Jeon, Ran

"Uprising" is a gripping and intense film that delves into the complexities of rebellion and the fight for freedom. Set against a backdrop of political turmoil, the movie masterfully captures the raw emotions and sacrifices of those who dare to stand up against oppression. The screenplay is well-crafted, weaving together personal stories with larger historical events, making the narrative both engaging and thought-provoking. The protagonist's journey is particularly compelling, showcasing the internal and external struggles faced by someone caught in the crossfire of revolution. Overall I think it's a well watch.

The movie is set in late 16th century Korea. The movie has blended various social and political elements into a sword wielding action movie. It does make you think a bit about who is the worst of the worst: the incompetent king, invading Japanese, or the greedy noble class. However, we the audience did not sign up for a history. As mentioned in my title, if you're looking for a history lesson, please trying reading some books. No one went to see the movie "300" hoping to gain historical insights into the Spartans, did they?

Back to the movie itself. The story is very straight forward and action-driven. Is it such a unique and memorable story? No. Are there some plot holes? Sure. Personally, I had a hard time accepting the fact that the "misunderstanding" that separated the two main characters was so easily resolved at the end. Anyways, the final question is was it entertaining? The answer to that is YES! I especially liked the three-way battle in dense fog.

In summary, this movie will provide you with enough entertainment to justify your investment of 2 hours of viewing time. I give this movie a solid 7 stars. I'm also adding 2 stars to offset some of the ridiculously low scores given for reasons that seem unfair.

Uprising is an enjoyable movie with a beautiful setting and good acting. The story isn't necessarily unique however works well and is easy to digest. There's some cgi but it's used minimally and isn't completly hard to look at. This film would have probably worked better as a tv series as it's very fast paced. This can cause you to lose elements of the story if not paying full attention. The action is fun, creative and gruesome. The actors are what makes this movie most enjoyable as they are all exceptional at conveying their characters stories. If you're bored and don't know what to watch uprising is good enough to cure that boredom.

There are good things to enjoy about this. The action is well realised, the plot provides some pace and the actors make their characters come to life.

So if all that adds up to a film you might enjoy then give this a go.

However, much of it fails to ring true, meaning I never got beyond knowing this was a story made up in an attempt to entertain me. At no point were my emotions engaged in the characters. Their predicaments did not move me. Their actions and reactions carried very little weight.

Nevertheless I did gain some enjoyment from it. Keep your expectations low and you might well too.

An issue with historical fiction mediums is that they can either bend too far and become so detached from the period that you don't feel connected. The other side is that they can be so rigid, sticking to the history, that it struggles to be a narrative. I find Uprising to be a beautiful blend. Whereas the series Kingdom deals with the Imjin War (the invasion of the late 16th century by Toyotomi Hideyoshi) with a mix of zombies, Uprising looks at the issues of a top-down power structure in human terms. Honestly it helps one to see how and why the top views the people as near less than human -- while also wholely calling it evil.

That aside, I love single-shot action sequences. There are two, looking from either perspective, that are right next to one another. I was squealing with delight. The scenes were absolutely heavy, but I'm also a fan of the Berserk manga by Kentaro Miura, so it's my safe space.

The storytelling, action sequences, choreography, and even the English dub all are great. Highly recommended.