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[Ishani's Picks] Here's Why The Vibes Are Immaculate In "Seoul Vibe"

"Seoul Vibe" is finally here and it is taking us back to 1988. Here's why the film is much more relevant than meets the eye.

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Starring Yoo Ah-in, Park Ju-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Ong Seong-wu, Oh Jung-se, Kim Sung-kyun, Moon So-ri, and more, "Seoul Vibe" is an action and speed thriller following a crew of friends going by the name of Sanggye-dong Supreme Team who enter into a deal with a prosecutor to expose a VIP slush fund in exchange for their criminal records being wiped clean and visas to the USA.

With the American dream in their eyes, the crew is enthusiastic as ever but the reality of the situation is much darker than they imagined. What started out as an easy race soon turned into a life or death situation, and the rose-tinted glasses came off quicker than they expected.

The first half of the film takes some time to introduce the characters and their quirks, set up the mission, and engage the audience. For anyone who likes cars, this is the perfect time to geek out. However, if you're not a car/racing enthusiast, it might just all feel like a blur. Although this preface is a tad on the slower side, it is extremely necessary to hook the viewer in, which makes the second half and ultimately the climax that much more impactful.

The second half of the film is incomparably entertaining. The plot transforms into a riveting thriller while also retaining elements of comedy. There is a tinge of pathos, but it is mostly subverted later on, and even though the events of the narrative are slightly concerning, even edging on tragedy at times, the film doesn't let you dwell on them for too long. This is exactly what makes "Seoul Vibe" such an excellent watch. You get the best of all the worlds there are, and you leave with the utmost satisfaction.

"Seoul Vibe" echoes the freedom of a freshly democratic nation with cultural imports from the West dominating the youth. The film starts off with markedly Western influences, from the background score to the English vocabulary peppered in with the Korean dialogues, the fad over McDonald's, and the American hip-hop style jewelry.

However, the heart of the film is inherently Korean, which becomes evident in the way we are ushered into the world of the Sanggye-dong Supreme Team with The Sugarhill Gang's iconic song 'Apache' but end with Sobangcha's 'About Last Night'. After all, "this is how you really vibe".

The cast, made up of the top talents in South Korea, is phenomenal, to say the least. Yoo Ah-in as top drifter Dong-wook, Go Kyung-pyo as S.P.Y DJ John, Lee Kyu-hyung as Human navigation system, Bok-nam, Park Ju-hyun as Master of disguise on a motorcycle, Yoon-hee and Ong Seong-wu as the MacGyver of Sanggye-dong, Joon-gi, are characters that are so incredibly memorable and endearing that it definitely warrants a sequel. It hasn't even been a month since "Seoul Vibe" was released and we already need more. What could be more telling of a film's success than that?

By Ishani Sarkar.

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"Seoul Vibe" is directed by Moon Hyeon-seong, and features Yoo Ah-in, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Park Ju-hyun, Ong Seong-wu, Oh Jung-se. Release date in Korea: 2022/08/26.

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