Natural City (2003)

Rebuilt after a devastating war, the world of 2080 has given rise to advanced technologies including the creation of cyborgs. Created with artificial intelligence (AI), human-like emotions and great strength, they serve one master for their entire lifespan. When the cyborgs revolt, R (Yoo Ji-tae)and Noma (Yoon Chan), Rs best friend and commander, lead an elite military squad ordered to eliminate the rebellion. Unbeknownst to anyone, R has fallen in love with Ria (Seo Rin), his cyborg, and is illegally harvesting AI chips from dead cyborgs in order to save her life. Torn between his love for Ria and the battle to save mankind, humanitys fate hangs in the balance.

If Blade Runner had a sequel (3 1/2 stars)

Right off the top, this film loses a star for putting Doo-hong Jung in the flick and totally underutilizing him. The guy is the king of Korean martial arts flicks and he gets relegated to a few, sparse action sequences.
As for the film itself, it's not bad. For those people who feel that "Blade Runner" is the end-all, be-all of human/cyborg love and that no other film should ever be done that deals with that subject: stay away from this film. While it does deal with the same basic premise, it certainly sets itself apart from "Blade Runner". Sure, it has that very cyber-punk futuristic feel, but the story almost would pick up where BR left off. We find our main character in the last few days of his cyborg love's life and what he's doing to try and save her. But we also find the familiar Asian themes of brotherhood and love vs. loyalty/duty, self-interest vs. greater good, whereas in BR the main theme was "what is life?" and that was about it. So NC tends to be a bit more complex (but I still like BR far more).

The visuals are well done and the acting is pretty solid. It does have a very stylized visual approach that will remind some of "The Matrix". The story was just play. It seemed to wander a bit here and there and the main character's actions often seemed to contradict what the whole movie was about (read: he sure has a funny way of showing affection). Maybe there's something deeper, some underlying motivation that I missed, but I thought he just came across like a d-bag to his woman. And that runs counter to the stated purpose of the whole thing.

Basically, it's a decent movie that could have been better. The action feels restrained and the story tends to try and make itself deeper than it actually is. Performances and visuals are overall solid. Sci-fi fans should enjoy this one. Action fans will feel cheated by seeing talented martial artists going to waste. I enjoyed it, and maybe I'll watch it again someday...just not anytime soon. August 29, 2008

Better Than Blade Runner, Unique and Well-Acted.

I am one of the original oficionados of Blade Runner. This means that when no one thought it was worth a $&*&, I was already lost inside of it. Here was a film that investigated so many deep things and yet... it entertained.
Natural City is possibly even better, but this is 2008. We have learned a lot about film making. Like Blade Runner, it has a lot of action, it offers something (without hammering it into your head) to think about and surprise... A great yet unannoying love story.
The acting is great, story line efficient and visuals will pleasantly keep you lost for the length of the film, and wanting more.
Like Blade Runner, it will take you many painless viewings to appreciate how good this film is.
To the director, cast & crew: Please send more... I would lose myself in Natural City. June 6, 2008

cool as hell

If viewed with no preconceptions then natural city is pleasantly surprising, the plot tends to drag in places but when the action kicks off this movie definately delivers. May 5, 2008

Dead Boring

While pretty to look at, it's impossible to care about this dud. If you want some nice visuals on the wall but don't care about story, characters, suspense, etc. then this is your film. I like Korean cinema, but this is a real low point. See Volcano High instead (subtitled, not dubbed!). April 27, 2008

Korean Blade Runner?! You've got to be kidding me!

My girlfriend and I just saw this turkey last night and all I can say is "calling it a Korean Blade Runner is just SACRILEDGE! There are only 4 things that this forgettable scifi flick even remotely has in common with Blade Runner: 1st There's a talking zeppelin with ads on it, 2nd There's a noodle bar that the main character R eats at, 3rd The futuristic police in the movie are after renegade cyborgs whom have a limited lifespan, and finally There are telephones in which you can see the very person you are talking to. Other than that this movie is nothing at all like Blade Runner! What Blade Runner had that this movie seriously lacked was a)character development, b)relatable characters, c)better edited scenes and pacing, and d)Blade Runner made total sense! Not only didn't me or my girlfriend understand what was going on most of the time but also this movie was the dullest scifi movie I've seen since Solaris! That being said it's better just to stick with Blade Runner!! March 7, 2008

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