Volcano High

this is for all intensive purposes the rival schools / project justice movie. remove the numerous schools and consolidate them into one school with student group factions, you have the setting for volcano high. this film is not to be watched if you exclusively want to see an action film. there is no way around the fact that the action sequences are lacking. on the other hand, as a comedy, this film is a great success. if you take the fight sequences as something intended to make you chuckle, you will find that they are indeed quite enjoyable. the casting for the supporting characters was good, but i would say that the vice-principle and the protagonist were both excellently cast. the main character is a treat on screen. i highly recommend this movie for people able to laugh at silly things. if you are able to laugh at production elements, you would probably also appreciate this movie. as for myself, silly things + silly production elements = awesome. this film is a gem.

VOLCANO HIGH is a film with some incredible special effects. The fights, heavily aided by CGI, is quite thrilling to watch. The story itself is a bit bare, but seeing as how VOLCANO HIGH is nothing more than an anime given live-action treatment, it's to be expected.

Of note are a couple of scenes lifted from DARK CITY, which itself lifted the scene from the final showdown in the Japanese animation AKIRA.

VOLCANO HIGH is not altogether a bad film. It's quite nice to look at, and there is enough action to keep just about anyone from being bored.

6 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie or reviews of other foreign films)

I can understand why this film splits viewers into those who either love it-to-death or those who despise it. To properly enjoy Volcano High, you will need to relax, loosen up and dig up some old skool memories.

Considering this is primarily a fun film, main and periphery characters are well portrayed, and there's a lots of subtle comedy and bombastic drama to keep anyone with a developed sense of humour happy.

However, if you love martial arts movies, you will be disappointed - the martial arts is spread pretty thin. Although Volcano High is Korean, it appears to have gone the way of recent Hong Kong kung fu films, in that choreography is either obscured or entirely replaced by CGI effects. However, the special effects and acting are top-notch, Hyuk Jang especially evoking both sniggers and respect.

Well made and good fun if you don't take your movie-watching too seriously. If, however, you want something a bit more substantial from Korea, try Musa or Shiri.

"Volcano High" takes every Anime high school cliche ever made and slaps them all together in a two hour extravaganza of amazing special effects, side-splitting humor, and an intentionally overacting cast. The result is cinematic perfection.

The main story is about Kim Kyeong-Su, a young man who seems to get into fights no matter where he goes - causing him to be kicked out of 8 schools previous to Volcano High. This is his ninth and final chance at success, so he can't afford to mess up. Unfortunately for Kim, Volcano High is a school that thrives on fighting - and Kim, being the new guy, is prime choice. Because of this, he spends a lot of the time getting his hindside handed to him. Once a conspiracy to overthrow the principal and introduce capital punishment to the student body comes into play, Kim realizes he can no longer stand by and let things unravel this way. Therefore, he decides to join the other students in a battle against the newly hired teachers designed to wipe out all of the fighters at Volcano High...

Which is where we, the unwitting audience, bear witness to some of the most insane battles ever displayed on film. The final battle has to be seen to be believed - but that's all I'm going to say! I leave it up to you to watch the movie for yourself. Trust me, it's hard to find, but worth the effort... Especially Hyo-jin Kong as So Yo-Seon!

"Volcano High" ranks up quite high in my list of favorites. See it for yourself, and discover if you feel the same way!

You have to remember, there are two versions, one dubbed and one with the original sound. I haven't heard the dubbed one, but come on, since when has a dubbed film ever sounded or looked right? Check out the original, and you might enjoy it. As for me, it's one of my favorite Korean films, and I think of it as a kind of kung-fu Harry Potter goes to a new high school. It's like anime, but live-action, and very strange.

But it's fun. It's funny, it's silly, and it's meant to be that way. It has nothing to do with the gangsta rappers on the poster above, either. It's really unfortunate that someone dubbed this, and I hope that the original actually is available in North America. If not, make a trip to your local Chinatown and see whether they have the original version. It's worth it, take it from me.