Ja-Yoon is a teenage girl with amnesia who discovers she has supernatural abilities after escaping from a laboratory where she was held captive. Park Hoon-Jung's science-fiction action-horror film The Witch: Part 1: The Subversion (or The Witch: Subversion) explores a world of superpowered youth and the violence that comes with it. In the first part of The Witch 2: The Other One, we see Ja-Yoon fully awake and on a mission after the bloodbath that ended the first movie. This second installment moves the action away from the secret laboratory and out into the world, where a new girl with superpowers is discovered. Unfortunately, her uncovering incites a dismal voyage that leaves a gruesome wake of corpses and a periodically confounding tale in her course.
A young woman awakens to find herself in a large building full of dead bodies and blood. She is the sole survivor. The woman walks through the woods until she comes across a road, where she is seen by a driver in a van who picks her up. The Girl quickly realizes that the men inside intend to murder her and cover up their kidnapping of hostage Kyung-hee. She dispatches them ruthlessly, gets Kyung-hee's help, and brings her home. Kyung-hee has her struggles at home to deal with, but they pale in comparison to the formidable Girl and the assassins who are after her.
The movie 'The Other One' is not the most straightforward way to introduce this chapter. Park Hoon-Jung changes between various scenes and characters rapidly to introduce critical players without much explanation, making it difficult to understand what is happening. It's hard to follow because it barely has anything in common with the last movie. The quick cuts make it clear that there are three different groups of dangerous mercenaries after the Girl, and Kyung-hee's uncle is the leader of one of them. The movie's opening scene introduces the idea of clones and twins, which is never explored further, leaving the viewer confused.
As the characters are introduced, and the story progresses, we see parallels to the predecessor. The Girl befriends Kyung-hee and Dae-Gil and feels responsible for their well-being. The Girl experiences the world for the first time, leading to a few moments of happiness and an interest in food.
This is the second chapter in an ongoing saga full of action and horror. Park Hoon-Jung leaves no shortage of violence, corpses, and bloodshed in this sequel. The action sequences in this film are gripping, and the overall tone is much darker than in previous installments. However, the film's strength lies in its graphic and violent action, which is not toned down too much.
This nonstop action movie keeps up a fast pace, even when revisiting similar story beats. The main character, Jo Hyun, has ties to a character from the first movie. Though we know little about her aside from her penchant for killing and her tough exterior, Girl's comedic interactions with her partner are one of the few bright spots in this film. The director does a commendable job with action sequences, but poor line delivery in multiple languages proves to be a significant drawback.
Strong visuals, exciting plot twists, and a satisfying ending make up for a weaker narrative in Park Hoon-Jung's film. Curiously, one crucial setup piece is not revealed until after the credits. Nevertheless, the Other One is an exciting addition to the franchise that left me eager to see what comes next. The story is intriguing, and the bloody, wild saga is captivating.
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6.2
