Sisyphus: El mito (2021)

Not bad but not good....

This drama started off strong having an intriguing plot line. However the more I watched, the more it just went downhill.
There were more cons for me than there were pros. For instance although the plot itself was a good baseline, the background concept and "rules" of time travelling set in this drama was hard to follow, unless you really concentrate and think about each scenes.
The drama's CGI and background sets were pretty good and I was quite impressed with them, as the post war environment for instance really looked like a dystopian era. However, the same could not be said for some of the stunt scenes played by the actors, like the bridge jump scene or the zip line scene. They pretty much looked very fake and you can see how unnatural their falls were.

Further criticism of this drama is that although the drama started strong, leaving viewers hooked on the plot and what would happen next, as you watched more and further into the drama, the less plot driven it became and focused more on the ML and FL's romance. The focus of the drama started with the ML's brother and his investigation on Sigma but this plot point eventually got lost and not much further development pursued. I would have much preferred to explore the plot point of the ML and his brother's relationship and brotherhood and their struggle against the villains than the romance tag. The romance in all honesty was not needed.
Speaking of, this is especially so when the ML and FL don't have that chemistry that lovers do. Watching their romance scenes didn't give me that butterfly in your stomach feeling but left me with the impression that the pairing was forced and they were then quite awkward.
The Second ML (Sun) was also a character that didn't give me much impression either and didn't need to be in the plot point. Although towards the end he played a relevant part of the ML's overall plan, but it was something a different character could have done. For instance the police guy that was seeking revenge against the FL due to his mother. His character could have had so much potential if only the drama gave his character more depth.
Throughout the drama, the romance scenes overall was very awkward for me, even the kiss scenes. Furthermore, usually in dramas that have love triangles, I normally enjoy it when the 2 ML's try to win over the FL's heart. But in this drama, although the love triangle was there, it again feels forced and both ML's are quite childish that it isn't very enjoyable to watch them try to please and win the FL. It instead looks forced and awkward.
Both the FL and ML also keep making emotionally driven decisions that it ends up being repetitive and frankly quite annoying and end up feeling frustrated at the scenes.

In all honesty Kim Byung Chul ( who played the villain) and Lee Woo Won (who played the child version of the villain) carried the whole drama and were the reason I even finished all 16 episodes. They both portrayed their characters really well especially with their expressions to bring out the mental issue and psychologically disturbed setting of the character they played, that it made watching the villain the only thing you are looking forward to each episode.

Leer más

Stellar Acting, Thrilling plot! One of the greatest dramas of this year

Story-wise, it was very unique, something that makes your mind question the possibilities of this being true in real life ; or make you confused at times what the hell is happening now? That was how I felt the whole time I was watching the drama. I have always been amazed at how these writers and directors never seem to run out of ideas and I should say, they did it again. The emotions, showed how humans react and how a simple act of kindness or rudeness towards one person can affect so many.

I really like Park Shin Hye in this action/ thriller genre because I have always watched her dramas when she was younger, and she took on a range of characters from very emotional dramas (aka Stairway to Heaven) and a lot of romantic comedies (You're Beautiful, The Heirs, Pinocchio, etc.). This drama showcased her versatility as an actress and her acting would really show years of experience and it's amazing to see her grow as an actress and taking on different roles. I'm not so familiar with Jo Seung Woo but despite that, with his acting in this drama, it shows how much effort he puts and how hard he worked to pull off his character, so I'm definitely going to look up some of his dramas. Sung Dong Il and Kim Byung Chul, just blew my mind with their acting skills. I guess it's true when they say that actors did a great job if they made you feel angry at them as well. Well, if you watched this drama, you'll probably relate to what I'm talking about.

I like the drama's OST. The vibe is new, compared to other drama's OSTs but I think the only word to describe it, is that the music production was fresh for most of the OSTs for this drama.
Overall, if you want a drama that will make you really think hard and take you to the edge of your seat all the time, you should watch this drama! If you want to cry, get mad at someone and feel so many emotions at once, you should :-)

Leer más

One of my all time favorite kdramas

I’ve been reading a few reviews regarding this kdrama and something common that I see is that people are confused about the plot and the ending and what not. But honestly I’d say that if you were actually paying attention to the kdrama you’d see that everything comes together so beautifully and trust me I was so confused as well at the beginning but I kept watching it and the stuff that I was confused about all made sense as the drama progressed. It brought out so many different emotions and I found myself wanting to keep watching and go on to the next episode. This is the first kdrama that I truly truly loved and enjoyed. Some people are saying that the ending was trashy and bad because it’s a cliffhanger but there’s plenty of kdramas, movies and all that that have cliffhangers so what’s the problem with this kdrama having in too? It kinda just leaves it up to your own imagination to make a theory on what happened or what could possibly happen. Like I said this was my first true favorite kdrama but that was until I watched The King’s Affection :)) THE BEST KDRAMA EVERR :) (in my opinion)

Leer más

Hard to rate

I thought a long time what to rate it. I actually wanted to rate it 7, but then I looked at other dramas I rated a 7 and thought this doesn't deserve that rating. There are just too many flaws. Such as:

-The story has too many logical inconsitencies and makes no sense, neither time travel mechanics wise, nor characters and their motivations, nor various plot twists make sense when put together. It was clearly a story that focused on generating dramatic situations rather then being clever or well written.

