A Korean martial arts film about a high school after the so called Great Teacher's Battle, which has thrown the schools into disarray. Gangs and violence rule and the leaders are those students who have the skills and the techniques to overcome all the resistance. But there's a legend about a manuscript, held by the principal, that can end the violence and unite the school.Yeah, it's exactly as silly as it sounds, if not more so. The premise is merely there to allow for wacky characters to go against one another mano e mano, showing off the special effects, which are decent, I must say. The plot wanders around from one scene to another and nothing seems to really connect. The backstory is not properly explained, the character are thin as cardboard and all in all there's simply not enough here to warrant a movie.That being said, it was fun to watch this with friends and make fun of all the stereotypes, silly characters and ludicrous plot points. If that sounds like something you'd like to do, give it a chance. It has energy, if nothing else. Otherwise, steer clear.

Korean films are cool! They are often a lot harsher than you would expect, social values like social cohesion and politeness don't often find their way into the foray from what i've seen compared to Japanese fare.There is a slew of "High School/ Fight School" films out there. For example from Japan there was Battle Royale, and Fudoh. And from Hong Kong there was My Friend the Barbarian. For a genre these films are quite a mix and Volcano Highschool is no exception.The mood is bleak and intense. The color pallete fits the grimness of the setting, lots of muted browns, blues and gray. The Highschool looks like it was from the 16th century. The fighting scenes were better more in the way they were filmed than the actual martial prowess of the actors. The translucent energy effects were a fair representation of ideas about kung fu, just read about taoist energy arts like tai chi and ba gua. They even talk about yin and yang, so it points to some of the inspiration, though the real stuff is more awe inspiring to watch.I found myself thinking, "That's a Korean Hottie?" Maybe the korean girls i've met that i think are sleek and beautiful looking are thought of as not that attractive by the public at large in Korea. Maybe. The female lead did grow on me more as the film progressed. For a girl who beats off the advances of suitors with a stick (literally) she did display her nurturing side, and in the end, if her character were real I would risk getting beaten for the sake of asking her out for a cup of soujou, (like Japanese sochou, but often the secret ingredient is anti-freeze).My biggest gripe with plotpoints was with the secret scroll. As the film progressed and its nature became more obviously symbolic i was forced to accept it as a sort of philosopher's's stone that promises self-knowledge and self-mastery since this is the role it plays for our leading protagonist. This is a lofty goal implicit in this high school! If you can master the secret scroll then a fine adult you will indeed be regardless of what facts you may retain or job skills you possess. Kind of an abstract execution, but after studying mythology I am convinced this is indeed the role of the scroll in this story.

Volcano High tells the story of Kim Kyung Soo, a high school student who has super natural powers, after he is expelled from his last school he is sent to 'Volcano High' a place where he thinks he'll be able to control his abilities with other students who have similar powers such as he.Soon he locks horns with the school bully Jang Ryang while he tries to win the affections of the most beautiful girl in school. the gorgeous but deadly Jade, but another problem for Kim presents itself in the form of the five lords of discipline, five teachers who travel from school to school controlling the most unruly of students oh and they all have super natural powers also.I LOVED this movie, I got such a kick out of watching it. Everything about this movie is great the acting,the action and sometimes even the script.Watching this you'd think it was based on a Japanese manga comic but it isn't, the director Kim Tae-Gyun was heavily influenced by these comics and animated movies and set out to do a live action japanime movie and he was successful in every aspect.Jang Hyuk who plays Kim does such a wonderful job in this role he is able to be a serious hard-ass one moment then straight away making himself look like a total goof.A great highlight in the movie are the fight scenes, in my opinion they make good use of wire work and visual effects which is very reminiscent of movies such as 'The Storm Riders' or 'The Avenging Fist' The humour is some times lost in the translation which is to be expected if you don't speak Korean. This movie is one of the few which has been making Korean cinema more and more prolific over the past few years its up there with such other Korean gems as 'Friend' 'Bichunmoo' 'Musa' and 'Guns n Talks' I recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of Andrew Lau f/x laden fantasy epics or Japanime, you will not be disappointed.I also recommend you try and pick up the Region 2 Premiere Asia DVD as it contains the best version(The 95 minute one) and also contains the cut footage and the second disc full of great extras.

VOLCANO HIGH is cool in a way that surpasses cool.Kyeong-su Kim (Hyuk Jang) is a bad student, one who's been shuffled from school to school eight times before as his rebellious nature has forced him to shun any attempt at conformity. However, his ninth school -- Volcano High -- presents a curious dilemma: the teachers have conspired in a pursuit against the principal and the students to acquire the school's Great Manuscript, a document which promises to give its owner the ultimate power in the universe. A scheming vice-principal manages to overpower the principal, but the secrets of the manuscript still elude him. Now, in order to glean the secrets from the pupils -- all of them equipped with their own special gifts -- who know it best, the man brings in a virtual hit squad of teachers: black-leather-trench-coating wearing thugs who'll stop at nothing to instill discipline even at the cost of death.Yes ... Kyeong-su Kim is a bad student, but he's finally found the right school to call 'home.'VOLCANO HIGH owes much to traditional anime as much as it owes to trend-setting films like THE MATRIX. While not completely derivative, it also functions like a kung-fu version of the X-MEN films, assuming that the story focused more on the academy and its students. The special effects -- Kim's unique ability to harness wave energy and manipulate water -- are absolutely top notch, and, arguably, are even better than what comes out of Hollywood for the average science fiction film.Movies like VOLCANO HIGH -- martial arts, action, coming-of-age, supernatural -- are never really about the script. Rather, the story only serves as a vehicle to deliver some reasonably well-founded (or, at least, acceptable) characterizations along with dazzling visual effects. The wire-fu featured in the film (from the opening fight between Kyeong-su and other students all the way until the climactic showdown between right and wrong) is absolutely spectacular, often times encompassing an entire 360-degree effect. Mr. Ma (the most evil teacher) manipulates wave energy, utilizing it to hurl people and objects out of his way, in an entirely convincing fashion. Also, the aforementioned ability of Kyeong-su to capture and control water is nothing short of exceptional.Also, VOLCANO HIGH is the type of motion picture that requires, to a certain extent, leaving your brain at the door. Suspend your disbelief throughout the film, and it's pure visceral fun ... harmless cotton-candy pictures for the young-at-heart. There isn't a deep, meaningful message to the script: this is a battle of good versus evil, and it's fought on terms that the average movie-goer (18 - 35 years old) should revel in.Besides all of that, the last twenty minutes -- a spectacular showdown between Kyeong-su and Mr. Ma hurling energy balls from their fingertips at one another -- will blow your mind.