Alenoid: Return to the Future is the the follow-up/conclusion to writer/director Choi Dong-hoon’s 2022 time-traveling, sci-fi action adventure Alienoid. In the first film, we learned that aliens have been sending their criminals to earth, where they are trapped in organic cages by injecting them into the brains of unaware and unaffected humans. However, one particularly ruthless criminal known as the Controller had managed to escape, and was planning to alter the Earth’s atmosphere to match that of its home planet, killing the humans and freeing the rest of the prisoners.
Trying to prevent this was the time-hopping Guard (Kim Woo-bin, Master) and his robotic shapeshifting partner Thunder (Dae-Myung Kim), who headed back to the past, to the end of the 14th century, along with their young human daughter Ean. However, Thunder and their ship were badly damaged, and Guard survive the trip. The only thing that could stop the alien attack in 2022 was a mystical knife called the Divine Blade. And so for the past 10 years, Ean (Kim Tae-ri, The Handmaiden) has been in the 14th century, searching for both the blade and Thunder. Also looking for the blade was a cocky young dosa, who referred to himself as the Marvelous Muruk (Ryu Jun-Yeol, A Taxi Driver). He also happened to be the boy who rescued Ean from a lake 10 years earlier. Muruk initially wanted the Divine Blade to score a massive bounty, but once he learned that he may have an evil alien spirit living inside of him, and that being pierced by the blade could release this, he found a new motivation for obtaining the blade.
As the second film opens, after a 10-year search, Ean has finally found the Devine Blade, and now continues her search for Thunder so that she can repair him and go back home to the present to stop the aliens from releasing their poison gas. However, she is being hunted by Jajang, another escaped alien prisoner in a human body, who wants to prevent her from foiling the aliens’ plans in the present. Also looking for the blade is blind swordsman Nong-pa (Jin Seon-kyu), who believes it may be able to restore his eyesight. Meanwhile, skilled sorcerer couple Madam Black (Yum Jung-ah) and Mr. Blue (Jo Woo-jin) are looking for Muruk, hoping to stop him from releasing the evil alien spirit that he may posses inside.
Meanwhile, in 2022, we see another point of view of the initial alien attack at the hospital that occurred in the first film. Customs agent Min Gae-in (Lee Ha-nee) sees smuggler Sam-sik (Yoon Kyung-ho) running from the hospital and tries to pursue him. She later learns that her niece is friends with a then 10-year-old Ean, who filmed the odd incident at the hospital. After seeing the footage, she discovers what is truly going on, and with under an hour before the aliens enact their plan to destroy the Earth’s atmosphere, she tries to alert those in charge of the investigation. But with no one taking her seriously, she is forced to take things into her own hands, following through on an odd but important request passed down through her ancestors for centuries.
While the first film focused a bit more on heading to past in order to stop the alien attack in the future, this second film is more about the reverse, with the folks in the past trying to get back to the future to complete the plan. Like the first film, Alienoid: Return to the Future is a blast from start to finish, bringing that same blend of fantasy, action, humor and sci-fi that the first one had. Part II spends most of the time time in the past as the various characters hunt for the Divine Blade and prepare to take on the aliens in the future.
An older Muruk is happy to be reunited with Ean, the girl he saved when he was a boy, and is glad to see that she is still alive—there may even be a bit of a romantic connection between them. However, he has also grown obsessed with the idea that he may have an evil spirit inside of him and is desperately looking for the Divine Blade so that he can release it. Though, Muruk is worried that the only way to get rid of the spirit is for Ean to kill him. Muruk possesses a powerful fan from which he can extract swords and other weapons as needed. Pursuing Muruk and this evil spirit are sorcerers Madam Black and Mr. Blue, who bring a lot of humor to the film, but also some skilled magic. These are probably my favorite characters in the film—while they claim not to be a couple, they work like a perfect pair. Also adding some levity are Muruk’s loyal followers Right Paw (Shin Jung-geun) and Left Paw (Lee Si-hoon), who can take cat form.
