Movie review - Seobok: Project Clone

Seobok *** (out of 5) (TV-MA) This subtitled Korean sci-fi offering addresses possible complications of cloning. Some scientists raised a human clone, Seo Bok (Park Bo-Gum), genetically enhanced with a range of extra abilities that make him highly valuable as a boon to humanity or a powerful weapon. Though raised in secret, spending his whole life in a lab, the word is out, and competition for possession of him is intense. Former government agent Ki Heon (Gong Yoo) is reluctantly pulled back into service to escort Seo Bok from the lab to a more secure government facility. Therein lies the premise for a slam-bang adventure, in line with many exciting recent Korean adrenaline flicks.

But downshift your gears, fans, or you won’t appreciate this relatively nuanced, cerebral variation from that trend. The young adult clone is almost an emotional blank page, having so little human contact throughout his life. Most of the lab personnel have treated him as a specimen, not a person. When the trip with Ki Heon is ambushed, and the two must hide from a number of competing entities trying to capture or kill them, a personality begins to emerge, and bonds gradually form between the two.
The script explores several moral and emotional issues between fight and chase scenes, providing a depth beyond the usual crime and espionage offerings. That doesn’t mean the thrills are missing. They’re just less frequent, allowing room for the characters and near-future principles to evolve.

Writer/director LeeYong-ju delivers a script that adroitly balances the action with the ethical considerations he wants us to appreciate before the inevitable creation of human clones is upon us. As a director, he stages the action sequences as excitingly as genre fans expect, without letting the thoughtful side drain the film’s energy. Both of the leads contribute fine performances, embodying their respective learning curves flawlessly. The result is a product that transcends the usual “guy flick”, and will appeal to a broader audience.

(Korean with subtitles. Available on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD 2/15/22)