A gigantic, half-ton, blood-thirsty wild boar is rampaging wild on the mountain, feasting on humans dead and alive. And who is responsible for this horrific threat to Sameri, the peaceful little hamlet (self-proclaimed “the Crimeless Village”), at the foot of the mountain?
Why, Japan, of course.
Seems back in the Dark Days of the Japanese Occupation, evil Japanese scientists cross-bred the local pigs with imported swine, resulting in this monstrous strain. Because, as one character explains: when species intermix, mutation follows.
Korean Blood Purity, FTW!
This tongue-in-cheek exchange also serves as a tip of the hat to the way Bong Joon-Ho’s Host planted the blame, early and firmly, for that movie’s monster mutation, on Korea’s other favorite villain, the American Military Presence. Like an equal-opportunity Scream of Korean and Hollywood horror and action blockbusters, Shin Jung-Won’s Chaw sends up clichés, stock characters, and iconic scenes all over the place.
There’s the railway tunnel getaway, the climactic set piece in the empty factory, the obligatory massive and totally gratuitous explosion, and the premature celebration that only serves as a way to aggregate victims for the monster’s next attack.
Continue Reading →
