wasn't worth the two hours plus that were wasted watching it. Some of the mature scenes were, I guess, there to make it more edgy, but, for real, there were just unnecessary. The action scenes were okay and the visuals really nice, but they seemed to focus more on them than the story, which was just thinly spread through this lengthy film.

So, overall, two out of ten.

Wasted Potential

[uasstar · 1/10 · 23 October 2020]

The movie has a brilliant concept to it. It (tried) to portray side effects of using drugs, overdosing, psychological issues, etc. Unfortunately the way it was delivered was horrible. I really do not understand how they never considered editing it after review. The directors and producers failed here. This could have been a hit. The nudity was so unnecessary. Such a waste of talent. I am only giving one star for it's concept. I've watched many movies similar to this movie's genre and 'Real' is the absolute worst. It's definitely not worth your time.

Enough Bad influence to the children from 'dirty' films

[enyuenbao-73799 · 1/10 · 2 June 2021]

Role of Acting in films should not grant anyone every reason to choose anything you want to act...

What you choose to act represent who you really are and what you hope to get...

I am very impressed by the Mr and Mrs efforts of 5 star acting, but I am so disappointed to see you choose to pick the 'dirty' theme, like many other celebrities unwisely fell into...the fallen world of Korea. All your previous films are so popular, do you think it's because of your acting skills which granted you all the supports from audience? It's all the good characters coming out of you in the films.

Wrong choice. I am very sorry to say.

Best wishes,

Watched it since it popped up as a recommendation...

[cheyennesky-22337 · 5/10 · 16 September 2022]

It is my first time watching Kim Soo Hyun (he reminds me a lot of Apo from the KinnPorsche show), I am very impressed with his acting. You could easily tell the characters he played apart by their mannerisms. I understand the story and it is definitely unique but I just wish it would've focused more on the story/plot and less on the mimicking process. It was pretty obvious what the one guy was doing half way through the movie, I feel like the actual story should've started coming together by then. The movie was over 2hrs, I think there was enough time to explain everything "behind IT" but instead the ending was rushed. I have many questions, especially how, who and why?...

The visuals were very nice. Sulli was very pretty. The actors were good, just a very poorly put together story/plot.

Visually beautiful, awfully told.

[giolael · 5/10 · 23 April 2022]

Despite the cinematography is quite amazing, aesthetically-pleasing, catchy, kinda full of fun service, while it winks to Matrix's Neo, clothes and environments, to Polar and to John Wick or to the Pulp-genre, the movie doesn't deliver.

What's the first purpose of a film?

Telling a story, IMHO.

This movie failed completely as i still don't get a heck of the full plot an narrative. Literally, i didn't understand what's happened in the film.

So, if u wanna impress the audience, just by doing splendid frames and images, maybe a videoclip is more suitable.

To me, this film resulted only as a demonstration of technical ability, without a solid story, a smart editing, a clear core. Screenplay and storyboard are definitely too lacking to the point of no return, till the viewer is lost cos he doesn't get the story and the characters, not even in the end obviously. Narratively speaking it is a total mess, confused and bad developed. Also some non-sense planted randomly.

And it almost feels like this confusion and lacking in the storytelling are wanted: wanted to create sophistications, some sort of elegance and unpredictability.

Well, sorry, but no, it doesn't work this way. Trying to be vague, misterious, skipping to different times, with flashbacks, dreams and oneiric moments is not enough to deliver style and refinement.

U gotta have soul in what you are telling, you gotta win the heart of the audience and in order to do so, u gotta let them to identify, to be moved, to empathize with what you are presenting to them.

There can't be empathy, where comprehension can't lean and root.

Not even when your goal is to create something intimate, private or totally open to free interpretations. When u wish that, u still need to give a "key" of understanding for audience to interpret your creation by its own way.

Otherwise, it is just a showoff of cameras, shots and CG.

Not impressed by the acting also: it is okay, not great. Mainly cos the roles lack in deep characterization and motives and... again... it is a failure in the script.

Good soundtrack and sound editing, very bad volume mixing though.

A great pity, it could have been a big deal... it is not.

