"Welcome to Dongmakgol" (aka "Welkkeom tu Dongmakgol") was a surprisingly nice movie and it had a really good story to tell. A story that I enjoyed a lot, right up to the final scene in the movie. I can't claim to find any solace or fulfillment in the ending that director Park Kwang-Hyun went with, though, but that is of course a matter of personal preference.The storyline told in "Welcome to Dongmakgol" is really interesting and quite captivating. And the story is so passionate and well-driven by some really strong performances all throughout the movie. There is just something very majestic and profoundly beautiful about this movie, just a shame that it went fast downhill with the ending.The acting in the movie was outstanding and everyone in the movie were doing great jobs with their given roles and characters.This beautiful movie is a definite must watch if you enjoy South Korean cinema. So you might ask why I am only rating this majestic movie a mere six out of ten stars. Well, because of the ending of the movie. It was just abysmal and it ruined so much that was previously built up throughout the course of the movie.

Realistic war scenes are blended with surreal elements which gives a taste of bloody fairy tale rather than an action movie. You will have sad moments, also funny moments and lots of forced emotional scenes.What bugs me most, in multiples of scenes, you sense a presence of some kind of omnipotent entity which interferes with lives of characters and changes natural flow of events, because of that, in the end you expect some kind of peaceful resolution but alas, war is inevitable. Unlike earlier, this time they have something to live for, something to fight for, also unlike earlier they can choose their side, and they embraced their death bravely.It's message is just a clichè: Doesn't matter which side we are on, we are alike and war is bad.I didn't like the ending. It just doesn't make sense. US wasted several soldiers over one. In the air while parachuting. Also villagers could turn the lights off or go off somewhere to escape bombardment. For me, it is a far fetched drama.I think Korean movies have bad taste of choosing actors for westerner roles. Maybe good ones are expensive to get.

Upon approaching this flick i was a tad sceptical - i knew with the cast, director and musical score covered nicely - there was no reason for it to be a let down, but i always find myself slightly dubious of war films. JSA was fantastic though so i gritted my teeth, held my breath and hoped for the best. Absolutely F'in glad i did, its such a well shot beautiful tale, the cinematography is highly original for the premise of a war film, the colours and dialogue were spot on and the actors all came correct. I found myself wishing that i could just F it all and go live in that cool village with that crazy girl for the rest of my days, ha ha. Thats not to say this film is completely void of any gritty (and sometimes gory) realism on the 'war' front but it just doesn't focus so much on the agony, more so on the individual and the reasons behind such atrocities. Its not a short film, but i found myself not wanting it to end. Some scenes in particular bring light relief and patch the whole thing up into a marvellous little epic. I highly highly recommend it to fans of beautiful cinema.

Charming feel good story set during the Korean War. Hard to believe but true! The characters are easy to identify with, and draw you into the story. They are fairly believable, with the slight exception of the North Korean commander who seems perhaps too heroic. It verges on being trite or cheesy at times, idolizing the "quaint" village, but for the most part stays away from that. The film is even handed in its treatment of all sides in this war, other than perhaps the military command, as it is quite anti-war. There is a bit of violence and gore, so it isn't for young children. I would recommend this to anyone; go in expecting a fairly romanticized comedy and you shouldn't be disappointed.