Battleship Island no spoilers.

Review	Culture	Last Scene

IMDb

Scored 7.1/10 and normally I don't pay to watch anything lower than eight, but I'm glad I did. The movie takes place during the Japanese colonial era right before the Hiroshima bomb. It was interesting to see the war through the eyes of those on the other end. This movie wasn't about the war against the US, but the internal war between Japan and Korea.

My favorite actor was in it too.

Joong-Ki Song was in a recent Korean Drama I watched and although he would be playing a similar role, a soldier, he wasn't the star. Su-an Kim, an adorable 12-year-old and the actor that played her father were the real star. Similar to the movie, Life is Beautiful is the role these two actors reminded me of. This young actress has done one other movie I am really tempted to watch, but it's a horror movie and that isn't my cup tea.

The movie overall was really well done. The graphics weren't the best, but the storyline, plot twist, and overall acting were excellent. I think it was worth the $5 to rent on YouTube.

Culture

I've seen a few International dramas and the culture difference even in movie making always surprises me. For example, Brazilian dramas or any for that matter are obviously SUPER dramatic. They all playoff similar themes when it comes to love, the Cinderella story, and overcoming challenges. One difference in Asian culture is there reservation or selectiveness in showing emotion.

The movie I just watched they capture the women and make them prostitutes, but we don't see much of the violence forced against them. It's implied strongly but shown visually like we see in American and Brazilian movies/Dramas. Torture, fighting scenes, and overall gore are less too. Maybe it was just this movie. However, I don't see it often in various others I've watched.

Respect is so adamant as is division. Betrayal is almost expected in these movies. Greed, power, and control is the driving force often in the name of revenge. However, even when the truth is relieved fear and loyalty is swayed. I was shocked to see how often they betrayed their own people. Not sure if this is a cultural norm, but watching the movie made me understand more the North and South division.

The last scene

I love how selective they are when showing emotion. They build it up throughout the entire movie and the little affection is shown leaves everyone watching wanting more. With that said, the last scene didn't do that for me. I think American or Brazilian actors do a better job of showing certain emotions and I don't think that scene had the impact they hoped for.

Since watching this movie, some others have made my list. Uncontrollably Fond being one that came with a lot of hype, but the main character and I didn't see eye to eye. I didn't find his acting believable. His square face was really distracting too. Sometimes when he is anger one eye opens wider than the other and his jawline thickens. Might just be me on that one. After the first eight episode, I was bored with the storyline and didn't care for the other stories. I did love the main actress, she is from Dream high. Huge fan of her.

Have you seen any international movies lately that shifted your perception?