-Dropped plot points that were never explained like the bald assasin from the future or why was the antagonist allowed to see the future since childhood, why did child ml know the future too etc.

-Too many over the top action scenes like FL falling down the stairway and shooting mid flight.

-Some of the ML McGyver's like shooting cola capable of knocking out soldiers (or killing them, not sure which) are implausbile too, starting from the very first airplane scene

-The antagonists are incompetent. Even considering their motives revealed in later episodes, they still do stupid shit they shouldn't have done like surrounding protagonists in a tight circle and aiming at them with guns (friendly fire guaranteed)

-The post apocalyptic future is radiocative so every time traveler is contained, but actually they don't suffer any consequence and look and live healthy. Also FL and her father walk in gas masks outside, but actually they don't need them and are fine without them too. guess the masks are just for fashion.

-The character of FL is annoying, childish, withholds information from ML for no reason and is quite dumb. Still she grew on me eventually, but she's not some cool FL like she could have been if she was written better. Also her saying to the other guy multiple times she didn't kill anyone when she killed at least several dozen people in the future is laughable.

-music was sometimes unfitting and weird

there are some good things tho, such as:

-very good color palette for most scenes, and very good direction and cinematography

-good acting from most people, esepcially from ml and the antagonist

-these two are also the most interesting characters

-the plot prioritizes drama over logic, but it does drama (and melodrama) well

also, this drama is different from many others in the sense that it starts bad and gets better in second half (and also more confusing). it took me several episodes to get invested in this story, but once I was I actually enjoyed watching it

so. I think 6.5 is a fair rating.

Leer más

A lot of romance and action.

As a longtime kdrama fan, we don’t really get to see JSW a lot, if anything this was my first time seeing him in a drama. As for PSH, what kdrama fan doesn’t know her. Tbh, I wasn’t expecting a lot from this series since it’s exploring a new setting because usually when you hear kdrama and time-travel, it’s usually a seguek-modern settings.

As I was new to JSW, I was able to completely absorb his character without other influences like his previous character(which apparently, after researches, he usually plays charismatic and suit-and-tie type of characters), the caster did well with him. As for PSH, Since I’ve watched most if not, all of her main lead dramas, I kind of expected how she would bring out her character, but I should say she had improved on her kissing scenes! XDXD If you’ve also watch her previous works, she’s always been known to be a kissing statue, even partnered with the kissing guru LMH(if your what I mean), but this time, I’m not sure if it’s all thanks to JSW, but she really gave life to her character, not only in those scenes but even during moments with her dad, somehow and most of the time PSH had always given me these idol vibes(where it’s way more important to look pretty and reserved than to act for the sake of the character- just my observation tho)..

As for the storyline, I’m personally the type to really like easy to understand plots and as this is a science time-travel, expect some very deep physics going on, but really, I really commend how it was told rather than on the storyline itself, because I think if you’re a fan of quantum theories, there would be a lot of holes and you’d complain, but if not, I think this drama gives you the balance between drama and science. You know, just enough for you to get your mind going. Plot twist is of course a given, but I’d be giving out tmi if I say more.

Although, maybe being used to big screen quality of post-apocalyptic CGIs this drama might give you a few head shakes, but nothing you can’t ignore. But if you arent really used to post-apocalyptic CGIs, then maybe you won’t even notice.

Overall, it was a great ride. Sth I’d recommend for its genre. It has a great balance of romance-science-action going on. Plus of course the dark family background of the villain, it’s a kdrama factor so I won’t comment anything on it.

Enjoy :)

Leer más

Best sci-fi drama ever watched

The actors did a mind blowing job in portraying their respective characters. The leads were amazing. I just love seo hae. How brave and courageous a lady she is. This movie also gives a small message in between that we should not take anything or anyone for granted and must understand their values before we end up losing it.It shows that the things which we used to take for granted like antibiotics, fresh food, decent house and clothing etc.
Besides the concept of time traveller and paradox are also shown though it could be even more defined and clear as those are advance level physics which require knowledge in that field. Nevermind!
Overall everything was amazing though the last episode seems a bit mind boggling but got it later on..!
For all those who love sci-fi and action related dramas.., this series is a must watch.

Leer más

Total Disappointment :(

I honestly really wanted to like this drama since I love both PSH and CSW. The overall idea was supposed to be a really cool time travel drama. The execution however was really poor and the cast seems a bit off. PSH didn’t look like warriar (she is more on the softer side) and the leading actor and actress are obviously not in love at all. Their age difference obviously did not help. They were supposed to be madly in love, yet there wasn’t even enough time or drama for that to happen.

The drama was really hard to follow and had a hard time trying maintain my interest. Not to mention there were many plot holes that leave me puzzled till the end. I felt I kinda know the message but it was poorly delivered.

Unless you love the main actors snd actress, don’t waste your time. There are far more better Korean drama to watch.

