JUNG_E (2023)

Jung_E has the rare sci-fi gift of feeling intimate even as it sketches a bruised, near-future world where war is fought with algorithms and borrowed memories. Yeon Sang-ho stages sleek, punchy action—robot-on-robot brutality, gunfire, and explosions—but he keeps pulling your attention back to the aching human question at the center: what we owe the people we love when institutions try to turn them into property. Kim Hyun-joo brings a fierce, almost mythic presence to the legendary soldier, while Kang Soo-youn gives the film its quiet grace, grounding the high concept in a daughter’s stubborn devotion and regret. It’s more reflective than nonstop, and if you want hard science or relentless spectacle it may not fully scratch that itch, but if you like your futuristic thrills laced with heart, this one sticks with you.

Jung_E clearly wants to be a thoughtful sci-fi riff on cloning, corporate ethics, and a mother-daughter bond wrapped in sleek action and robot combat. The problem is it often feels like two different movies—big ideas and boardroom intrigue fighting for space with set-piece battles—so the pacing gets choppy and the story can come off muddled and oddly predictable. Just as it starts to dig into its most interesting questions, it rushes to an abrupt finish that may leave you feeling like you watched a prologue, not a full meal. If you’re here for a tight, hard-hitting sci-fi narrative, you may be disappointed; if you can settle for solid visuals, some punchy action, and an emotional core that occasionally lands, it’s an okay one-night watch.