overrated movie. Not that good at all.
A slow burn of a horror film, this shares many of the characteristic of Hereditary (2018) not least from being a damn fine film. Like the latter, the film takes its time to build up a palpable sense of dread, but also explore the normality and mundanity of its characters and location, mining a lot of humour and goodwill from its central flawed character who only wishes to protect his family. It’s also expertly crafted with beautiful cinematography and a haunting soundtrack. But the tension lies in the film keeping its audience firmly in the same mindset of its hero, completely unsure throughout of where the film is going and what the truth is, right up until a final moments. Great stuff!
By the time I got to the point where Jong-Goo, the main character, beats the Japanese stranger's dog to death , I was beyond weary of this movie. It is an overly long movie where the separate scenes are dragged out to the point where they become nothing. Terrible things are going on in this town and this incompetent police officer is the lens through which we observe these events. He is a terrible lens. His entire motivations are fear and racism, a powerful combination that would work well in a better film, but not here. I felt nothing for any of the characters. I was not interested in their fate. It is a movie full of nothing that ends at a predictable, inevitable point. It felt like an incredible waste of time.
This movie started out interesting but it seemed to break down with multiple plots that didn't really make sense after awhile. It was hard to take the main plot seriously enough to suspend disbelief. I stuck it out, but came away disappointed.
A unique film, with incredible cinematography, great performances and an engaging plot, even though it felt dragged out.
Maybe if this movie was 45 minutes shorter it would have been good. It was way too long, with some pointless stories and scenes. I do not understand why so many critics loved it. Not worth the 2.5hrs.
One of the most horrifying and heartbreaking horror movies I've ever seen.
Really slow and creepy. Especially some parts, in the beginning, could have been cut down. But keeps you guessing till the end what's really happening, and even at the end, who really knows what really happened. It does not really commit to one explanation
Longer that it needed to be, but more importantly it wasn't compelling at all. I found myself fast-forwarding the entire movie, that is how engaging it was. I have no idea how a movie like this can have a 75% approval, must be national pride... which brings you to the logical conclusion that even though a lot of good movies are made in Korea, you shouldn't pay attention to that fact and decide for yourself or rely in well constructed critic reviews (not that mines is anything to go by).
I don't know, I wasn't blown away by it as I was apparently supposed to be. I think a lot of that had to do with the bloated runtime. Still though, there's some great atmosphere, and some of the character development at the beginning went a long way to building a believable world, which helped with how outlandish things get.
This is a good looking movie. It features some beautiful scenery but horrific images. If you can keep track of what's going on, congratulations. The plot is interesting at first, but devolves into a mess of who's good, who's bad, why is this terrible thing happening, etc.
This is described as a Horror movie and it's definitely horrific. There's a lot of blood, gore and even some vomit thrown in for good measure. The child actor was really talented but the acts committed by her character were truly shocking. Actually, unsettling and disturbing are better descriptions. But it's not scary and between the torture the child suffers and the total defeat of any and everything good, it's a movie that most people would never make it through. At two and a half hours, it often becomes a blood-soaked slog. This is another example of a movie that makes me question my judgement making entertainment choices.
"The Wailing" is not a stupid movie, it just feels wrong. It was so dark and hopeless. It's a struggle to find anything redeeming about it, other than the obvious skill in filming it.
Caution: not a thriller! It may be a spoiler but it was marketed as such so it's only fair that people are warned
I have no idea why this movie is highly praised on RT, it's really not that good at all, a nice thriller, but nowhere near perfect. It left so many questions unanswered.
It started out fine with an intriguing mystery, some great visuals and good acting. Love the rainy weather, the illness is a cool idea and the atmosphere is palpable. Completely lost interest after around 45 minutes, every scene feels like it was stretched out to it's maximum milked out capacity and it's all for nothing special really, the director just doesn't know how to cut down his movie. After what felt like 10h of slow-burn the movie becomes confusing and died out in a forgettable manner. The Wailing is the ultimate attention span test, mine isn't to that level yet and I hope it never does or it'll mean I became a zombie.
A very intense and thought-provoking horror movie that purposely leaves the ending ambiguous and up to interpretation. Obviously, there are parallels between The Bible and this movie, and while I feel like some parts were too ambiguous to the point where I didn't really understand what everything meant, I believe people who know more about The Bible and look for tiny details will understand and appreciate this story. But I still thoroughly enjoyed watching this, and it kept me thinking the entire time.
long but worth it. didn't predict the ending.
A really good horror movie but it could be great for sure.Still worths a watch and it's well made and confusing.7.2/10
It is so worth it. Haven’t seen such a good film quite a while
This movie did lose steam towards the end and could use some cuts...but I still thought it was extremely effective and I enjoyed it a lot. My problem was I was told there was an absolute insane ending but I thought it seemed like the next logical step for the story.
watched again for telugu dub
The Korean Heraditary two years earlier.
I’m very sensitive to horror so that was an extremely stressful watch. Unlike other horrors there aren’t clearly defined segments where it’s scary and where it isn’t (also not that much jumpscares either) but it constantly has a very tense atmosphere and it kind of freaked me out. The narrative is quite complex but also vague at the same time which allows a lot of interpretations, and I think in this case I really like it (I suggest reading some of the comments the director made on the movie after watching, because it kind of blew my mind). The ending is really good and only becomes better once you think more about it. I was also extremely impressed by the cinematography and the acting. This might be my first real exposure to Korean movies but I am impressed. Masterclass of misdirection.
This is definitely a movie that you shouldn't overlook. Even at almost 2.5 hours, the slower parts of the movie are still engaging that it doesn't seem that long. Overall, highly recommend.
