Movie · 2018 · Action, Science Fiction · 2h 6m · Korean
Curator score: 8.4/10 (22.8K ratings)
Everything changed after they appeared.
Overview
Ja-yoon is a high school student who struggles with memory loss after she endured some unknown trauma during her childhood. While trying to uncover the truth, she is unwittingly dragged into a world of crime and finds herself on a journey that will awaken many secrets hidden deep within.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.4/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
TMDB: 7.9/10
Director
Park Hoon-jung
Production
Peppermint & Company, Warner Bros. Korea, Goldmoon Film, Finecut, Huayi Tencent Entertainment, Union Investment Partners
Cast
Kim Da-mi, Cho Min-soo, Park Hee-soon, Choi Woo-shik, Go Min-si, Choi Jung-woo, Oh Mi-hee, Kim Byeong-ok, Jeong Da-eun, Lee Ju-won, Kim Ha-na, Lee Si-woo, Lee Si-hoon, Baek Seung-chul, Woo Min-kyu, Kim Jong-hoon, Seo Han-gyeol, Park Jong-hwan, Jin Yeong-joon, Kwak Jin-seok
Where to watch
Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, violent Korean genre hybrid that starts as a mystery about a traumatized teen and steadily mutates into a brutal superhuman action thriller. Its biggest strengths are the central performance, the escalating reveals, and the way it balances YA-movie setup with hard-edged crime and sci-fi energy.
Best for
fans of Korean action cinema
viewers who like hidden-identity and memory-loss plots
people who enjoy violent, stylish genre mashups
audiences looking for a female-led power fantasy with a dark edge
Skip if
you want a fully self-contained story with no sequel setup
you dislike sudden tonal shifts from teen drama to ultraviolence
you prefer grounded action without sci-fi or genetic experimentation
you are sensitive to graphic violence and bloodshed
Overview
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion is one of those movies that looks like a familiar coming-of-age mystery until it abruptly reveals its true, nastier shape. What begins with a quiet, almost fragile heroine and a missing-memory hook turns into a ferocious collision of secret programs, criminal pursuit, and superhuman violence. The film’s pleasure comes from watching the genre gears click into place, then grind harder than expected.
Worth noting
Kim Da-mi gives the movie its center of gravity, making Ja-yoon feel both vulnerable and unnervingly controlled as the story peels back her past. Around her, the film keeps a tight grip on mood: clinical labs, rural unease, and bursts of savage action that land with real force. It’s not subtle, but it is confident, and that confidence helps the twists feel like escalation rather than mere gimmick.
Bottom line
The movie also knows how to sell its villainy and its spectacle. It leans into the fun of watching predators become prey, while still keeping a thread of melancholy around identity and exploitation. As a first chapter, it leaves a lot hanging, but as a standalone ride it’s sharp, propulsive, and memorably unhinged.
Top Letterboxd reviews
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watched this only to see choi woo shik playing a psycho with a puppy face tbh
Shares the idea of a young woman raised as a weapon and released into a larger conspiracy, with a similar blend of identity mystery and kinetic action.
2010 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 59m · R · Curator 8.1/10 (58.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, MUBI, Rakuten Viki, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
Combines a damaged protector figure, criminal underworld action, and a steadily intensifying rescue mission.
1995 · Action, Animation, Science Fiction · 1h 23m · NR · Curator 8.7/10 (568.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For the identity-and-body questions, cybernetic unease, and cool, atmospheric sci-fi worldbuilding.