‘Alienoid’: Review

Dir: Choi Dong-hoon. South Korea. 2022. 142 mins.

Aliens, robots, Taoist magicians, and time-traveling defenders of the future are participants in an era-hopping battle in Alienoid, a genre-splicing saga which is actually the first of two films that were shot simultaneously (the literal translation of the Korean title is Alien+Human Part 1). It’s a production method that is usually reserved for can’t-miss sequels or adaptations of widely recognised properties, so writer-director Choi Dong-hoon presumably put together an absolutely dazzling pitch presentation to secure funding for this self-generated mash-up of science fiction and historical fantasy. Sadly, the realisation isn’t up to scratch. Hamstrung by lumbering plotting and variable special effects, this first part is an unimaginative hodgepodge which leaves its well-assembled cast stranded across time and space.

Taken separately, the historical strand has the edge due to a lighter tone

On its domestic theatrical release in July, this first instalment held its own against Hollywood blockbusters Minions: The Rise Of Gru and Thor: Love And Thunder, but has yet to come close to recouping the reported $25 million production outlay. Still, South Korean genre fare remains popular globally, so strong international sales will be required to get this ambitious endeavour into the black. Well Go USA will release Alienoid in US theatres on August 26, where it will appeal to fans of Asian action or fantasy cinema, although those tired of multi-film storytelling may sit this one out.

The premise is that aliens have been imprisoning law-breaking members of their kind in human brains for centuries. This intergalactic incarceration is monitored by Guard (Kim Woo-bin), a robot who eliminates any prisoners who manage to break out. Guard lives among humans in present-day Seoul and even has a ‘daughter’ (Choi Yu-ri), having adopted the baby of a host who died during an escape attempt. Now the perceptive ten-year-old has deduced that her ‘father’ is not a regular single dad, finding out the truth after following him to the hospital where he is meant to complete his latest mission.

Contemporary events eventually collide with matters in the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), where a tantalising reward has been offered for the retrieval of a divine blade. This spurs a rivalry between amateur magician Muruk (Ryu Jun-yeol) and Ean (Kim Tae-ri), known as ”The Girl Who Shoots Thunder” since she wields a rather anachronistic weapon. Other contenders are Madam Black (Yum Jung-ah) and Mr. Blue (Jo Woo-jin) — who profess to be great sorcerers but could just be crafty opportunists — and mysterious temple head Jajang (Kim Eui-sung).

Despite specialising in twist-filled genre fare with multiple protagonists — Tazza: The High Rollers (2006), The Thieves (2012), Assassination (2015) — Choi strains to pull everything together here, which makes Alienoid feel crushingly bloated. It doesn’t help that the contemporary strand is derivative of various sci-fi favourites from Back To The Future (1985) to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) to Independence Day (1996), with all the box-ticking failing to inspire the necessary sense of awe. For instance, a sequence in which a spaceship materialises over Seoul — or a car chase through the city which culminates in a district being filled with potentially hazardous red mist — offers nothing new as cinematic visions of humanity under threat. And the trope of the robot who develops a soul is also handled in rote fashion, with the role proving an odd comeback choice for Kim Woo-bin, who has been absent from the screen since Master (2016).

Taken separately, the historical strand has the edge due to a lighter tone, which allows bursts of knockabout humour, while the destruction of traditional surroundings by the tentacled aliens is effectively rendered. It’s also where cast members are able to establish some characterisation amid the convoluted narrative. Ryu is in charming form as the magician who supplements martial-arts prowess with the ability to conjure up feline sidekicks out of a fan, while Jo and Yum verge on the theatrical but are nonetheless an engaging double act. Best known internationally for Park Chan-wook’s psychological thriller The Handmaiden (2016), Kim Tae-ri is mostly tasked with being feistily determined but exudes real screen presence and gamely throws herself into the sparring. The pursuit of the mystical MacGuffin soon gets repetitive, though, with complications padding out the extended running time rather than raising the stakes.

Although it’s a technically proficient production, Alienoid lacks the visual flair of the best South Korean genre films or television exports. This is particularly disappointing given that Choi has already put a snazzy stamp on the caper movie (The Thieves) and the espionage thriller (Assassination). Things may improve with the second instalment now that the exposition is out of the way, but it’s hard to imagine many takers when the first ends with a cliffhanger that raises little more than a shrug.