If Dracula ended with a Rashomon Effect
Cryptic and full of religious mythology. Long movie but never boring. Not for everyone though.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It did a great job of unfolding the mystery as the plot moved along. I’m not a big fan of extra long runtimes so that was the only big downside for me.
"He’s just fishing. Not even he knows what he’ll catch. He just threw out the bait, and your daughter took it. That’s all it was."
the ending sequence where it cuts from the woman and the japanese man leaves you constantly wondering who's Actually telling the truth,
such a suspenseful and disturbing movie
Like chasing a demon astride a night mare, it's not always easy to follow but it is one hell of a ride.
This Korean Exorcist never slows down, despite it's 2.5 hour running time. Not only is it well shot, it has an addictive story line, some intense set pieces (the battle of the Shamen!) and a surprisingly strong character arc. Like sex in the shadows, it's not always clear but it is always fun.
Too much praise for a film that didn't make much sense at all. Could have been a decent horror movie, but it turned out to be a long weird thriller instead.
'The Wailing' is a movie made for cinema and will not be appreciated by anyone who isn't a film buff. It's a very long film and, as you can tell by other "reviews" here, it's quite divisive. It's a slow-burn mystery that starts quite comical and satirical but slowly moves towards a horror with supernatural elements that uses deliberate ambiguity as a strength. It is beautifully shot and well paced and didn't feel like 2.5 hours long. If you can't spend that much time without checking your phone or leaving your seat then don't bother starting the movie. It's a very easy to follow film, everything is explained, but you will obviously miss these details if you lack attention and patience. One of the best "unhinged" performances by a child I've seen. The horror in terms of gore, prosthetics, and disgusting moments are really well done.
It's quite frustrating seeing comments where people admit they skipped to the end, or how someone's surface level understanding of 'The Wailing' gives a low score, which isn't valid feedback. Decide for yourself if you have any self-control. For fans of slow-burners and genre-hoppers like 'Hereditary' and 'Audition' and other Korean horror/thrillers like 'Memories of Murder', 'Oldboy', etc. where the mystery keeps getting thicker to a big revelation.
I wasn't even interested after 45 mins, fast forwarder to the end!:cry:
Some people will find The Wailing terrifying of that I have no doubt. Tonally we start off with gruesome death, although gruesome is mainly in the mind, the actual victims are in shadow, there are blood sprays seen up the walls but for overall grue there really is not as much as you believe there is. Always a good sign when a filmmaker is confident enough of their own storyteller to let the viewer’s imagination do the heavy lifting. But what we start off with is a funny film. I can honestly say the first third of the film is definitely comedic but in a situation way rather than comedy characters. Jong-goo, superbly played by Do-won Kwak, is at best an average cop, bumbling at times, not punctual, the antithesis of the usual protagonists in these types of films that are either heroic or tragic or all parts between. For me this grabbed my attention immediately.
As the film progresses so does the development of Jong-goo whose foolish ideas, bravado and impulsive decisions become less comic and more tragic and serious. There are still flashes of almost slapstick humour as one character is struck by lightning and staggers about, a shaman has more showman and charlatan about him and preens around but the tone is not completely lost. After all, if you are honest, life can be like that, one minute you are in a Charlies Chaplin film, the next it is a murder film. A no point is the murders, violent events, passed off with quirky or clever remark.
It is difficult to describe too much more of the film and story without ruining it for a first-time viewer, suffice to say the ending lays it all on the line and seems to be straight forward and easy to comprehend, although if you think back through the previous two or so hours, maybe not so much. This is the trick of director Na Hong-jin I honestly believe he wants you to interpret what you have seen, what you take away from it is personal to you. Is it a metaphor on religion, tradition, or on the difference between different communities or how you view people, how you trust them, the trust in traditional superstition or logic? It can be and I believe is all of these things but is overall a good horror film.
The cinematography is beautiful with the claustrophobic and chaotic village presented as such then beautiful almost prehistoric forests magnificently portrayed in verdant green crowned in soft white mists.
If anything detracts from this magnificent horror film perhaps the running time could have been snipped back a bit. The middle third was baggy, where the film flips over from comedic to horrific, it felt a bit clunky and the friends traipsing around the forest, getting involved in a fight with…. well I will not reveal it…. was not obviously necessary to the plot and if it had been removed entirely would have made no difference to the story. Some of the acting seemed a bit over the top and hysterical but whether this is a quirk of the genre or origin of the film I am not expert enough to know. These are only small quibbles though and all the actors acquitted themselves favourable.
If you want to watch something different, something that might make you think what the heck you have just seen, then as someone who is definitely not a horror-film aficionado I recommend The Wailing highly.
If this film has done anything it has made me want to seek out Na Hong-jin’s back catalogue, small as it is.
This movie has great cinematography/editing, phenomenal acting, a good story and the right amount of sinister moments. However, this movie is so unnecessarily complicated by the end. There were easier and more satisfying paths imo but I still liked it.
its a horror ,fantasy,drama. you will get it real horror scenes.but sometimes too much drama what i dont like but horror scenes everytime wakeup some feelings in me. japanese's do that with feeling. thats why i like anime and japan.
This is the first one I rent on FandangoNow, and watched it with a friend tonight. Interesting characters and a plot that'll keep you guessing and trying to connect the dots, splits you off into multiple directions towards the final act, then pulls you right back on the original track. It's a thriller with some horror elements where some parts reminded me of I Saw The Devil (2010) and the Fatal Frame horror game series which I've been playing throughout the month of October. There's also some very nice photography of the horizon planted in there as well. Just be careful not to fall for the trap.
Shout by EddyeBlockedParent2020-08-17T01:53:19Z
Very long and confusing film. Many parallel stories. It is not worth losing 2h30m watching this.
I don't understand how this film has such a positive rating on rotten tomatoes.