Movie · 2017 · Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller · 2h 19m · NR · Korean
Curator score: 5.1/10 (53K ratings)
Fate continues even after death.
Overview
Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent in human life, he’s able to reincarnate, and his 3 afterlife guardians are by his side to defend him in trial.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.1/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.51/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
TMDB: 8.0/10
Director
Kim Yong-hwa
Production
Lotte Entertainment, Dexter Studios, Realies Pictures, Korean Film Council, Alpha Pictures, kth
Cast
Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Dong-wook, Ye Su-jeong, Oh Dal-su, Im Won-hee, Sung Yoo-bin, Goo Seung-hyun, Lee Jun-hyuk, Doh Kyung-soo, Jung Hae-kyun, Kim Hae-sook, Kim Su-an, Lee Kyung-young, Kim Ha-neul, Jang Kwang, Kang Da-hyeon
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten Viki, AsianCrush, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A visually ambitious Korean fantasy blockbuster that blends afterlife mythology, courtroom-style trials, and family melodrama with real emotional payoff. The story can feel overstuffed and the CG occasionally overwhelms the human drama, but the scale, sincerity, and tear-jerking themes make it an easy recommendation for viewers open to big, earnest spectacle.
Best for
fans of emotional fantasy epics
viewers who like afterlife stories and moral trials
audiences seeking large-scale Korean blockbuster spectacle
people who enjoy action mixed with family melodrama
Skip if
you want tightly written, minimalist storytelling
CG-heavy fantasy tends to distract you
you dislike sentimental or tearful drama
you need a fully original plot without familiar genre beats
Overview
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is a crowd-pleasing afterlife adventure that turns judgment day into a series of vivid set pieces. Its premise is simple but elastic: a dead firefighter must survive seven trials while his guardians argue his case, and the film uses that structure to move between action, fantasy, and family tragedy with surprising confidence.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the emotional core. Beneath the spectacle, it’s really about guilt, duty, and the stories families tell about one another after death. The movie leans hard into sentiment, but it earns a lot of those feelings through its pacing and the way each trial reframes the protagonist’s life.
Bottom line
Not every effect lands cleanly, and some twists are easy to see coming, but the film’s ambition is hard to resist. If you like your blockbusters big, sincere, and a little bit weepy, this is exactly the kind of fantasy that sticks with you.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jack Warren (4.5★) · 486 likes
THE ONLY THING COOLER THAN GLOWING RED SWORDS AND BILLOWING BLACK COATS IS LOVING YOUR MOM!!!!!!!!!!!
Ninjaa 🇮🇳 (3★) · 306 likes
Glad to know shitty justice systems exist even after death
Rye (4★) · 183 likes
you, stupid: this korean melodrama is a cgi heavy fantasy with predictable storyline and just flashy effects
me, An Intellectual, through my sea of tears: THIS IS MY SHIT
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4★) · 140 likes
Better than all the Fantastic Beasts movies on every regard.
I wouldn't have known about this film if it wasn't for people here like Geoffrey and several others who had given it high marks. And the film is excellent in many ways, from the creativity on display both on the visuals and the story to the little nuance and heart in the story with a third act that brought several tears to my eyes. The cinematography and special effects are… more
caitlin (4★) · 105 likes
exo’s do kyungsoo really tied with hugh grant in Paddington 2 (haven’t seen it I just know) for best supporting performance huh!