Korean-style superheroine film 'The Witch' wins big

A scene from “The Witch: Part1. The Subversion” / Courtesy of Warners Bros.

By Park Jin-hai

“The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion,” a sci-fi thriller written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, has successfully overcome many “handicaps” of the genre and continues to show a strong presence in the local box office.

Park, best known for his screenplay for the bloody revenge film “I Saw the Devil,” has come out with a rare female-centric superhero movie, a genre which is regarded as favoring male stars both to attract investment and win big in local box office sales.

Worse, the director hired newbie actress Kim Da-mi, who debuts as the lead actress for “The Witch.”

Yet, the director has made it obvious he sees “The Witch” as the first installment in a film franchise, while many previous Korean franchise films had only been made into series only after succeeding in the box office.

The first female-centered heroine franchise movie has been faring better than expected. Thanks to word of mouth, the film has attracted 2.5 million people since premiering June 27, ranking third behind big-name Hollywood blockbusters “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and “Skyscraper” over the weekend.

The film opens with images of wartime human experimentation and begins with an eight-year-old girl escaping from a government facility where a scientist named Dr. Baek is slaughtering genetically engineered children. The girl named Koo Ja-yoon, adopted by an elderly farming couple, doesn't remember her past. At age 18 she participates in a TV talent show to make money for her financially struggling family. After showing her ability to levitate a microphone on the show, Ja-yoon finds herself pursued by Dr. Baek as well as a government agency with its own plans.

In some aspects, the story is hardly original. Viewers might find some traces of such female action flicks as “The Long Kiss Goodnight” or “Nikita,” or female version of the director's male-centered action Renoir films like “New World” or “V.I.P.”

But the interesting point is the title character Koo Ja-yoon. Although it is a female superhero film, the film doesn't emphasize the female side of the character.

The girl featured in the film is a clear departure from many other films, which often depict female characters as sex objects and in need of rescuing. Koo in “The Witch” is rather a female character who is the owner of her own fate. She is different from superheroes who accidentally gain superpowers or are forced to become superheroes. Koo, after escaping the government facility and being adopted into a farm family, has been challenging her fate and making the decision to live her own life rather than be subject to experimentation.

The action scenes in the latter half of the film are polished and show viewers what they could expect from a sequel.

Many viewers left positive comments saying “The actions scenes are Zack Snyder-level,” or “It's like a Korean version of a Marvel movie,” and “Actress Da-mi's performance has been most shocking.”