"The Middle Realm": The AI Marketing Gimmick Succeeded, but the Execution Fell Short

The Hesitation to Watch and the Deceptive Runtime

When it was released in theaters, there was a long period of hesitation about whether to watch this movie on the big screen, which ultimately led to giving up on the idea. The biggest barrier was the ambiguous runtime of just about an hour. It was difficult to shake the feeling that it was simply too short to justify a trip to the theater and the cost of a ticket. Furthermore, shortly after its release, harsh reviews and low ratings from audiences began to surface, causing the film to naturally fade completely from memory. However, after recently spotting it on an OTT platform's recommendation list, the decision was made to finally press play, under the assumption that it would be a completely burden-free watch from the comfort of home.

A Disappointing Reality Masked by "AI Innovation"

However, the impression left after watching it until the very end was a harsh confirmation of why there was so much hesitation to watch it in theaters in the first place: it truly is a movie to be watched strictly to kill time without any high expectations. Even before its release, the production team aggressively marketed the film as "an innovative movie that actively utilizes AI," successfully grabbing the public's attention—or, to put it bluntly, successfully pulling "aggro." Yet, it was a struggle to understand exactly where the artistic utility of AI was supposed to be found in this film. If the sole purpose was to cut production costs by replacing traditional VFX (Visual Effects) with AI generation tools for the visual scenes, it feels akin to a very disappointing commercial gimmick.

Shoddy Visual Effects in the Name of Cost-Cutting

The visual effects scenes that supposedly utilized AI were, quite frankly, incredibly sloppy. In particular, the spectacular disaster scenes, such as the massive collapse of Gwanghwamun—a landmark symbol of Seoul—seemed to heavily rely on AI technology. However, the composite work was painfully obvious, with the actors and the background completely disjointed and floating apart. Honestly speaking, if a commercial film that audiences pay to see presents such crude visual effects, it is only natural for it to face fierce criticism and backlash. Even if a film lacks visual splendor or technical prowess, audiences are often willing to overlook those flaws and offer praise if the core message or storytelling is excellent. This film, however, failed to satisfy even that basic requirement.

Initial Promise Before the Narrative Fall

Nevertheless, during the first half of the film, which primarily consisted of live-action sequences, it did manage to evoke a certain level of interest and curiosity about the upcoming plot. First of all, looking at the cast of lead and supporting actors, their solid acting skills alone were enough to warrant anticipation and trust. Furthermore, considering the track record of Director Kang Yoon-sung, who took the helm, expectations were naturally bound to rise. He is a veteran creator who has consistently delivered his signature bold, genre-specific thrills by writing and directing major projects, ranging from the mega-hit The Outlaws (Crime City), to the blockbuster series Big Bet (Casino), and Pine.

The Gap Between Technological Progress and Narrative Quality

The year this movie, The Middle Realm, was first released to the world was 2025. From then until now, the pace of AI technology's advancement in the video production industry has achieved a truly frightening, exponential growth. Recently, it has entered an astonishing stage where it goes beyond simply generating background graphics to actually creating virtual actors and effortlessly producing entire screenplays using AI. However, even making generous allowances for the fact that this was an experimental work created during a technological transition period, the overall narrative structure and plot composition presented by this film are embarrassingly clumsy and sloppy. Despite being wrapped in the glamorous modifier of "cutting-edge technology," the completeness of the foundational screenplay is severely lacking.

A Baffling Casting Choice That Shattered Immersion

What appalled viewers even more than the flimsy story was the bizarre casting, leaving many to wonder what the director was possibly thinking by taking such an unreasonable risk. Approaching the final climax, where the tension should be at its absolute peak, a highly familiar pop-culture icon—the "Tong Ah-jussi" (Barrel Man)—abruptly makes an appearance. He is an individual who has been etched into the public's mind for decades through bizarre contortionist stunts and comedy, inherently embodying a highly comedic and farcical character. Suddenly placing someone with his specific image in a role that is supposed to dominate the serious atmosphere of the play was a fatal misstep that strayed far beyond the boundaries of common-sense directing.

The Tonal Whiplash of a Misplaced Comedy Act

Even if one were to generously assume this was an attempt at a shocking acting transformation, consuming him as a crucial villain in the flow of the plot was a directorial overreach that is simply impossible to justify. While other excellent lead and supporting actors were sweating and barely managing to anchor the film's center of gravity with serious, dramatic acting, the moment someone suited for a sketch comedy show suddenly popped up to act, viewer immersion shattered into pieces. It was the worst possible casting choice; as soon as he appeared on screen, the serious setting and world-building that the film had painstakingly built from the beginning seemed to collapse in an instant. The film essentially kicked away its own tension.

The Concept of the "Middle Realm" and the Twelve Zodiac Gods

The "Middle Realm," which serves as the title of the film, refers to a mysterious and bizarre dimension situated halfway between this world and the afterlife—the literal space between life and death. It is a space where the Grim Reaper suddenly appears before characters who have not yet fully reached physical death, declaring their demise and taking their souls to the underworld. Interestingly, in this film, the entities directly determining human life and death are the "Twelve Zodiac Gods," representing the animal sign of the year each person was born. It appeared that the film mobilized AI graphic technology entirely to visualize this specific world-building and these divine entities. Following a horrific and unexpected accident, the protagonist's desperate struggle to endlessly run away and evade the pursuit of the Zodiac Gods to stay alive forms the core plot.

A Frustrating and Abrupt Conclusion

As the protagonist begins to flee, scenes actively utilizing AI sequentially fill the screen in earnest. However, the most absurd and unpleasant aftertaste this film left behind lies in how the ending was handled. A commercial film should naturally bring the curtain down only after completing a somewhat acceptable narrative arc—an introduction, development, turn, and conclusion. But while the story was in full swing, hurtling toward its supposed finale, the screen suddenly cut to black. The narrative was severed without warning, abruptly ending the movie in vain with nothing but a single "To Be Continued" subtitle.

 The True Lesson Behind the Failed Experiment

Amidst this level of execution and the pouring harsh reviews from critics and audiences alike, it is highly questionable whether the promised next installment will ever safely see the light of day. One can only feel pity for the efforts of the actors who did their absolute best to perform within such a crude and disjointed environment. Ultimately, the film ended up proving a very valuable point to the industry: the truly important element in filmmaking is not the technological shell of AI or how much a production saves on VFX, but rather how solid, persuasive, and meticulously crafted the underlying narrative structure is.