Movie: The Admiral (15)Rating: 4.5/5 starsSouth Korean Cinema is known worldwide for its excellent films, as they are visually quite strong and emotionally gripping. So is this Choi Min- sik starrer action-war film THE ADMIRAL. I saw it dubbed in Hindi. I was really impressed with the amazing visuals, action & battle scenes, while I was also completely gripped emotionally to the film in the entire second hour.There are many outstanding sequences in the first hour. Emotions are very strong in portrayal throughout the entire film. There are many sequences bound to leave you spellbound, and you'll find yourself short of words to describe the visual excellence of the film.The second hour is totally gripping. Not a single second is wasted. It's a film which has importance not only in South Korean Cinema, but also in world cinema due to its sheer excellence.Choi Min-sik is ultimately powerful in the role he plays. Watch him act throughout the entire film, and you won't feel like he's acting but indeed living the character. Rest of the cast is praiseworthy as not a single performance goes over the top.The film is extremely strong on the technical front. Be it the visual effects, the action sequences or the cinematography, everything is excellent. The powerful BGM enhances the viewing experience, and certain well executed sequences will hold your breath for sure.THE ADMIRAL undoubtedly is one of the best South Korean films, especially in terms of presentation.

I think Korean films are amazing. This movie is so good I watched it by myself, told hubby about it (he doesn't usually like foreign films) and he said he wanted to see, so we watched it the next day. It has an excellent cast, acting, and fight sequences. I feel like it had real heart and pride. The scenery and costumes are wonderful. Please watch it!

If they wanted to do Redcliff in a couple hours, they should have done this. I TRIED to multi-task while watching this movie. I couldn't do it. The beginning didn't hide that it was all set up at all, but it worked in making me look forward to the "Shit going down". There was a point when the movie made me cry. I am not even sure if I was sad or if things were just that intense. It generally takes shows hours and hours of character development before I'll even tear up. This movie pulled it off in no time at all.The feel is very Lord of the Rings and Red Cliff with the action, but a little bit headier. There were a few things/shots that took me out of it but there is very little distracting from the immersion. Instead of over the top stunt work they kept things simple and used the set and the atmosphere to cause the tension and grandeur even while sprinting through the second half.I've been waiting for a solid version of the naval side of Thermopylae (300), but at this point, forget it. Whoever would try it has already lost.

The Admiral Roaring Currents is a very good period battle picture in the same vein as John Woo's Red Cliff. Although this film is quite large in scope, it is a smaller scale epic than the massive masterpiece Red Cliff. Choi Min Sik of Oldboy and I Saw The Devil fame is an admiral who command the small in number naval fleet versus the massive invading Japanese fleet. The few stood against many is a common and effective theme in this sort of film. Forgive my ignorance, but my knowledge of Korean/Japanese history is limited. So I have no idea how historically accurate this movie is. I did enjoy it regardless and in my opinion, I thought this film is very good. The storytelling and acting is solid and the film looks real sharp as well. The battle/action scenes are in abundance and while there is CGI used in the film, it is used well and classier than most Hollywood productions. I did think this film needed more blood as this is a battle picture. However, this is a minor critique as this film is indeed roaring. It also is in my book a very engaging and well crafted movie.