Dr. Cheon Dong-sik’s (Gang Dong-won, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula) grandfather was a well-known and powerful chief shaman, who battled evil spirts, trapping them with weaponized talismans called seolgyeongs. When Dong-sik was younger, his brother was captured by one of these evil spirits, and his grandfather tried to get him back. While he was partially successful in trapping the spirit, both of them were killed in the process. Since then, Dr. Cheon took over the family business…sort of. He is a trained psychiatrist who now makes a living performing fake exorcisms, all in the name of high-tech psychiatry. Dr. Cheon is an expert at reading people, and can instantly tell what they need to make them happy. So, with the help of his special effects guru/technician Kang In-bae (Lee Dong-hwi, The Call), he sets up these elaborate performances as a form of “psych treatment” for his patients. Dr. Cheon found his “Apprentice Kang” three years earlier after seeing one of In-bae’s ghost prank videos on YouTube. Now In-bae also edits and posts videos of their “exorcisms” as a way to attract more clients. Dr. Cheon knows that these possessions are just in his patients’ heads, but he doesn’t think of it as scamming, rather that he’s saving them money from going to a real shaman. While they would prefer cash, Dr. Cheon and In-bae often get paid in trinkets, which they bring to Dr. Cheon’s reluctant former caretaker, antiques shop owner Mr. Hwang (Kim Jong-soo, Ransomed), to offload.

One day, a mysterious client, Yoo-kyung (Esom, Kill Boksoon), shows up at Dr. Cheon’s office, claiming that she can see ghosts, and offering a lot of money for help in saving her sister, Yoo-min (Park So-yi, Deliver Us From Evil), who has become possessed by an evil spirit. Dr. Cheon and In-bae assume this is just going to be another theatrical show and quick payday, however, once they start their fake ceremony, things take a very different turn. This time, the possession actually appears to be real, and the vile spirit behind it is Beom-cheon (Huh Joon-ho, Escape from Mogadishu), the same evil mage that killed Dr. Cheon’s family, and who he has been secretly searching for for the past 10 years. Now Dr. Cheon must put aside any skepticism, and confront the horrors from his childhood, if he’s going to rescue the young girl, put a stop to this evils spirit for good, and get vengeance for his family. However, the mage is extremely powerful, and has possessed an entire village, making use of their bodies and his loyal acolytes to wage war against Dr. Cheon and his rag-tag crew. Dr. Cheon harness the power of his family’s legacy to prove he can be a shaman and not just a showman!

Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is a very entertaining, lighthearted fantasy/thriller that finds this really fun balance between the humor and the more serious/dramatic elements. When we first meet Dr. Cheon, we see that he can read people like an open book. He is the perfect showman, telling his clients exactly what they want to hear in order to make them believe in his over-the-top, theatrical exorcism. He is also quick on his feet, like a con-man who can roll with the punches when things don’t quite go as expected. That said, he insists that he is not scamming anyone, rather that the ghosts they tackle are in their clients’ hearts and minds rather than reality.

Helping out Dr. Cheon is his underappreciated apprentice In-bae, a skilled technician who comes up with some creative special effects to make the supernatural come to life in front of their clients. In-bae also serves double-duty, acting as Dr. Cheon’s costumed partner “Apprentice Kang”, helping to sell the narrative. He’s not too fond of this part, but their start-up company isn’t making enough money to afford a second apprentice. In-bae provides a lot of the comic relief for the film, especially as the team finds themselves up against real spirits. While Dr. Cheon has had some experience with the supernatural in the past, this is all new to In-bae, who is completely out of his element. But that doesn’t stop In-bae from being a valuable member of the team, deploying his skills with pyrotechnics and special effects to the problem. He also has a bit of a crush on their new client, Yoo-kyung.

The chemistry between the main foursome—Dr. Cheon, In-bae, Yoo-kyung, and Mr. Hwang—is great. Each of these characters bring something useful to the team. Dr. Cheon has the wit, latent shaman skills, and wields a powerful broken sword left by his grandfather, In-bae has the technical/effects prowess, Yoo-kyung has the ability to see ghosts, and Mr. Hwang has a shop filled with useful spiritual artifacts. Together they are like a Scooby-Doo style team ready to take on an evil mage. While there are a lot of comical elements, the core of the story is grounded in the more dramatic journey of Dr. Cheon having to face his traumatic past and accept his destiny of carrying on the family legacy of being a shaman. The group is up against some fantastical elements, and a powerful, evil mage who has an army at his fingertips (or should I say their fingertips, as he possesses others by chopping off their fingers and placing them in bamboo containers). When the mage possesses these bodies, they have superhuman strength and abilities. And even though this villain does pose a serious threat, Dr. Cheon always seems maintain his slightly cocky, self-assured nature throughout, which just makes the mage even more furious. The film has some captivating visuals and effects, taking viewers on a creepy, fantasy-filled journey that is quite entertaining throughout. I would certainly go on another adventure with these characters!

Well Go’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great. The film has a nice visual style that ranges from bright glowing colors to dark, foggy and moody atmospheres. All of this is captured beautifully on this Blu-ray. Faces also generally have an excellent level of detail. The audio is only offered in its original Korean, but the English subtitles are well-written and easy to follow. The film often uses a rock soundtrack, which kind of reminded me of watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the 90s. The track also provides a generally immersive feel, helping the viewer experience some of the more supernatural elements.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release is somewhat barebones. It includes a “Character Bios” bonus feature along with the usual trailer/previews, but this is pretty much just a 3-minute montage of clips from the film. The Blu-ray comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a nice cardboard slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:38:28)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: Korean 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Korean Stereo
• Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Character Bios (2:55)
  Montage of clips introducing each of the main characters—”Dr. Cheon, Fake Exorcist who Deals with People’s Hearts”, “Yoo-kyung, Mysteruous Chinese who Can See Ghosts”, “In-bae, Technical Specialist Works for Dr. Cheon”, “Mr. Hwang, Antique Shop Owner with a Long-Standing Relationship with Dr. Cheon”, “Yoo-min, Missing Sister of Yoo Kyung”, and “Mage, Vile Spirit that Hunts Down Spiritual Power through Possession”.
• Trailer (1:51)
• Previews
  • The Childe (1:26)
  • The Moon (1:25)
  • Noryang: Deadly Sea (1:28)

Final Thoughts:

Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman takes viewers on a a fun and fantastical adventure as the titular character goes from showman to shaman, learning to embrace his family’s legacy while literally exorcising demons from his past. The cast is great, and there is this delightful but slightly darker Scooby-Doo like tone to the movie. The film sets things up for possible sequels, and I would certainly welcome more. Well Go’s Blu-ray is a bit barebones but features excellent picture and sound. This film is definitely worth checking out.

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Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman

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