Secteur 7

Touted as one of the first 3D monster movie coming out of Korea that was a box office sensation, Sector 7 hits all the sweet spots as far as playing up the hunter-prey formula of monster versus helpless humans, but did it take a long time in getting there, weighted down by a pretty lengthy first act that served as an introduction to all the characters involved, and dwelling a bit more into their respective formulaic caricatures before unleashing hell onboard an oil rig crew that doesn't have the luck when it comes to looking for and digging for black gold.

Ha Ji-Won plays Cha Hae-Joon, the lone female oil rig miner besides the other female crew in doctor Hyun-Jung (Cha Ye-Ryeon), in what would be a testosterone filled occupation out in the rough seas. The team seems to be hitting dead ends continuously, and are ordered to cease operations only for Ahn Jung-Man (Ahn Sung-Ki) to return to the rig, and whose intentions will be made clear as the film progresses. But with the skeleton crew left behind, they find what they're looking for, and with that success managed to find time to engage in some shenanigans such as motorbike racing on the rig platform, and trading of war stories through the comparison of scars earned through their tough jobs. It is here of course that we learn of their broad values and principles, which will come useful once the monster gets unleashed.

It isn't the first time that the Koreans have dabbled in monster films, having the very acclaimed The Host and others like Chaw making it to the country's filmography. Sector 7 proves to be a worthy addition to that list, with director Kim Ji-Hun knowing what it takes to keep up the suspense and to build anticipation, and utilizing the best of lighting and camera angles to take the narrative forward, even though one may have to shrug at the story by Yun Je-Gyun which is riddled with the usual formulaic clichés. Characters turn into caricatures and remain wafer thin, and you know just about everyone is fair game to being chomped by the monster, especially those who display negative traits that you will root for karma to make its full circle, even if it means having the narrative go through the necessary convenience.

Themes such as camaraderie and courage are a given, as are minor subplots involving friendships and romance in the middle of the rig south of Jeju Island. Once this film decided to become a monster flick from the halfway mark, it essentially became a Ha Ji-Won vehicle, with the actress having come a long way since her Sex is Zero time, to the tough as nails cookie character who dishes out as good as she receives, aping to reach the ranks of the Ripleys and the Connors through her acrobatic stunts, quick wit and keen sense of survival. That benchmark unfortunately was a little bit hard to reach.

The creature design is certainly one of the best things about the film, with the filmmakers never shy to always want to keep it under wraps or shadows. With such a beautiful beast created, the last thing you want to do is to hide it, so from the onset we get to see what the threat looks like, with its razor like fangs and wicked whip-like tongue, as well as armoured skin making it all quite impervious to just about everything everyone throws at it, from shotgun projectiles to harpoons, yet susceptible to melee weapons such as the good ol' axe. What aced the design was the creature's inherent combustible nature, adding much needed gravitas to plot development and requisite rationale why and how things developed the way they were, as well as being responsible for some of the more aesthetically shot action sequences complete with slow-mo techniques to bring out sheer awe.

But ultimately while Sector 7 can be a guilty pleasure as far as monster flicks go with the hunter very much in control and threatening different prey along the way, it never quite reached the heights it had the potential to. If only it had a less cliché development, added a lot more varied scenes in which fodder got dispatched, and made characters whom we actually care a lot more for, then this would have been something more memorable indeed.

Seriously. That's pretty much the film that we have on hand. A crew isolated out in the middle of nowhere (aka an oil rig), are attempting to do a job, when they encounter a strange, brutal creature.

Unlike 'Alien,' there's very few characters to care about. There's a gaggle of idiots (one pretty much the Jar Jar Binks of comedy relief) that you just know are fodder for the creature.

Most of this films feels like it was shot against a green-screen, as we see lots of process-shots, and even some fake motorcycle-riding (yes, motorcycles on an oil rig, they are THAT bored!).

This was also a 3D horror film, so we have lots of images of swooping cameras, characters moving in and out of the frame, and stuff coming' right at ya! Personally, give me 'Alien' or 'The Host' any day, and leave 'Sector 7' to sink into the abyss.

Bong Joon-ho's critical and commercial success 'The Host' set a gold standard for creature features in South Korea, but it isn't simply because of this genre predecessor that 'Sector 7' rode on a tidal wave of expectations prior to its release. Nonetheless, that wave crashed before it even reached shore- overwhelmingly negative critical reception and soon after audience reception all but ensured that 'Sector 7' never became the monster box-office hit it was supposed to be back in its home territory.

It's unfortunate that the bar was already set unrealistically high for the movie even before it opened. Indeed, director Kim Ji-hoon's followup to his well-received 2007 historical epic 'May 18' is really just a well-made B-monster movie, without the kind of smart scriptwriting needed for it to meet critic and audience expectations. Sure it doesn't have what it takes to be outstanding, but those looking for some good old straightforward thrills will find that 'Sector 7' delivers those just fine.

In case you're wondering, the title of the movie refers to a continental shelf off Jeju Islands that was thought to hold massive oil and natural gas reserves. Its sovereignty was the focus of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan in the 1970s, with both nations eager to exploit it for its resources. The history behind the stretch of ocean may add a dose of reality for those who have lived long enough through the tenacious two-party negotiations, but any hopes that this may make for some intelligent social commentary in the movie- especially considering the energy crisis facing the world today- should quickly be set aside.

