Birthday Treats: A Hero Never Dies and Volcano High

Volcano High
Volcano High

So far, I’ve spent my birthday doing stuff that I enjoy… namely spending time on a beautiful day sitting on my couch and watching a couple of movies.

First up was A Hero Never Dies, the film that put Hong Kong director Johnnie To on the map. It’s an update of John Woo’s classic “heroic bloodshed” themes (as set in films like A Better Tomorrow and The Killer), with the melodrama and gangster romanticism piled on thick. At first, it just seems way too over the top. The early scenes where the two main characters (members of two rival gangs who find they’re cut from the same cloth) get to know each other are unintentionally hilarious.

As the movie goes on, you find yourself getting drawn in by the heady camaraderie and the characters’ betrayals at the hands of their bosses adds a real sense of tragedy. The final shootout, which is stylish as anything with its nightclub setting and garish colors, puts a nice cap on things as the two take it out on those who have betrayed them. While I was pretty skeptical at first, I have to admit that I found the movie incredibly affecting and enjoyable by its end. I seem to be warming up to To’s movies. I wasn’t initially impressed, but films like this one and The Mission have changed my mind.

Next was Volcano High, which got far better with the second viewing. The first time I watched it, I thought it was cool concept that got bogged down by an unnecessarily convoluted plot, gratuitous CGI, and annoyingly over-the-top acting by nearly everyone in the cast. This time, though, I enjoyed it far more, if only because I knew what was coming up.

The movie takes place at a desolate high school (if nothing else, the film’s cinematography is topnotch in creating the necessary atmosphere) where students and teachers have superpowers. Various factions are all vying for the “Secret Manuscript”, which will give its possessor dominion over the school. The principle falls ill, possibly due to poisoning, which means the already chaotic school gets even more so. Kim Kyung-Soo (who looks like he came straight out of a Dragon Ball Z episode with his spiky hair and goofy demeanor) is a new arrival who finds himself in over his head, even when his mysterious powers makes him the most wanted person on campus. The problem is, all he really wants to do is be a good student.

The movie is deliriously over-the-top, with insane acting (mainly due to an interesting array of supporting characters) and even more insane fights. Basically, it’s all an excuse to cram one Matrix-inspired CGI moment after another into a movie that will appeal to all of the kids with its age-old “students vs. teachers” theme. You can almost imagine a Korean cover of “School’s Out” playing as the credits roll. The movie takes itself so lightly that it’s completely enjoyable. Well, almost.

There’s still a lot of needlessly convoluted storyline (there is also an international version that is 20 minutes shorter and supposedly streamlines things), some of the characters still grate a little, and the battles do get a tad much (just how many times does the hero have to rediscover his superpowers before he’s finally convinced). It could use a little tightening and tweaking here and there, and it took me two viewings to realize this, but it’s still a crazy, fun, outrageous film. And on my birthday, that’s really all I wanted.

Later tonight, it’s off to Yia-Yia’s for some pizza and pints with all of my friends… and my new mohawk.

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