Real (2017)- Not bad as it was publicized plus Kim Soo-Hyun put good acting show

[Rifat_Sharna · 6/10 · 10 January 2018]

As I've watched this movie, I've got to realize that it's not that bad as it was publicized (like the worst Korean movie-no,it's definitely not that!). Yeah- many indecipherable scenes -even with much nudity are placed here and there and therefore the plot was also felt hella confusing at times! It would be much better if all those scenes were syncronized well & reasons behind every single motion got revealed like a full moon in the sky at last- then it might touch hearts of general audience and might be recognized as an epic movie too! Rather- it focused on good CGI effects,also some erotica- besides- action scenes were well-choreographed and at some point were artistic too. And acting was also good - specially from all-in-all leading hero- "Jang Tae-young" I mean,actor Kim Soo Hyun.Actually I watched this movie as a former fan of his alien character "Do Min Joon" from "My Love from the Star" drama. And like other fans and well-wishers, I was kinda so disappointed reading all those news- he starred in an erotic movie, even invested in it- and ultimately this movie was criticized badly & doomed in the box office, so didn't he leave so bad impression before enlisting to army? (hiatus of 2 years!) But at last -when I got to watch this full-length movie, I can't be neither disappointed nor angry- because it was too obvious that Kim Soo Hyun put extreme effort to portray his duel role- overall his acting was just praise-worthy! His acting wasn't so praised in media-just because general audience didn't get the plot at all and so it was super-flop! Yeah-it's seemed incomprehensible- but if you pay some attention, you can connect duel personality of his character and feel the effect of 'Siesta' on him (that may cause temporary memory-loss and hallucination!) Yet, many relationships & events evolved around him remained unclear till the end- it seemed that-director &writer weren't interested to disclose these things clearly or failed to figure out how to do that! So Kim Soo-Hyun-if not egoistic - must have realized by now that although he put so good acting show & broke his good-boy image- people wouldn't watch it twice or thrice just to get the plot (as he expected and mentioned in an interview!) Also people wouldn't fall for all those 'sex-doll'-like pathetic female bodies merely- even the heroine didn't seem to have any life or self-esteem at all! Whatever-beside all these things- as an experimental noir plus for its artistic value, I think- it deserves a 6/10 rating- and cheers for actor Kim Soo-hyun!

Kim Soo Hyun is a real actor

[jlau-17325 · 10/10 · 4 August 2017]

The story is unique and the filming style is creative. The color, the music and every scene are done with heart and sincerity. You can see passion from the director and the actors in the film. Kim Soo Hyun's acting is perfect in acting 2 roles with multiple personalities. Although 2 characters of him appeared at the same time on the scene, you will not mix up the 2 characters even though they dressed up at the same way. You even cannot in any way relate the character with Kim Soo Hyun, you will accept that this man on the screen is Jang Tae Yeong. Kim Soo Hyun is a very respectful actor. He is very passionate on acting, always challenge himself to the full extent, never perform similar characters in his work and devote himself 100% to every project. Many actors can perform hero role, but other than Kim Soo Hyun, don't think any one else in Korea can perform this complicated role. It is a pity that the movie was not fairly treated in Korea due to political reason. Hoping that Kim Soo Hyun will not be frightened away and continue to challenge himself.

Creatively unique genre. . .way ahead of its time.

[jacellloren · 10/10 · 5 November 2019]

I started looking for this film out of curiosity. A colleague who noticed my preference for crime stories suggested it with disclaimer that they watched it because their fans of the lead actor and not really of the movie. They even warned me that others consider it the worst film. Intrigued, I watched it, and knowing that they'll ask me about it, I watched it like objectively assessing a students' work performance (LOL). After watching the film I read the reviews and ask myself why the reviewer said the things they said. Most, of the negative reviews I have read point out the complexity of the storyline, lack of good editing, non coherence or vagueness of the script, and boring action scenes. My take on this, is maybe because it is something of a hybrid genre. Any reviewers who was made to believe that the film is under action, would definitely be bored by the theatrical movement of the action scene, the same manner that a reviewer expecting a noir film would find the dance fight out of place (which, by the way, one of my favourite scene). I believe that, if you watch it without thinking under which category it is supposed to be, you will most likely enjoy it. It definitely can not be boxed in as a crime story, or else it will fall short of the suspense required for it. Although it is not my typical crime buster film, I was surprised that I do not feel bad nor consider it worst. I was actually mesmerised by how it is a little bit of several types of genre. I am not surprised though that most, if not all of the reviews I have read, have nothing but praises and positive things to say to the main lead actor Kim Soo Hyun. He was brilliant in this film. He is actually the reason why I thought I should re-watch it, and this time make a review about it. A Real actor. I did not watch this because I am a fan, I became a fan after watching Real.