Instead, screenwriters Kim Hwi and JK Youn opt for a standard bare-bones character setup before unleashing the monster. The most developed character among the lot is Hae-jun (Ha Ji-won), a headstrong female engineer atop an offshore oil rig at loggerheads with her captain who believes their expedition is a fruitless one. Next to Hae-jun is that of her mentor Master (Ahn Sung-ki), who arrives on the rig after the order to vacate and convinces the captain it might be worthwhile to persevere. Other than Hae-jun and Master, the others are no more than prey - including Hae-jun's boyfriend Dong-su (Oh Ji-ho), best buddies Sang-gu and Jong-yun (Park Chul-min and Song Sae-byeok) and socially awkward Chi-sun.

It takes about half an hour before things start to go awry, and by that point, besides confirming the audience's suspicion that Master isn't as worthy as he seems to be, Ji-hoon is content to let the action take centre-stage. So one by one, these characters will find themselves hunted by the monster and eventually meet their demise, until of course just Dong-su, Master and Hae-joon are left standing. Ji-hoon reserves the film's single longest climactic sequence for them, substituting the narrow passageways beneath the rig where most of the earlier action takes place for the wide open expanse on the platform. Logic and reason are not required from the start of the unrelenting action up till the end- all Ji-hoon demands of his audience is to sit back and let the adrenaline kick in.

At least in this regard, Ji-hoon delivers where it counts, aided by no less than his lead actress Ji-won, who has been dubbed Korea's Angelina Jolie after performing all her own stunts in this film. Seeing Ji-won in the thick of the action, especially when she gets on a motorbike and zips along the platform with the beast fast behind her, is thrilling to say the least- though that very standout sequence is somewhat marred by some not-so-good CGI betraying the green screen against which it was shot. Nonetheless, she is more than convincing as a female action hero, and one only hopes that the writers had spent more time with her character to make it equally memorable.

Certainly, if even Hae-joon comes off one-dimensional, you can be sure that the monster will only fare worse. The purpose behind the monster's pursuit of its prey is never clearly defined, since it neither seems to devour them or bring them back to its nest where its embryos lay cocooned in some gooey mess. The latter's reference is also pointless, since the film makes no attempt to weave it into the story after only a brief scene. And even if it isn't meant to make much sense, the leap of logic the film demands from its audience when the monster is explained to be from the chemo-synthetic (read: deep-sea) ecosystem but spends so much of its time out of the water is just too glaring to ignore.

It doesn't help too that Ji-hoon reveals the monster in its entirety too early into the film, abandoning any attempt at building audience anticipation all too quickly. The decision to rely on a homegrown effects studio (as opposed to a foreign one like 'The Host' did) might be worth touting for their local audience, but you're likely to come off thinking that the CG work is nothing remarkable. The same can also be said of the 3D in the movie, which lends depth to certain scenes, but arguably not in the action-heavy ones that matter,

You'll understand why then the disappointment that 'Sector 7' was met with when it was released back in its home territory, since it lacks the smart scriptwriting and sharp direction needed for it to become another classic like 'The Host'. Instead, it is a perfectly generic creature feature, offering nothing more than B-grade movie thrills that would probably still satisfy an undemanding audience. But since it probably doesn't have to live up to such lofty expectations here, 'Sector 7' will do just fine as a no-frills action adventure- forgettable ultimately but thrilling and entertaining enough while it lasts.

Exactly what you think it is. A feeble attempt at an Alien remake except Alien didn't have CGI. God, what is it with the CGI these days?! So many half way movies that could have simply been considered quirky B-grade monster movies have turned into video games. Lazy film making in my opinion. I did like the overall premise and the sets were fantastic-- although I could not tell how many were computer generated. They already did Alien, and they already did the Abyss. This movie basically exploits both with no apologies. It really would have been so much better with less effects. More plot, better script etc. I really hate these video game movies. Nuff said.

SECTOR 7 is a adrenaline-fuelled monster flick from South Korea, but it's nowhere near in the same class as the quirky masterpiece that is THE HOST, so if you're looking for similarities between the two you'll be disappointed. Instead this is the kind of foreign production that happily copies Hollywood classics, in this case the likes of ALIEN, ALIENS, and JAWS.

The film is set on an oil rig where the light crew are terrorised by a hulking undersea beastie. While I appreciate that the filmmakers are happy to show off the monster here - and quite extensively - which makes a pleasing contrast to the kind of teasing behaviour exhibited in many a Hollywood movie - the CGI effects are only acceptable, really, and hardly the stuff of greatness (as in THE HOST).

What is a shame is that a lot of the shooting style is so cheesy. Many of the action sequences were shot on a green screen, so they look pretty poor, especially the motorbike bits. Plus this was a 3D film so there's all of the screen-flying fakery to go with it. The plot is very predictable, but the cast all do their jobs well, particularly lead actress Ha Ji-won (PHONE, TIDAL WAVE), and there's plentiful action - particularly in the second half - to enjoy. If you can stomach the cheesiness and are happy to forego realism, that is.