Alienoid: Return to the Future Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Choi Dong-hoon
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French Canadian
• Language ‏ : ‎ Korean (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Korea, Republic of
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 2 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2024

        Cliffhanger endings to movies have become all-too common these days, from books being split up like Dune (or any final installment of a successful franchise like Twilight or Harry Potter) to superhero narratives only revealing the villain in the final scene to force audiences to buy another ticket to get any resolution (yeah, I’m looking at you Spidey). Personally, I’m quite sick of it, which is why I found the lack of resolution in Alienoid (2022) so frustrating. Thankfully, Alienoid: Return to the Future has an ending instead of leading to a third film, but it retains many of the other issues found in the Korean blockbuster.

 

        While Alienoid is set in two different time periods without initially explaining their connection, audiences are at least equipped with this information going into the sequel, assuming details from the first film are remembered. With that being said, the film still has a few surprises in revealing how some of these characters are connected through the different time periods. Many of these connections are quite predictable, but this is a welcome change from the confusion caused by the plotting of the first film.

 

        The young girl Lee Ahn from the first film is now trapped in the past and has grown up (played by Kim Tae-ri), but still searches for the robot companion known as Thunder (Kim Woo-bin), attempting to find a way back to the present to save the world. She is followed by Mureuk (Ryu Jun-yeol), the young boy who saved her when she first arrived in the time period, who has now grown up to be apprentice to two mages. Mureuk is going through other changes, hinting at the possibility that something else came back from the future.

 

        There are more characters than the film knows what to do with, often meaning that several are shortchanged in terms of developing their storylines. At the same time, the filmmakers seem to understand what audiences enjoyed from the first film, amping up those elements. The past sequences have many wuxia-inspired martial arts sequences, while the future contains the climactic sci-fi showdown, which could easily have been lifted from any number of superhero narratives. Not all of the CGI is entirely convincing, but the overall experience is full of spectacle and easy-to-enjoy comedic relief. None of it is Shakespeare, but it makes for a diverting viewing experience. Those who enjoyed the first film will likely be satisfied with the resolution, and even those who were disappointed will be happy to know that the sequel is an improvement.

 

        The Blu-ray release for Alienoid: Return to the Future contains a handful of extras, though I was expecting a bit more for one of the highest grossing Korean films of the year. There is a making-of featurette that is promotional above all else, and character trailers which could be helpful for those needing a refresher on the plot of the first film. The only other special feature is the film’s trailer and an optional English-language dubbing.  

 

Entertainment Value: /10

Quality of Filmmaking: /10

Historical Significance:  /10

Special Features: /10