Space Monster Wangmagwi

Space Monster Wangmagwi (Korean: 우주괴인 왕마귀; RR: Ujugoein Wangmagwi; lit. Devil King, the Space Monster) is a 1967 South Korean kaiju film. It is the oldest surviving giant monster film to be made in South Korea[2][1] and one of the all-Korean made science fiction film.[3] It features a space variation on the plot to King Kong.[3] It was inspired by Japanese kaiju films such as Godzilla as well as King Kong. Its 157,000 extras were among the most ever recruited for a film.[4] After the film's theatrical release in South Korea, the film has been shown at Korean Film Archive screenings and has been available to view on computers on-site at the Korean Film Archive's library.[5][6][7][8] In 2022 SRS Cinema licensed the film for home media distribution in the United States.[9]

Space Monster Wangmagwi
1967 Newspaper ad
Directed byKwon Hyeok-jin
Written byByeon Ha-yeong
StarringHan Eun-jin
Kim Hie-gab
Won Namkung
Kim Seon-kyeong
CinematographyChang Gi Ham
Edited byDong-Chun Hyeon
Music byJong-kun Jeon
Production
company
Century Company
Release date
June 27, 1967
Running time
83 minutes[1]
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Plot

Although the plot resembles King Kong, the monster is described as resembling reptilians such as the film Creature from the Black Lagoon, one with large fangs from its two sets of jaws alongside claws on hands and feet with a box on its back. Aliens from another world seeking the conquest of Earth invade with flying saucers. They unleash a gigantic monster called Wangmagwi, who destroys everything in its path. The Air Force, led by ace pilot Oh Jeong-hwan, is dispatched, but can do little in such still heavily populated areas. Amidst the carnage, the Space Monster picks up Oh's bride, Ahn Hee, carrying her along as it carries out the alien orders. However, when it tries to crush a young boy, named Spider, the kid evades the monster by scrambling up its arm and hitching a ride in the monster's ear. He tortures it from within, cutting through its ear drum and, after finding a path to the nostrils, stabbing its inner nasal cavity. Eventually, Wangmagwi deploys a powerful death ray, melting entire buildings, forcing Oh to finally take action. He executes a risky plan to save his bride and the boy, while hopefully stopping the beast once and for all.

Cast
  • Nam Koong Won as Jeong-wan Oh
  • Seon-kyeong Kim as Ahn-hee
  • Sang-cheol Jeon as Street Urchin
  • Eun-jin Han
  • Hie-gab Kim

Release

Critical response

After watching the film at the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival, Christopher Stewardson of Our Culture Mag gave the film one and a half stars out of five, writing: "While not a good film, Space Monster Wangmagwi has its moments of weird delight. Its appeal may be illusive for most, but I'm glad it's getting its moment in the sun."[10]

See also

References
  1. Bottenberg, Rupert. "Space Monster Wangmagwi". Fantasia Festival. Fantasia International Film Festival. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. Peirse, Alison (2013). Korean Horror Cinema. Edinburgh University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0748643097.
  3. Hardy, Phil (1986). The encyclopedia of science fiction movies. Woodbury Press. p. 269. ASIN B000OLOF8I.
  4. Robertson, Patrick (1980). Movie facts and feats: a Guinness record book. Sterling Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 0-8069-0204-3.
  5. "Darcy's Korean Film Page - 1960s".
  6. "Giant Movie Monsters from Around the World". 22 February 2021.
  7. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Space Monster Wangmagwi ( 스페이스 몬스터 왕 마귀 ) - 1967 - Footage. YouTube.
  8. "KMDb - 한국영화데이터베이스".
  9. "SPACE MONSTER WANGMAGWI: SRS Cinema Acquires North American Rights to Long Lost Korean Monster Movie!". SciFi Japan. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  10. Stewardson, Christopher (July 21, 2022). "Fantasia 2022 Review: Space Monster Wangmagwi (1967)". Our Culture Mag. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.