Leer más

Very Timey Wimey

This drama really gets your brain thinking. It gets you thinking overtime trying to figure out whats going on. But its a great drama. The acting was amazing and the story line was great too. I think the leads had good chemistry and worked well together. It was all going well until it almost came to the end of the drama. Now if your scrolling through the comments trying to find opinions and possible answers to the ending i have my opinion. Since Han Tae Sul killed himself the war ended. No more nuclear bombing= no one died. Since this happened Seo Hae never had to loose her mother. Never had to live in the bunker. And never had to grow up in a nuclear waste land. Which then leads to the point where she never went to the uploader to save Han Tae Sul and stop the war. And never fell in love with Han Tae Sul. Which is why she disappeared. Han Tae Sul ends up back at the very beginning on episode 1 on the plane, (I don't quite understand why he remembers.) But with all his memories intact from the previous timeline i think he starts to hallucinate Seo Hae since he doesn't want to come to the conclusion she no longer exists (at least that version of her). The younger version of Seo Hae still exists but this is a child version of her that never gets to experience the nuclear war that kills almost everyone including her mother. Obvious;y you dont have to take my word on it afterall its my opinion and im not forcing it on anyone. But overall the drama was okay. I don'y exactly regret watching it but i only gave it a rewatch value of 6 because i hate sad endings. And i'm likely not to return to a drama that makes me bawl my eyes out at the end lol.

Leer más

As someone who enjoys sci-fi, I enjoyed it a lot. Plus, sci-fi and time travel wow i looove it. I particularly love the epic and cool action scenes, their amazing acting alongside great characters that they carries, the cinematography, the quick pace and of course the storyline that keeps me curious on how it will unfold, how it will take turn and twist and how will it ends. So, enjoyed it, for about more than half of the series. But then, the storyline started getting not as well written as it first is. There were soo many plot holes, that I kept questioning things. I try to not be logical for this series and go with the flow even though it doesn't make sense, but I can't help but question things. It just that the plot holes are too obvious especially in the final episode. wow, that episode really brings down my rating. So many things that I just can't brain and i feel like the writer kinda take a shortcut. all in all, i enjoyed it, not as well written as i expected, but it was good.

Leer más

Too many non sense...

This is my first review for a drama. I'll try to explain my point of view without too much spoiler.

I've seen a lot of drama and film about time travel, and they all follow certain rules. Here all the principale rules are respected like the temporal paradox (the biggest one) ...

Not following certain rules is not disturbing, but all problems in this drama are on the little details (Like why Seo Hae take the time to sleep when she want to save her father ? Why she's going through a wall for no apparent reason ? How did taesul take the time to build a bunker in 12 hours? Why when sigma is in his workshop we can see the light on his windows, and when he go outside it's the nuclear night ? Do you really think we survive a sandstorm just with a bandana? ) It's these little details that make the drama's credibility not great.

Leer más

Ambitious : A series that had a lot going on.. maybe a bit too much, still a good watch though

I actually had high expectations for this series because I'm grateful that SK (South Korea) is blessing us with more Sci-fi action / mystery packed series unlike before. This drama had everything that I wanted from the beginning : A solid cast (Park Shin Hye and ), A good production, An intriguing plot and OSTs that will surely land on your playlist... So what could possibly go wrong with it?? Well, before I discuss the Cons.. Let's first talk about the Pros of the series.

PROS
1. An intriguing plot : This series is not meant to be watched in a passing glance because you really need to take your time in watching this one. The mystery of the series unravels as one dives deeper in the story.
2. The pacing of the series is just right : not too fast, not too slow. We get to see the plot unravel as well as the development of the characters.
3. The acting and the choreography for the action or fighting scenes are top knotch. We get to see Park Shin Hye in action. Finally, a badass female lead and not some weak female lead or damsel in distress. (We really need more strong female leads in not just South Korean dramas but also other Asian dramas).

CONS
1. The inconsistency and 'illogicality' of the science in the show which literally may or may not disappoint you if you did not notice it. I understand that this has an intriguing plot but the execution of the science (time paradox, time loop, time travel etc. ) in the story is a bit weak. I find that the supposed sci-fi focus of the show became bland midway. Although, I can definitely say that Sisyphus had a better execution than Alice which was more of a disappointment.
2. I find the romance of the characters (Seo Hae and Han Tae Sul) to be mehhhh... I understand that SK is fond of romantic relationships in their series but I'd rather prefer if they were just friends or comrades instead. This is just an opinion but since Seo Hae and Han Tae Sul had a lot going on in the series that I actually find their relationship to be rushed or dry. Although, I want them to be a couple, it would've been better if it was on the end part of the series is where they will realize that they could've been just more than friends...
3. The ending : it is an open ending that will really leave you hanging because the main issues are still unresolved plus character and plot inconsistencies. I'm hoping for a season 2 for this because there are still important issues that needs to be clarified in the series.

In conclusion, the good balances out the bad in the series. Definitely, a slightly above average or average SK drama for me. It's still a good watch despite the discrepancies in some certain aspects but yeah, other than that. I still enjoyed watching it. Cheers to the great production and effort of all the actors/actresses, production team etc.. :)

Leer más