Review | Monstrum film review: man-eating monster roams Korean royal court in period fantasy
Monster meets political intrigue in this CGI-heavy, yet ultimately disappointing Korean period-drama horror film. The plot is unsurprising and the creature lacks a personality
2/5 stars
A mysterious beast is running amok in the royal court in Monstrum, the first in a wave of upcoming Korean fantasies to blend period drama with full-blown horror.
Zombie thriller Rampant and Netflix series Kingdom will also take place in the Joseon era, but first to arrive is Huh Jong-ho’s CGI-laden romp, gleefully weaving man-eating monsters into a classic tale of political subterfuge.
King Jungjong (Park Sung-woong) tasks disgraced general Yun Kyum (Kim Myung-min) with hunting down the mysterious “monstrum”, which has been killing villagers and spreading a deadly plague throughout the kingdom.
With adopted daughter Myung (singer Lee Hye-ri in her film debut) and sworn brother Sung Han (Kim In-kwon) in tow, Yun Kyum must prove whether the beast is real, or merely a rumour spread by the king’s adversaries.
Introduced as a true story in the opening credits, Monstrum quickly confirms itself to be pure fantasy, but remains undecided whether to present the beast as a mistreated pawn in Prime Minister Sim Woon’s (Lee Kyoung-young) coup d’état, or a genuinely scary monstrosity.