Jung_E

Best known for his acclaimed work on zombie thriller blockbuster Train to Busan and supernatural horror series Hellbound, South Korean auteur Yeon Sang-ho ...

[Ex Machina](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-15890-319616), Blade Runner and [Westworld](https://www.nme.com/tag/westworld) without adding anything new to the A.I. While the movie could be rightfully criticised for its surface-level exploration of the socio-political issues surrounding its civil war, or for its brief lip-service to the ethical and philosophical dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence, it’s clear that JUNG_E is more interested in the emotional than the cerebral. Likewise, the interactions between Seo-hyun and Jung-e’s android clone are the film’s powerful beating heart, playing out like a high-tech, high-stakes chamber drama. Interestingly, the scientist in charge of the operation is Jung-e’s stoic daughter, Seo-hyun ( While JUNG_E presents plenty of detailed exposition and backstory to humanity’s war-torn, extraterrestrial society, the plot itself is extremely streamlined, contained almost entirely within the A.I. [Hellbound](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/hellbound-review-yoo-ah-in-yeon-sang-ho-netflix-k-drama-3098367), South Korean auteur Yeon Sang-ho has proven adept at grounding dark post-apocalyptic scenarios with just the right balance of emotion, suspense, comedy and action.

Way too much of Jung_E is content to discuss its themes instead of merely embedding them in an interesting story.

After an opening sequence that sets the table for Jung_E’s fighting ability, Yeon settles into scene after scene of Sang-Hoon and Seohyun discussing how the project is going and how to fix it. Leading the project is an expert named Seohyun (the sadly deceased Kang Soo-yeon, to whom the film is dedicated), who happens to be the daughter of Yun, who has been in a coma for 35 years. Romero](/cast-and-crew/george-a-romero), “Jung_E,” now on Netflix, is the filmmaker’s stab at “The Terminator,” “ [Blade Runner](/reviews/blade-runner-1982-1)” and sci-fi action flicks with deep philosophical underpinnings about what it means to be human.

JUNG_E has arrived on Netflix and the sci-fi movie delivers an emotional finale, so let's delve into it to explain its reveals.

However, in their final goodbye, JUNG_E rubs its face against Seo-hyun like her mother used to do, meaning JUNG_E still has memories of its past life. She works out that the reason JUNG_E keeps failing is that Jung-yi's brain is thinking about her daughter's surgery and getting distracted. JUNG_E fails the test again, but this time, it's faking being 'dead' and attempts to escape the facility. Seo-hyun is told by to shut down the combat AI program and switch to housekeeper or service AIs. Seo-hyun might be working on the project, but feels guilty that her mother's cloned brain is in this endless cycle of war. Unfortunately, Seo-hyun discovers that the cancer has returned and is now terminal.

Who is Kang Soo-yeon? The Netflix sci-fi thriller Jung_E is dedicated to her in loving memory, but how is she connected to the film?

For those unaware, Soo-yeon is the talented actress who plays Yun Seo-hyun in the movie. Her character, Yun Seo-hyun, is in charge of creating the perfect combat warrior by replicating her mother’s brain. At the end of the movie, a placard appears honoring the memory of Kang Soo-yeon.

Jung_E is Netflix's latest Korean film with a dystopian premise where humans are at war. With the Allied Forces and the Adrian Republic constantly at war, ...

It also makes the other characters’ arcs uninteresting as we would rather watch the AI of Captain Yun and cheer for her. It’s like the writers want us to root for her and Kim Hyun-joo does a remarkable job of portraying such a complex character despite her limited screen time. The production is futuristic with a hint of nostalgia from old school stand fans to sky trains with 21st-century interiors hinting at the human race’s want to win the war and go back to the old days.

2194. Earth is now uninhabitable, with most of mankind now living in city-sized colonies in space. Unfortunately, a war has broken out between these ...

Artificial intelligence, climate change and humanity’s unbreakable habit of starting wars are just a few of the hot-button topics the film boldly tackles, resulting in an [Elysium](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/elysium-review/)-esque tale that swings for the fences and hits more times than it misses. Instead, JUNG_E mostly unfolds in labs and the metaverse, as terminally ill scientist Seo-hyun (the late South Korean superstar Kang Soo-yeon, in her final role) races against time to resurrect her mother, legendary mercenary Yoon Jung-e, in the form of a combat robot. [Train to Busan](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/train-busan-review/), his 2016 horror that put the “loco” in “locomotive.” Audiences were all aboard that bonkers South Korean zombie adventure, which hurtled towards its destination calling at Sharp Social Commentary and Tender Parent-Child Emotion along the way.

The latest film from Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho, Jung_E, is now streaming, but should you give it a watch? After the one-two punch of Squid Game ...

As the heart & soul of the movie, Kang Soo-yeon brings depth to a mostly thin storyline. Some early reviews of the film have mentioned the production design & VFX as strengths of the film, but I would say they were very inconsistent. However, I feel that they should have done a little more to cultivate that relationship in flashbacks or early scenes before we meet Seohyun as an adult to cement what these repetitive tests are doing to Seohyun’s psyche and why she has such strong motives as the film moves towards its conclusion. I wouldn’t be surprised if many turn off the film in the early going because of his character. He relies on the script & his performances to carry the film more than the spectacle for which he is best known. With this film, he strips a lot of that away in lieu of a toned-down examination of AI & experimentation.