The Witch: The Subversion | Mad Scientists Should Go To Jail

“The Witch: The Subversion” is a Korean film that came out in two parts, categorized as Science Fiction, Action, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, and some elements of Supernatural. “The Witch: The Subversion” is Part 1, was released in 2018, and is streaming on Viki.

SUMMARY: A top-secret Witch Program. Just the type of experiments that a mad scientist would love to work on for forever and ever and ever and …

♦ WOW! The Witch Can Sing!

In “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion”, Ja-Yoon is supposed to be a murder weapon, a killing machine. As a young child, she was part of a global scientific experiment. Children were taken from everywhere,e and the experiments were conducted in various laboratories around the world. Ja-Yoon was 8 years old when she escaped. You could say her story is like a fairy tale. An elderly couple on a farm found her, and they raised her as their own precious daughter.

By the time Ja-Yoon was in high school, she realized that she was “extraordinary”. Not just in her physical strength and survival skills, but she was extremely intelligent. The people who made her that way have been looking for her for years, but it was like she disappeared. However, they were confident that she was somewhere out there. Ja-Yoon had done her best not to make herself noticeable. Nevertheless, she entered a talent contest. It turns out that she could sing. Who knew? Ja-Yoon won, and that put her face out there. The scientist who had been searching for her saw her on television. Of course, they wanted her back. She was “special”. There were lots more experiments they could perform on her. Hopefully, they could clone more like her.

Ah well! Even “extraordinary” people get sick. Ja-Yoon had not been feeling well, and her doctor told her that her condition was severe. It was a matter of life and death, and she should tell her parents because she’s running out of time. But Ja-Yoon knew more about herself than the doctor did. She entered the singing contest on purpose. She wanted the scientist to find her because she believed the people who worked on the top-secret Witch Program could cure her.  Ja-Yoon didn’t know how to return to them, so she made them come after her. Perhaps they can cure her. But what if this time she can’t escape? After all, they never intended for her to escape the first time.

Main Characters:

• Ja-Yoon (played by Kim Da-Mi, “Itaewon Class” ~ Best New Actress – 2020 (56th) BaekSang Arts Awards)
• Dr. Baek (played by Jo Min-Soo, “The Cursed”)
• young man (played by Choi Woo-Sik, “Melo Movie”, “Wonderland”, “The Duo”, “Rooftop Prince”, “A Killer Paradox”, “Time to Hunt”, “The Policeman’s Lineage”, “Monstrum”, “The Divine Fury”)
• Myung-Hee (played by Go Min-Si, “Tastefully Yours”, “The Frog”, “Jirisan”, “Youth of May”)
• Mr. Choi (played by Park Hee-Soon, “Squid Game 2”, “The Bequeathed”, “Moving”, “Trolley”, “A Model Family”, “My Name”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.1 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.6 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated the film 9.6 out of 10 stars
• Letterboxd: 3.6 out of 5 stars
• Google users shared a public rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

For fiction, this is an interesting storyline. However, in real life, mad scientists should be put in a straitjacket and locked up in a padded cell. It’s one thing if an adult human volunteers for the project. It’s another thing to abuse defenseless children. IT IS CHILD ABUSE!

DID YOU KNOW?  There are ongoing experiments and research into human enhancement. Scientists are exploring ways to enhance human capabilities through genetic modifications, brain-computer interfaces, and synthetic biology. However, there are ethical concerns. (NO DUH!)

LEARN MORE:

Masci, David. “Human Enhancement.” Pew Research Center, 26 July 2016, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2016/07/26/human-enhancement-the-scientific-and-ethical-dimensions-of-striving-for-perfection/.

Almeida, Mara, and Rui Diogo. “Human Enhancement: Genetic Engineering and Evolution.” Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, vol. 2019, no. 1, Sept. 2019, pp. 183–89, doi:10.1093/emph/eoz026 (https://academic.oup.com/emph/article/2019/1/183/5575761).

LINKS OF INTEREST:

‘The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion’ (‘Manyeo’) Trailer | The Hollywood Reporter

Fantasia 2018: ‘The Witch Part One: The Subversion’ Almost Gets It Right | BiffBamPop!

[Film Review] ‘The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion’ | The Korean Lass

FrightFest Review: The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion (2018) | The Grump Of Horror

TRAILER/TEASER:

KoBiz, KoreanFilmBiz. “The Witch : Part 1. The Subversion (2018).” YouTube, 9 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmD6BAQjDzY.

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