Alienoid

Hundreds of years ago in Korea, warriors of legend race to obtain a fabled sword. Meanwhile, in the present day Korea, secret agents hunt down an alien prisoner that is trapped within a human's body. Two timelines tangle when a time-traveling portal opens up, with the whole of existence hanging in the balance, only to discover that the future has plans of its own...

Just to be clear up front… I loved this.

Alienoid is everything good about escapist popcorn cinema. It’s big, loud, and dumb. It’s an “everything but the kitchen sink” mashup by writer/director Choi Dong-hoon, and it’s an absolute blast from start to finish.

Does it make sense?

Does it matter?

This is the part where I explain what Alienoid is about and, hmmm, well… okay, it involves time traveling robots from across the galaxy, a heathy helping of highflying xianxia, some evil alien prisoners caged within the brains of unsuspecting humans, a young girl from the present, as well the adult version of her from the future, both of whom are trapped hundreds of years in the past. There’s some cocky super-powered Taoist wizards from the 13th century, a shape-shifting robot Jeep Cherokee, a pair of magically morphing cats, and a detestable lowlife who goes by the name of Dog Turd. These disparate elements are all involved in a breakneck chase across time, hunting a mighty MacGuffin known as the Divine Blade, a very mysterious and powerful object whose mystery is exceeded only by its power.

That pretty much covers it.

Plot isn’t really the thing thats going to bring most people to this high-octane sugar rush super-soaker of a sci-fi action fantasy film. Alienoid leaps ridiculously between wild-ass time-separated set pieces, and yet somehow always maintains its balance, tone, and momentum throughout. It’s fast, funny, bright, and always over the top.

It’s just… a good time.

Where something like China’s recent Warriors of the Future film has all the grim dourness of a Michael Bay movie, minus those glorious Golden Hour shots, Alienoid has all the charming characterization of a Marvel movie, but without the limitations of idiot asshole fandom demands and expectations.

Now, sure, a handsome absolute genius and a true artiste may notice, and then very pointedly say out loud as they sip their fancy brown liquor, that Alienoid is perhaps… Mmmm… a little bit overstuffed, that maybe there’s “too much” of everything going on, and who am I to refute such insightful commentary, such pure artistic taste?

But that having been said, Alienoid is still an absolute blast. Check it out.