And sometimes, that’s enough to keep you engaged and watching, even if the film itself could have been lighter-handed. The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion is a film leaning on its excitement and its thrills. The villain gives a speech, the hero does her thing, and then all of a sudden, the film ends in a quiet stillness after a major flurry of plot and 30 minutes of high-intensity fighting.

And in a matter of minutes, you go from knowing nothing to knowing everything. You aren’t necessarily ready for the big reveals or the dozens of deaths that follow. Park’s thriller flips on a dime it’s the movie’s best quality and biggest downfall. It’s fiction, yes, but in this specific time in the world, it’s hard not to relate nearly everything you see with some aspect of the world around you and those you love, or even those you barely know. Though the themes are a bit worn, the idea of children losing their innocence and being raised with and through violence has an eerie, slightly reaching similarity to those growing up in places and situations where violence is on every corner. this weekend, likely giving it a much wider platform outside of its original theatrical release. The film came out two years ago in South Korea but just hit Netflix in the U.S. The action is riveting, and if the plot doesn’t reel you in, the action gives any viewer a good reason to keep watching, though you’ll have to stomach large quantities of blood and bullets. The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion brings together elements of young adult novels and stories of the last 20 years, along with the fast-paced action of large scale set pieces, like the ones seen in the James Bond franchise. Park’s film hedges on the vengeance of this girl, and her anger over her upbringing, one as a lab subject of sorts. None of that matters, though, as the entire first hour sets up the twists and turn of the back half of the film, in which the audience learns everything about Ja-yoon’s past, her present, and her plan for the future. Due to money problems, she decides to try out and advances in a national singing/talent competition. Kim Da-mi plays Ja-yoon, a girl who grew up with simple parents on a simple farm. The Subversion opens up with a young girl running for her life, only for it to immediately fast-forward 10 years into the future. Following a teenage girl’s interaction with a group of people from her past, Park’s film remains taut and tense during its 125-minute runtime.

Korean writer-director Hoon-jung Park is counting on that fact with his 2018 film The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion, likely a more confusing title due to the translation into English. There’s nothing like a good revenge thriller. The Subversion uses incredible action sequences, gorgeous visuals, and enough twists to keep you entertained, despite the jam-packed plot.

Witch part 1 the subversion