During the year 2021, the Korean Film industry came out with two sci-fi films that caught the attention of viewers. The first one was ‘Space Sweepers’ with a Star Wars like vibe, and the second one ‘Seo Bok’, exploring human intelligence and the unstoppable search of humanity for immortality.
Directed and written by Lee Yong-ju, ‘Seo Bok’ stars Gong Yoo as Min Gi-heon and Park Bo-gum as Seo Bok, the first human clone.
Former Intelligence agent
Gi-heon is a former intelligence agent, who is terminally ill and is struggling with coming to terms of the reality of his illness and his life coming to an end. He was an agent known for his skills and work. One day he gets called by a colleague who asks him to do one more mission in exchange for his biggest desire, to live longer.
Gi-heon accepts and embarks on a journey where betrayal is present every step of the way, however, he has his mind set on achieving his mission, protecting Seo Bok.
Seo Bo is the first human clone created through genetic engineering, he grew-up in the lab where he was constantly tested and knows nothing about life outside of it. As he grows he starts questioning the purpose of his life and the reasons why he was created.
During the transportation of Seo Bok under the protection of Gi-heon, they are attacked by an international force directed by a group of people who disagree with the purpose of Seo Bok’s existence, human immortality.
During the attack, both manage to escape to a safe location. Adventure awaits Seo Bok, who has never seen life outside the lab, and Gi-heon, who finally starts understanding the meaning of his existence and how life always comes to an end.
The Perfect Human
‘Seo Bok’ explores two sides of humanity, one wanting to achieve perfection and immortality, and the other one fearing the consequences of this objective. The movie plays well on both sides, and the reasoning behind the objectives of each party.
The acting as expected was top notch, the cast was made of top tier actors and they performed their roles incredibly, however, I would have loved seeing the movie go more in depth with the characters instead of focusing so much on the ambitions of the lab and the politics related to Seo Bok’s existence.
Nevertheless, ‘Seo Bok’ is an enjoyable movie with an interesting plot that had a lot more potential if the story had been driven slightly differently.
You can watch the trailer below.
