Film Review – I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK
Title: I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK
Director: Park Chan-Wook
Year: 2006
Genre: Comedy
Format Reviewed: Blu-ray
Ahh, Park Chan-wook. One of my three favorite directors from Korea. The other two being Kim Ki-duk and the upcoming Joon-ho Bong. You probably already know the stuff he’s done, so I’ll skip over his history. He’s never let me down; every film has been superb, as far back as J.S.A. But how does he hold up in comedy, a very different direction from his past? Very well.
Actually the comedy in his other “violent” movies is a little more clever than I’m A Cyborg. Maybe their punchlines are just more unexpected, but Cyborg is different in that is has a sense of humor more akin to other Korean comedies. I would classify I’m A Cyborg’s humor as intelligent silliness. It’s not quite slap-stick, though a lot of it is very oddball in a childish way. This fits the setting, as the entire movie takes place in (or very nearby) an insane asylum. Rolling around on the floor and hiding in a clock mantle provide up-front gags, but the real laughs are in word puns (at least in the English subs) and in small comments and imitations of the characters.
The cast mostly consists of your destined-to-be-paired two inmates. One of which has come to the conclusion that she must be a cyborg. The guy, who is acted by the apparently famous singer Rain, has a special power that he can transfer other inmates quirks and abilities to himself, in effect stealing their problems. So, in order to relieve the cyborg of her human elements (like sympathy) which is holding her back from her goals, the thief will steal them away. The supporting actors probably come out with the best gags, while the main characters move ahead the story, which is probably a good way to divide these elements up in a comedy.
Along the way, there are many silly or childish plot turns; ideas that you kind of just have to go along with. This is no problem, though. I mean, going into a Korean comedy you generally have to just forget about your age and laugh at everything shoved in your face. There are several visual sequences which really elaborate on the inner thoughts or ambitions of our femme cyborg. They keep the same tone of the rest of the film, though I felt that they bring you out of the movie a little too much. Still… finger cannons are pretty sweet. The last scene where the thief has to teach the cyborg how to eat rice is absolutely hillarious. The entire movie is worth watching for this one scene.
While I wouldn’t beg Park Chan-wook to make another comedy (more so because his serious stuff is so good), the movie is good and definitely worth watching. Fans of his won’t necessarily like the movie just for good directing. Although it is done well, you should decide to watch this based on whether you like Korean humor in general. If you don’t know, here’s a great place to start.
Rating – 4 /5
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