Review | Alienoid: Return to the Future movie review – Korean sci-fi fantasy sequel with Kim Woo-bin and Kim Tae-ri is exciting, but lacks a strong premise
- Choi Dong-hoon’s follow-up to his 2022 alien fantasy is action-packed and channels sci-fi classics from Iron Man to Back to the Future, but something is missing
- Although the director’s passion is clear, the lack of a well-defined mythology renders his universe a hash of exciting ideas without anything binding them
2/5 stars
Following the muted reception for the first film, which was one of the most expensive Korean productions of all time, Choi faces an uphill struggle to attract new viewers to a largely unfamiliar franchise whose story unfolds simultaneously in the present and in the era of Goryeo rule in Korea in the 14th century.
For those in need of a refresher, Earth is being used by an advanced alien race as a secret penal colony, where their most dangerous criminals are incarcerated within unwitting human hosts.
Prisoners are stored in the present and the past, overseen by a solitary guard (Kim Woo-bin), who moves between time periods using a crystal device known as the Divine Blade.
In the present, a band of alien fugitives, led by “The Controller”, escapes and stages a full-scale invasion. By the end of the first film, both heroes and villains are marooned in the past.