"What a man can be, he must be."

[jlhk-99058 · 10/10 · 7 August 2017]

Impressive! Opening scene using a 007 Bond-like approach, the movie also implemented an extraordinary graphic and music arrangement, not to mention the complex story line played by the excellent cast. Kim Soo Hyun, the leading actor was interpreting 2 characters with multiple personalities. The most significant aspect was that how truly an actor's face expressions convey the complex human emotions of his role, his dialogue delivery was also a highlight of this movie, he changed his accent, body language & mannerisms in accordance to the demand of role. Due to the length of this movie, many thing left unclear, after watching this, audiences most likely want to talk at length about the story and may even find themselves wanting to go back for a second round of excitements. REAL is one of a kind, highly recommended.

Cinema on a whole new level

[byzantineiconoclast · 9/10 · 8 November 2020]

This is one of the (rare) occasions in which I don't agree with IMDb ratings. This movie should have been rated much-much higher. This is why I decided to write a review about it- not a common thing for me. It's one of these movies that you either love or hate, but I think that everyone who has seen it, must agree that aesthetically it reaches perfection. Ultra high tech, sleek, perfectly shot, kind of futuristic environments, with each scene being so beautifully framed, it's almost surreal. At certain points I just wished I could jump right into the screen and into the movie, because what I saw, was where I would like to spend the rest of my life! The story is not confusing, if you pay attention to it, which I admit, is a hard thing to do, when your attention is always drawn to the gorgeous imagery. I think most people who didn't like the film, blame the lack of significant action, but I do not consider this to be an action film per se..It is a cerebral film, a riddle within a riddle, a dive into the subconscious. Soo-hyun Kim delivers an amazing performance, I cannot praise him enough. The rest of the cast do their roles justice as well, Sung-min Lee in particular, is especially sinister. All in all, the Koreans never seize to amaze me, they have raised the bar of film making so high, I doubt that any other country will surpass them in the near future. I've been watching Korean movies for years, and these guys shine brightly, while the others fade into oblivion... Hollywood? Please...Hollywood has been dead and buried for years now. All Hollywood does these days, is recycle the same scenarios, wrapped with the current (politically correct) trends each time, or make action hero movies for adolescents. They have stopped creating Art sometime in the '80s... If you are looking for a mystery film wrapped in futuristic led light, with amazing performances, then this is the film for you. If, on the other hand, what you seek is non stop action, then you might want to challenge yourself with this movie- it's worth the watch. Just keep an open mind (and eyes) and experience it...

Lots of passion and dedication from Kim Soo Hyun

[superert-55999 · 8/10 · 25 October 2020]

Interesting plot and storyline. It's a challenge to play two roles in one person and Kim Soo Hyun had showed his confidence, passion and dedication in achieving the great performance especially in differentiate the extreme characters between the two roles, which was very convincing; and of course his professional in those sexy moments. The scene shooting was awesome, though the final gangsters gun shooting scene could be more creative, in order to build up the final part in more artistic way which make the ending echo.

Kim soo hyun's acting covered the lackings

[miftashreya · 10/10 · 14 December 2020]

Movie's story line is complicated and tough. But kim soo hyun greatly acted two different role in this movie which was impressive! I become a fan after watching this.. But the movie is lacking in many ways. So if you want to watch Kim Soo Hyun's different side as a fan you can watch it. Not bad though!

Jaja

[kiyeyeptho · 9/10 · 21 June 2021]

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