Brief Story Line
In the North of Joseon, lived the Jurchens people from Manchurian who were vicious soldiers. As Joseon's government were weary of this threat, they enlisted the help from some Jurchens who have been living in Joseon country and referred to as Northern Seongjeoyain tribe. Their leader Ta Hab (Kim Roi-ha - Memories of Murder etc) was assigned by Joseon's official Min Chi-rok (Park Byung-Eun - Assassination etc) to spy on the Jurchens of Pajeowi. Despite the protest from her young daughter Ashin (Kim Shi-ah), Ta Hab convinced her it was for the good of their people.
Growing up, Ashin (Jun Ji-hyun - My Sassy Girl, Legend of the Blue Sea TV series etc) had to endure lots of pain and became expert in archery while at the same time also help in spying the Jurchens. Until one day she discovered something that made her realize things were not as it seemed and she decided to take action.
So what would happen to Ashin? Find them all in this special episode of Kingdom series.
End of Brief Story Line
I have become quite a fan of Kingdom series ever since I was introduced with the series by my wife. And at the end of the 2nd season, there was a surprise brief appearance of the unknown character, who became clear after watching this special episode. So this episode was said to be a sidequel (spin-off) of the series where it focused solely on the backstory of the character Ashin and how it connects with the stories in the series. I myself would think it is more like a prequel since the setting was before events in the series.
Before watching this episode, I was expecting it to be having nonstop actions filled with suspense throughout. However it turned out to be less action that I had hoped for. It started off with so many narrative which honestly I got a headache reading them as it seemed to be telling too much that I don't get. As the story progressed though, I started to understand better. After quite a while, there was some intense action involving a tiger, but not until the final third of the movie that it showed the things I wanted to see. And it was truly satisfying watching it. Got to say Jun Ji-hyun really kicked ass. She really portrait the character perfectly with her fierce look and cold expression from the hardship. She definitely nailed it.
In this episode, I quite like the character of Ta-Hab, Ashin's father. Kim Roi-ha was convincing as the wise, patient old man who wanted to do right for his people. With his warm smile when looking at Ashin, he looked like her real father. The other character that got quite long screen time was Chi-rok who first time appeared in second season. So it was nice to see how his character tie in with the series. And I also like Kim Shi-ah who portrayed the young Ashin and somehow resembled her adult self. I thought her acting was quite natural.
I liked how the producers thought of doing this special episode. As far as origin story goes, this one was quite complete as it showed Ashin's character from childhood until she became the adult woman we will undoubtedly see more in the 3rd season. I personally liked the intensity shown in the final third, and also the background story, although I would have loved it even more if the action was from the start. Afterall, the poster did mention a bloodthirsty 92 minutes. Btw, this special episode felt very dark, and at one point quite emotional. Just like the series, it has got good make up effects and there was even some great effects of the animals. I think the camera angle during those scenes were greatly taken.
So if you love Kingdom and have been watching the series, obviously this one is a must to watch. It still has the attributes that we liked in the series, even a bit of politic as well, although the history side might become a bit complicated for non Korean like me. Overall I was happy to watch this movie and cannot wait to see more of Kingdom soon.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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