Director Yeon Sang-ho‘s Netflix film ‘Revelation’, based on a webtoon of the same name, has proven global interest once again by topping the global charts. Although reactions to the film were somewhat mixed, it succeeded in capturing viewers’ attention along with universal acclaim for the crazy acting of lead actor Ryu Jun-yeol.

According to Netflix on the 25th, ‘Revelation’, which was released on the 21st, recorded 11.6 million hours of cumulative viewing (5.7 million views) in its first week (17th-23rd), taking first place in the weekly viewing rankings for non-English language movies. This is a figure that is nearly three times that of the Mexican film ‘Counterattack’ (6.1 million views), which came in second.

However, the reviews of this film, which depicts the story of a pastor who comes to believe that punishing the culprit of a missing person‘s case is a revelation from God, are somewhat in contrast to its successful box office performance. The freshness index (expert rating) of Rotten Tomatoes, a major global content rating site, and the movie and drama database IMDb recorded 69% and 6 points (out of 10), respectively, falling short of expectations.

Hong Kong’s leading media outlet South China Morning Post commented that this film tried to have a “more realistic and realistic tone” than director Yeon Sang-ho‘s previous genre works, such as ‘Parasy: The Grey’ and ‘Hellbound’, but “it fell victim to the “haler logic and shallow plot” that have also been problems in other recent works. IndieWire said, “The result is a multi-layered but messy adaptation that tries to tell a dead story in a new way based on a webtoon,” and critic Roger Ebert also expressed regret, saying, “The lack of narrative drive has led to a long-winded piece.”

Despite some disappointing reviews of the film, there has been widespread praise for Ryu Jun-yeol’s outstanding acting. Ryu Jun-yeol plays the role of a pastor named Seong Min-chan, who receives a mission to pioneer a small church and leads it, and he delivers a chilling performance of the character‘s dramatic emotional changes as he descends into madness under his twisted belief that he has received a revelation from God.

FandomWire, an American entertainment media outlet, said, “This is one of the most impressive films of the year where the acting of the lead actor stands out,” and film critic Lee Dong-jin said on his YouTube content, “Ryu Jun-yeol’s acting in the film is truly excellent. Ryu Jun-yeol‘s acting has been good for a long time, but I strongly recommend his acting in ‘Revelation’, saying, ”I really want (everyone) to see it.“


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.