Korea Historical Action: Uprising
October 23, 2024

Uprising is the story of an enslaved Korean during the Choson-period overlapping with the Imjin War when Japan invaded Korea. The story follows the enslaved—who seems to a be a natural warrior—and his relationship with his master and his master’s son. The enslaved warrior constantly escapes, and at one point finds himself playing a leading role in the resistance against Japanese. But will that matter when the Korean king returns following the victory others gained for him?
First, the good. The action and acting are both commendable. There are some fantastic scenes, although there’s a definite intent to try to be as graphic in some scenes as possible. Perhaps there’s a purpose to it, but it seemed gratuitous to me.
While some of the actors aren’t given much to work with, they are all committed to the movie and all deliver.
The film is also beautiful. It’s very well shot, very well costumed, and very well-choreographed. The people working on this movie knew what they were doing, and they did a great job.
And based on that, I’d recommend it. But with some warnings.
A lot of the characters are stock characters, re-used from other movies. It seems to have been an attempt to create a sense of sympathy and familiarity without earning it, but—for me—it didn’t work because they reminded me it’s a movie. Too many of the secondary characters don’t feel like people. They are shorthand.
For me, the movie also lacked a flow. It was choppy. It was a series of scenes that kind of just stopped before the next one started rather than flowing together. Yes, they all fit into the plot and were clearly connected through the story, but the storytelling lacked an elegant flow. The scenes may have had relations but they lacked connection.
In the end, I’d say that if you like period Korean action and aren’t squeamish, it’s worth a look. I give it 3.75 deified blue robes out of 5.
Note: You can find a one-page adventure at Sword’s Edge Publishing based on Uprising.
Now I have a movie to watch!