A Fun Yet Disappointing 'Alienoid Part 2'

'Alienoid' (2022), released in 2022, was a disastrous film for the Korean film industry and director Choi Dong-hoon. The exact production cost of the film is unknown, but it needed to attract over 7 million viewers to recoup its production and marketing expenses. The film's total theater audience was just over 1 million, resulting in a massive loss.

Director Choi Dong-hoon also suffered a significant setback due to this film. His previous films were huge successes in Korea. In particular, 'Assassination' (2015) and 'The Thieves' (2012) sold over 10 million tickets each, establishing him as a leading commercial film director in Korea. 'Alienoid' left a severe blemish on Choi's career.**

'Alienoid: Return to The Future' (2024) is the sequel to the previous film. Although the first installment was a box office failure, Director Choi filmed the second part simultaneously with the first. Therefore, Director Choi Dong-hoon and the production company are in a situation where they must somehow make this film a hit to recover their losses.

'Alienoid' Part 2 picks up right where the previous film's cliffhanger ending left off. The aliens' plot to alter Earth's atmospheric composition is still ongoing, and the protagonist, Ean (Kim Tae-ri), must travel through time to find the key to thwarting this alien conspiracy.**

The early part of the film is devoted to introducing the story's background and characters. This process includes numerous comedic elements. These comedic elements are not very effective, and the excessive use of proper nouns to explain the background tires the audience. This was a point of criticism for the first film as well.

The film's characters gain energy by traveling to 2022. Muruk (Ryu Jun-yeol), a shaman from the 14th century, finds himself in the 21st century and dons an 'Iron Man suit' created using alien technology. The sight of Muruk, initially bewildered by this unfamiliar technology, quickly utilizing it to fight aliens provides viewers with a tremendous sense of catharsis. The encounter between medieval Korean civilization and alien civilization is the unique appeal the film aimed to showcase, and this appeal is fully expressed during the final hour.**

However, it's clear that this appeal comes too late. Viewers likely wanted to see a medieval Korean sorcerer wearing an alien-tech Iron Man suit at least halfway through the first film. This charm is completely absent in the first film and only becomes apparent after enduring a tedious introduction in the second film.

At this point, one wonders if there was a need for two films. The first film solely focuses on establishing the background of this story. It absolutely fails to showcase the charm of the story and its universe. Only in the second film does the narrative truly begin, and it's easily enjoyable even without being familiar with the background details established in the first film.

'Alienoid Part 2' is a fairly enjoyable film that blends science fiction and fantasy. However, the shadow of the first film's failure looms over the entire movie. Even after fully enjoying the film in theaters, a sense of regret lingers.