Review: Seobok: Project Clone

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Seobok: Project Clone (aka Seobok; The Clone)
Directed by Lee Yong-ju (aka Lee Yong Zoo)
CJ Entertainment; Well Go USA Entertainment
114 minutes, 2021
www.wellgousa.com/films/seobok-project-clone

Korean cinema is going through a bit of a Renaissance right now, in part thanks to Train to Busan (2016), a glorious zombie flick which set the fire burning in the West, along with the more mainstream and Oscar© winner for Best Picture Parasite (2019; though, personally, I would rather watch the 1982 film with that name).

But like every other culture’s art, there must be the B-pictures, which tend to fall into the area of genre films. For Seobok, it is two-fold, touching on both action and sci-fi elements. Think RoboCop (1987), Scanners (1981), and arguably Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) as the toe-dipping into these mutual categories of taking the human form and making it into the next generation of what is a person, as it were.

Part of the opening premise is a tale as old as time…well, at least since the 1960s secret agent film period. Through a bunch of intrigue that you know will make sense at some point involves a secret medical project under attack (it is not hard to figure out that it has something to do with cloning, considering the title), a retired and addicted government agent is reluctantly called out of retirement for one last job by the powers that be, referred to as (of course) The Company. In this case, that ex-retiree would be Ki-Heon Min (Gong Yoo).

Gong Yoo and Park Bo-Gm

As an aside, there was a cultural moment I found interesting. Ki-Heon is talking to a male doctor, Dr. Song (Ron Guan) on the project, and is introduced to the woman who heads the whole thing, Dr. Im Se-Sun (Jang Young Nam) and then Ki-Heon turns his back on her to ask him a question, which he mansplains. Why would he not ask the head? And it’s interesting to see someone smoking a cigarette in a scientific lab. Perhaps I am too woke? But, as always, I digress…

Obviously, Seobok (Park Bo-Gum) – which is alternatively spelled Seo Bok in places – is said first human clone (though I get the feeling that somewhere in the world there are real human clones). But he’s closer to Sil in Species (1995) than pure human, for he cannot naturally die (though under certain circumstances, and that he can be killed). He has grown to a full adult in 10 years, and can also control objects around him with telekinesis like Carrie (1976/2013), and his blood can cure diseases. Among other things, Ki-Heon is entrusted to save him from whomever is trying to squash the project through violent means. Seobok is also an innocent, Jesus-like character in his manner and the “miracles” he can perform through things like healing and telekinesis. But we all know how that story turned out for JC.

While K Ki-Heon is a bundle of tension and energy, Seobok is awkwardly stoic and unemotional, and a bit naive about the world, sort of like the Jim Carey character in The Truman Show (1998), but without the charm and peace of mind. He’s spent his whole life in a lab being painfully experimented upon, and no companion to entrust his thoughts, other than the doctors who are torturing him. He is both enlightened in some ways, and completely oblivious in others. Either way, he has no social skills.

Because we are dealing with secret government agencies, of course we must add in the genre of the likes of The Bourne Identity (2002), with a lot of intrigue, and double and triple crosses. Some you will see coming, such as the well-worn trope of a transport truck and cars being ambushed on the road. I am not giving anything away, because a 5 grader will see it coming a mile away.

One of the things I find amusing (because it is fiction) is in this film, as with many imports, the Americans are the villains. Remember, this was filmed during the Trump years, so I can understand the contempt considering this is made in South Korea, and Trump idolizes their enemy, the leader of North Korea. Jingoistic yahoos from the US South may be offended by this notion of US baddies, without looking at the socio-political implications that imbue it. For obvious reasons, while most of the film is in Korean (with pretty clear captioning), there is some English as well.

There is also a bit of a buddy movie subtheme going on, as Ki-Heon and Seobok bond trying to get out of dangerous situations. There is no real humor as with most buddy pics, but the bonding is there as both men need each other is other ways to save their lives. They are both reliant on each other, one for their abilities of the mind, the other of the body (i.e., shooting and martial arts fighting).

Unlike some of the Asian action films, this starts off more as a character study with occasional bits of violence thrown in, but I really enjoyed some of the quieter bits, such as Seobok experiencing a marketplace for the first time, or he and Ki-Heon talking over a bowl of instant Ramen Noodles, Seobok’s first “real” food (are those packaged soups really food?; it certainly is filled with sodium) as he’s only had “supplements” at the lab.

By the half-way mark, the two main characters are on their own, trying to survive a number of different elements after them, with Ki-Heon’s skill and arms (both physical and McLuhan-esque extensions, i.e., guns) and Seobok’s almost Buddha-like-calmness and telekinesis as their shields to fight their way to possible safety.

The film is overly long at 1:54, but some obvious moments are bound to happen, including some philosophizing about life and death since Seobok can stay alive under the right circumstances and Ki-Heon has six months to live. Also, you just know that Ki-Heon will bring up the “human” emotions in Seobok, and in return Seobok will give Ki-Heon strength to face the inevitable. Despite their differences and cliché distrust at the onset, they form a friendship that goes beyond their expected roles in each other’s lives.

While there are spirts of action sprinkled throughout, most of the film deals with the psychology of our two main protagonists, philosophizing about life and especially death, and what is our purpose, with just a hint of religiosity thrown in between the lines. Naturally, the main thrust of the real action is in the final reel, as it were, reminiscent of both Carrie and Lucy (2014).

The film is beautifully shot, with scenes of what I believe is Seoul, and the countryside as well. The visuals are crisp and the action is not overly edited, which is a rarity these days. While there are some cliches, as I have stated earlier, the story remains interesting albeit overly long. There is also a nice use of brief flashbacks that help us understand the protagonists and antagonists a bit better as far as motivation toward, well, let’s say good and evil. All in all, it was a good watch, even if it is, for me, a single-viewing film.

IMBD Listing HERE