D-War shoots to the top

Posted on : 2007-08-07 12:54 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Netizens flock to movie fan-sites in support of Shim Hyung-rae and South Korean film industry

Director Shim Hyung-rae’s monster movie “D-War” is emerging as one of the best-performing films at the South Korean box office this year. “D-War” has sold a total of 2.95 million tickets since it opened on Aug. 1 and set an opening-week record in South Korea, beating Walt Disney Co.’s blockbuster, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” which sold 2.71 million tickets in its first week.

“D-War” is particularly gaining popularity with fans on the Internet. Every day, thousands of new visitors become members of several Internet Web sites for fans of “D-War.” The fans have been posting exuberant messages to support both Shim and his movie. Some analysts say that people have sympathy and support for Shim because of his personal background.

The fans of “D-War” have enthusiastically supported Shim, a former TV comedian, because he has so often been bullied by the nation’s mainstream filmmakers. Shim has often confessed that he traveled a long and winding road to become a movie director after spending his career as a comedian. “When people say Shim Hyung-rae makes a movie, they underestimate it and tend to see only 40 percent of its potential,” Shim told a TV program before the release of “D-War.”

“Because he wasn’t a famous director with a household name, people supported Shim with more enthusiasm,” said a “D-War” fan-club member. High-quality computer graphics are the most cited factor for the movie’s supporters, but that is not the only reason. As the movie nears its end, viewers usually clap loudly because the nationalist folksong “Arirang” is played while Shim says, “I want to become the world’s best.”

Kim Min-hee, a 29-year-old “D-War” fan-club member, admitted that there was a sense of patriotism about the film. “Most fans hope that ‘D-War’ will be successful in the U.S. and build an infrastructure so that other South Korean movies can make inroads into overseas markets,” Kim said.

In the meantime, some critics have expressed concern, saying there is a debate over “D-War” and that it is heating up fast. After director Lee Song Hee-il, who made the independent film “No Regret,” posted his critical review of “D-War” on his blog, some Internet users began verbally attacking him by posting a number of replies on the site. In the end, Lee was forced to shut his blog down. In contrast, some viewers say, “When some people think that a movie isn’t good, they have the right to say it wasn’t good.”

A movie industry watcher said it was not desirable for people to epitomize these issues as a confrontation between mainstream and non-mainstream filmmakers. In addition, the industry watcher said that moviegoers seemed to be showing their discontent over a cut in the screen quota system, and hence the nation’s movie industry, through the release of “D-War.”

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