The first reviews for Train to Busan and Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho's JUNG_E are trickling in and frankly look brutal.

We watched it ourselves before reading any of those reviews and found the film to be brilliant. Our only criticism is what might be some subtitle errors for early onscreen setting the scene text.

Out of only 9 reviews - which is really not many - it sports a 56% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 82% from viewers.

Completely avoiding spoilers, this is one of those films where the trailer misleads in terms of what the true story is.

It is broadly as described. A corporate research team leader is attempting to incorporate her mother's digitally cloned consciousness into a combat robot.

The trailer gives the impression that the robot is tortured and she sets it free.

Those things happen in the film but there are additional layers and her reasons for setting the AI free are more complex.

This is a great, small scale (mostly taking place inside one facility) sci-fi story with current day special effects and several gripping combat scenes.

Ending in a manner which would allow this film to be enjoyed as a once and done, though also with obvious potential for sequels.

We are very impressed. Cheers Netflix.

The bad reviews?

Garbage.

For example, Inverse:

His latest film Jung_E, which boasts the simultaneously powerful and dubious global distribution of Netflix, is a bullet-riddled picture that strives to fuse family melodrama with the encroaching A.I. apocalypse.

Did he (Eric Francisco) even watch the film?

There is no element of "A.I. apocalypse", i.e. AI turning against humanity and ending the world.

None.

This is an already post-apocalyptic world courtesy of global warming and war and the AI even after being set free, does nothing but flee to safety.

Causing minimal harm and that almost entirely in self-defence.

She renders two human attendants unconscious in order to escape and wrecks the robots sent after her.

To describe this film's story as "family melodrama" feels extremely cynical.

Yes one of the film's many layers is a mother's love for her daughter but there's nothing sensational or exaggerated about either character or their story.

Instead the film is superb speculative fiction, casting viewers into a credible potential future and encouraging thoughtful and meaningful discussion of technologies which might be reality within at least some of our lifetimes.

JUNG_E is streaming now on Netflix and we wholeheartedly recommend it.

[ Main Image: JUNG_E - Kim Hyun-joo. Credit: Netflix via IMDb.com. ]

References

Francisco, Eric (January 20, 2023). JUNG_E Has Little Brain Power and Even Less Soul. Inverse.

Rotten Tomatoes. JUNG_E. (viewed January 22, 2023)