The second film reveals a lot of the backstory of these characters and gives answers you didn’t even realize you were looking for. It also introduces some great new characters, like Min Gae-in, who gives us an alternate perspective on the events of the first film, and also has an interesting and important connection to those in the past. The film ultimately builds to an exciting final battle sequence, as our misfit band of heroes from the past join those in the present to take on the alien threat once and for all.
I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to the story. Much like the first half, it is a wild ride that seems to have everything thrown into it, but not so much that it feels messy or overwhelming. There are some excellent action scenes and well-choreographed fight sequences, some played for humor and some more serious. The filmmakers do a nice job of flipping back and forth between these two story/timelines, with their connection becoming clear over time. I don’t think Part II is something that someone can really watch and fully understand without having seen Part I. And even though they do spend a few minutes recapping the first film at the start of the second one, I would suggest a re-watch of Part I before delving into the sequel. (At the time of this review, Alienoid is currently streaming for free on Tubi)
Well Go’s Blu-ray release includes both the original Korean audio as well as an English dub. I generally prefer the English dub option because it allows me to not have to always be reading the screen, but both tracks are really well done. For the most part the English dub doesn’t sound fake or over-acted, and I actually found the spoken dialogue to be a bit more natural-sounding than the subtitles. Both tracks provide an excellent, immersive experience, which is especially noticeable during the more action-packed/fight sequences. This film has a lot of special effects, which are well done, blending in naturally and realistically with the rest of the scenes. The Blu-ray picture looks very clean and detailed, capturing the action in the past and present beautifully and nearly flawlessly.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release includes about 7 minutes of bonus material, all presented in Korean with English subtitles. There is a short behind-the-scenes featurette with the film’s cast/director, as well as a montage of clips introducing each of the main characters. The release also contains the film’s trailer, and some previews for three other Well Go releases. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t include a digital copy. Our review copy also included a cardboard slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:02:29)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: Korean 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Korean Stereo, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
- Subtitles: English. French
Extras:
- Making Of (3:15)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the premise of Part II, what the second film holds for their characters, what it was like working together on this long shoot, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Choi Dong-hoon, production designer Lee Ha-jun, stunt cooardinator Ryu Sung-chul, and stars Ryu Jun-yeol (“Muruk”), Kim Tae-ri (“Ean”), Kim Woo-bin (“Thunder”), Lee Ha-nee (“Min Gaelin”) & Jin Sun-kyu (“Nong-pa”), Yum Jung-ah (“Madam Black”), Jo Woo-jin (“Mr. Blue”) & Kim Eui-sung (“Jajang”), Presented in Korean with English subtitles. - Character Trailer (3:23)
Extended trailer for the film that introduces the various characters—Muruk, a dosa who doubts his existence; Ean, the girl who must go back to the future to protect all; Thunder, who opens the door of time to return to the future; Min Gaelin, who unveils the secrets of aliens; Madam Black & Mr. Blue, the sorcerers chasing after a monster; Nong-pa, a blind swordsman who tries to regain his sight with the divine blade, and Jajang, an alien prisoner trapped in the past. - Trailer (1:44)
- Previews
- Noryang: Deadly Sea (1;28)
- The Moon (1:25)
- The Childe (1:26)
Final Thoughts:
Alienoid: Return to the Future is a fun, entertaining sequel that takes viewers on a wild ride, mashing up different time periods and mixing up so many different genres, from magic and fantasy, to martial arts, aliens, robots, sci-fi, action, disaster and more. It definitely feels like the second half/conclusion of the story, and not something that you can just go into without having seen the first film—I even suggest re-watching the original before checking out the sequel as it is really just one long 4-hour story. This second movie contains all of the action and humor that made the first one so great, plus it answers a lot of questions you didn’t even know you had, fleshes out some of the characters’ backstories and motivations, and introduces a couple of interesting new characters. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds excellent, and includes a small assortment of bonus material. Fans of the original will definitely want to pick up this Blu-ray release to see how the story concludes. The film is currently available on digital, and arrives on disc July 30, 2024.
Alienoid: Return to the Future Blu-ray
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Alienoid: Return to the Future [DVD]
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Alienoid: Return To The Future
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Alienoid
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Alienoid
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Alienoid
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