Movie review - Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman

Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman ** (out of 5) This subtitled Korean export is an action fantasy that’s long on special effects and short on character development. Dr. Cheon (Gang Dong-Won) is descended from a line of shamans, but uses his roots and secular education (hence the doctor, though not the medical kind) to provide fake exorcisms. For a fee, of course. His sidekick in the grift, Beom-choen (Huh Joon-ho), handles the tech simulations of supernatural activity. Things change radically when a young woman, Yoo-gyeong, (Esom) hires them for their first real demonic possession – her kid sister.

Gradually we learn bits and pieces of their backstories, while the staged ritual they expected turns out to be a movie-long death struggle against the demon what kilt Cheong’s grandfather and brother, and his almost endless supply of minions. The huckster suddenly has to live up to his heritage. It’s mostly played for drama, with occasional bits of comic relief – mostly from the sidekick, who was pretty clueless about their rituals during the scamming phase, and truly out to sea when things get real.

The cast competently plays the standard roles assigned to them. The story plays out predictably, with more suspense in how they get to the finish line than whether they will. As is often the case with mystical fantasies, it’s never quite clear as to the extent of anyone’s powers. Even so, the action sequences are greatly enhanced with f/x lights shapes and sounds. Kudos to the CGI crew for jazzing it up. If you don’t try too hard to understand what occurs, you can enjoy the spectacle of it and the attractiveness of the two leads.

(Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman, in Korean with subtitles, debuts on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD on 2/27/24)