In the future, technology has gotten so advanced that cyborgs have been created with their own individual specializations and consciousness. They can feel, love, and hate…but they’re also susceptible to expiration. Refusing to die off and be recycled, a band of combat cyborgs launch an attack against Neucom genetics in an attempt to prolong their lives and destroy all who get in the way. In the middle of it all are “R” and “Noma”, two soldiers trained to battle against this type of renegade cyborg. But all is not what it seems, as there’s something R is hiding, and some kind of conspiracy brewing behind the curtains.
Natural City is another entry into Korea’s attempts at making a blockbuster Sci-Fi action movie. Yet again, I’m sorry to say that this movie failed in its attempts to make its mark on the genre. Natural City has the potential to be a very good movie, and it’s a shame that the plot and execution of the movie wasn’t worked on more scrutiniously. The premise of the movie is pretty much the same as Blade Runner in many aspects. The story involves cyborgs who are conscious of their own lives and are willing to fight to prolong their lives when they find out that they’re only programmed to live a certain amount of time. Other elements that make it similar to the latter are basically the environment, flying cars, and the constant rainy weather that’s ever so present in both movies. I’m not complaining, as I enjoyed both movies and their bleek atmospheric surroundings. I suggest going into this movie not expecting a genre defining movie, but just another entry into the game to make an effective Korean sci-fi movie.
Natural City does do some things right though, and should definitely be acknowledged when considering the movie as a whole. The CG is done very well for one thing; the majorities of the effects blend in flawlessly and don’t look out of place at all. The look of the film is just about right, so naturally, it’s got the post-apocalyptic feel that most futuristic movies have, and it all works out pretty well in the end and matches the content. Aside from special effects, Natural City also has very good action choreography. In the same sense of 2009: Lost Memories, this movie follows the same “Style over Substance” method of action. There are some mighty fine poses here and there, and cyborgs spin and jump like bunnies on crack! In this movie, the cyborgs are highly trained fighters, who apparently are far superior in fighting skills than a “natural” human. Something I noticed though was an over-use of slow motion effects in an attempt to enhance the action scenes. This works in a sense, but when it’s done almost every scene, it really doesn’t have much of an effect as the first time.
The movie is carried out at a rather slow pace and at times becomes very boring and tedious to follow the plot. What kept me going was the hope that the story would get better, because the movie is definitely interesting, but the pacing is terrible! Sometimes the action is very good and everything is fast paced, but afterwards, everything is drowned out in moments of babble and character introspection. Yu-Ji Tae is a mixed bag of acting. At times, he’s okay as the troubled soldier torn between love and duty. However, there are some instances in which he lacks any emotion and that hurts the scenes that would otherwise be a pleasure to watch. As for the other main characters, Yun Chan was decent as his friend and partner “Noma,” and Seo Rin was…well…perfect as R’s cyborg girlfriend “Ria.”
So basically, Natural City is a pretty bad movie. But it’s done on a pretty good budget with excellent CG and stylistic action sequences. It is in no way a “so bad it’s good” movie. It’s only the initial premise of the movie and effects that save the movie from being a less than mediocre sci-fi B movie. In case you were wondering, Natural City is a billion times better than the last effort called “Yesterday.” So check out Natural City for South Korea’s newest venture into the genre, and enjoy it for what it is, and in time, I’m sure we’ll finally get a decent Korean Science Fiction movie.
This Tartan Asia Extreme DVD features an anamorphic widescreen transfer along with a DTS Korean audio track and English subtitles. Unfortunately, the transfer suffers from compression problems and looks a bit fuzzy sometimes; nothing serious enough to make the film unwatchable but it's still a bit annoying. I didn’t have a chance to see the original Korean DVD so I cannot tell if the problem was also present on the Korean release. The extras consist of a Making Of, Deleted Scenes, Cast Interview, Original Trailer and 5 Asia Extreme new release trailers.
Natural City is presented in a great 2 disc special edition. If you’re into tin cases, hurry and order the Limited Edition while supplies last. The tin is similar to the type used for the Terminator 2: Special Edition DVD in which it slides over the case of the DVD. Disc one contains the feature presentation in a clear and crisp, but at times soft 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Audio options include Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Of course, the DTS track sounds a bit clearer and audio separation sounds slightly better. Rounding out the first disc are a director commentary, Cast & Crew info, Music video, trailer and TV Spot. Disc Two contains the rest of the extras, which are split into two sections.
In The Frame
- The Story of Natural City
- TV Documentary
- Deleted Scenes
- Cast Interviews
- Key Words of Natural City.
Into The Movie
- The World of Natural City
- Making of Title Logo
- Canne Promo
- Gallery (Stills, Artwork, Sketches)