The South Korean film industry is going from strength to strength, and the quality of some of the movies out of the country in recent years has been astounding. Parasite from Bong Joon-ho, for instance, is considered one of the greatest films of the 21st century and it ended up winning four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards including Best Picture.
It’s no surprise, then, that people get excited when they hear about new pictures set to be released from the country. Kim Tae-yong is about to bring out his new film, Wonderland, and there is a lot of excitement about the upcoming picture from the Family Ties director.
One of Many Offerings to Take Inspiration from Lewis Carroll
Anyone who loves Lewis Carroll’s fantasy novels from yesteryear will be intrigued about Wonderland. The film is clearly inspired by the author’s seminal work, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The English writer penned this idea of a magical fantasy world way back in 1865, and it has influenced various other media in the years since.
There have been numerous big-screen adaptations of Carroll’s novel, with Tim Burton’s 2010 offering featuring Johnny Depp probably the most famous one. Outside of movies, the concept has also been used in games. Some titles are straight adaptations of the books, but others, such as Alice: Return to Madness, bring a new twist to the themes. The fantasy world can even be found in lists of live casino games, where Adventures Beyond Wonderland Live is renowned as one of the most popular games with audiences. This is a lucky wheel game hosted by a live dealer, and its global appeal allures a lot of players.
What do We Know About Wonderland?
The new Korean picture does have plenty of differences from Carroll’s work as well, though. Indeed, Wonderland is a sci-fi fantasy offering an artificial intelligence program that can help people reunite with loved ones or a particular person. The titular Wonderland is a VR simulation in which users who enter can spend time with people from their past that they may not have been able to see anymore in the real world.
The movie clearly takes inspiration from another recent dystopian hit on Netflix, Black Mirror. The lauded sci-fi series has dealt with this issue in a couple of episodes. The season 3 offering, San Junipero, featured a VR world in which elderly people could relive their youth, sometimes even after death. There was also the episode Be Right Back from season 2, where deceased people could be brought back via AI.
In recent years, Korean films and television series have been gaining a lot more attention in the west. There’s no doubt that streaming services are helping make content more accessible to the masses, and people who have seen one great movie often seek out more. Squid Game’s incredible popularity has helped further boost the appeal of Korean content in the last few years.
Wonderland could be the next big hit from South Korea. There is no confirmed release date yet, but when it drops there is likely to be a lot of hype around the new offering from Tae-yong.
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