This South Korean action, science fiction film is the sequel to 2022’s Alienoid. In actuality, both films were shot together with the second part now making its way to theatres on January 26. Dong-hoon Choi (who wrote and directed the first film) returns as writer/director and starts where the first one left off. There is a small recap at the beginning of Alienoid: Return To The Future, but my suggestion is to watch the first film before even attempting to jump into this one.
The film begins with Lee Ahn (Kim Tae-ri) locating The Divine Blade (a big plot point from the first film)after being trapped in the Goryeo Dynasty for ten years. The issue is, that she’s trapped in the past and still needs to get back to 2022 so she can use the Blade to stop The Controller’s plan to free prisoners imprisoned in human bodies and rule Earth. To get home she needs to locate Thunder/Guard (Kim Woo-bin), if they survived the travel through time.
There are a handful of other characters from the first Alienoid that return to action in this film including Muruk (Ryu Jun-Yeol), Right Paw (Shin Jung-geun), Left Paw (Lee Si-hoon), and Heug-seol (Yum Jung-ah) just to name a few.
Although there is a lot to unpack some of the plot gets confusing, especially when more comedic elements enter into the the film. Alienoid: Return To The Future is never boring, the screen lights up with magical aliens, swordplay, wire-fu and other awe-inspiring elements. Hoon Choi knows how to entertain an audience and this is quite a ride. The creature effects are all CGI-based, but in this film, it works, actually it’s an asset. The film looks and feels like an anime come to life, there are things that they do here that many other live-action films wouldn’t even attempt.
Although the film’s title would lead viewers to believe that you’ll see futuristic scenery and technology, that is not the case. The bulk of the 2-hour and 22-minute runtime is spent in the 1300’s. This also means the cast is in the traditional wardrobe for that time, another impressive feat for director Hoon Choi. The look and feel of Alienoid: Return To The Future is a big-budget film, although it probably falls far less than that in American standards for film budgets.
The cast of characters and actors is an interesting bunch, never dull when on screen. There are a few mushy dramatic moments throughout the film, but then it’s right back to action. The drama is used sparsely and at the right moments, this doesn’t hinder the explosions, the car crashes or the fight scenes.
Alienoid: Return To The Future’s action isn’t as bloody as a John Wick, or John Woo film, so it’s something the whole family can enjoy. There are a few monster elements that might scare young children, but nothing like recent American action and science fiction films. The goofy comedy scenes aim to please a younger audience, while the more adult audience can enjoy the film for what it is, incredibly entertaining.
Alienoid: Return To The Future opens in theatres (only) January 26, 2024
