Chapter 348
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 348
Chapter Title: The Director's Interview
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United States.
Bearound, the production company for the film [Survivors].
“How’s the reaction?”
At the planning team leader’s question, an employee monitoring social media spoke up.
“It’s absolutely blowing up. It’s so heated that some people are even cursing out the production company.”
The planning team leader smiled with satisfaction at the outcry that grew with every second. It had only been a day since they uploaded the [Director’s Cut], and the response was incredible.
-I enjoyed Survivors, so I was looking forward to the director's cut, but I didn't expect this :(
-Same. For me, the theatrical cut is the only Survivors.
-I think I need to reset my memory. Gotta go back to the theater.
-I liked the director's cut, though :)
He couldn’t help but smile, thinking that all this buzz and attention would once again be directed toward [Survivors].
“What about the ratings?”
At the team leader's words, an employee who was checking the information coming in from Plus+ in real-time opened his mouth. It was the view counts and viewer ratings for [Survivors - Director’s Cut], which had been released with subtitles in various languages.
“There are a lot of 1-star ratings, but there’s a formidable number of 10-stars as well.”
1 star and 10 stars.
With public opinion so polarized, it was obvious that if an article came out, anyone would be curious about what kind of movie it was and how the [Director’s Cut] differed from the [Theatrical Cut].
“It’s still in theaters, so they’ll head to the cinemas.”
They’d watch the [Theatrical Cut] of [Survivors] and be satisfied, then watch the [Director’s Cut] out of curiosity, and then watch the [Theatrical Cut] again to cure the aftereffects. Among them, there would surely be people who would rewatch the [Director’s Cut].
“It’s like a Möbius strip.”
Everyone burst into laughter at one employee’s remark.
“Ah, Team Leader. We’ve received an interview request for Director Jeffrey.”
It was Director Jeffrey, who had already done several interviews before and right after [Survivors] was released. It seemed a new interview offer had come in now that the [Director’s Cut] was a hot topic.
“Is that so? I’ll contact the director myself.”
And two days later.
Director Jeffrey Rodox’s interview was released.
* * *
“Hello. This is The Film Critic.”
The Film Critic smiled weakly at the camera.
-Crit… hi…
-Hi… Crit…
-Hello! Film Critic!
-? Why is everyone so drained?
Haha.
The Film Critic couldn’t help but laugh at the contrasting moods evident even in the comments. It was obvious what movie they had all seen.
“Today, as I announced earlier, I’ll be reviewing the theatrical and director’s cuts of Survivors. For those who haven’t seen the director’s cut…”
The Film Critic paused mid-sentence. Then he let out a sigh.
“I can’t exactly tell you to go watch it, but I also can’t tell you to watch this review without having seen it… It’s quite complicated.”
-True. It’s a twist, of sorts…
-I want to stop my past self from watching the director's cut.
-s… t… a… y…
-But I think I would've watched it out of curiosity anyway.
-22 I had a certification exam on Saturday and watched it at 1 AM that day…ㅎ (Obviously bombed it lol)
-Oh, I haven't seen the director's cut yet! I'll go watch it now!
-…Friend. Don't cross that river…
-That person seems so cheerful right now, but I bet they’ll come back completely devastated lol.
-They might not even come back today lol.
-Now I get why Plus+ uploaded the director's cut on a weekend. The aftereffects are no joke.
-Hearing everyone say that makes me want to watch it.
-22 I'll be back after watching it!
In response to the comments, those who hadn’t seen the [Director’s Cut] left the live broadcast, and those who had been waiting for The Film Critic’s review came in.
Observing the fluctuating viewer count, The Film Critic began to speak once the numbers stabilized.
“Then, assuming everyone watching the live stream now has seen the director’s cut, let’s begin the review.”
The Film Critic let out a light sigh and raised his voice.
“First, let’s talk about the theatrical cut of Survivors, which is still showing to rave reviews. I hear the number of people rewatching it has increased since the director’s cut came out, right?”
-ㅠㅠ I couldn't help it.
-If it was on VOD, I would've watched it at home, but it's still in theaters lol.
-I watched it because I wanted to see Ian Weaver!!
-I watched it because I wanted to see Lee Hyunwoo!!
-I watched it because I wanted to see the post-credits scene!!
“I also went to the theater to watch it again because of the director’s cut aftereffects. I just had to. But for now, since this is a review of the theatrical cut, please refrain from talking about the director’s cut. Let’s all try to relive the feeling of watching it for the first time.”
-The day I bawled my eyes out?
-The day my heart was pounding?
“Yes. That day. I wonder if you all remembered to bring tissues.”
-I'm a Seojun fan, so I always have them!
-I didn't bring any, but I saw people in the theater with tissues and thought, 'This must be serious!' so I quickly bought some from the convenience store lol.
-Everyone seemed to come well-prepared ㅎㅎ
The Film Critic chuckled at the comments and displayed an image on his monitor.
“First, let’s introduce the Galleria Mall, the setting of the movie. In the film, it’s a huge shopping mall that is a must-visit for tourists coming to LA. The exterior looks so cool you’d want to visit once, but it only appears at the beginning.”
-It looks cool, so I do want to go.
-But in reality, I don't want to go.
-I don't think we'll see shopping malls with that design anymore lol.
“Yes, that’s right. I feel the same way, wanting to go and not wanting to go at the same time. First, here in the south shopping district is where Lee Hyunwoo and his family were. And the west restaurant area. That’s where Raymond Wish’s family was. The east movie theater had the broadcasting room, and in the north, there was an amusement park.”
-Honestly, I wondered why they showed the amusement park in such detail.
-At the end, the balloons rise into the sky. Didn't that seem like a metaphor for their escape?
-And they showed the sky, too. When they introduced the other locations, it was just the ceiling.
-Oh, right.
“I’m telling you, don’t get ahead of me.”
The viewers burst into laughter at The Film Critic’s mild scolding. Seeing the stream of ‘ㅋㅋㅋ,’ The Film Critic soon smiled and continued.
“Yes. I also think those balloons were a device to evoke the idea of escape. Unlike the other locations, which had four stories above them, the north amusement park leads directly outside. In this early part, there were other hidden elements besides the balloons. I wonder if anyone spotted them. If you watch the movie closely, you’ll see objects placed on pillars and walls.”
-Really?
“They were briefly shown when the south shopping district was introduced. You wouldn't have seen them unless you looked closely because of all the people passing by. Those very objects were the bombs that would later explode.”
-…What?
-I studied up and still missed it!
-So that's why they introduced each area one by one.
-Then were there bombs in the stadium or the amusement park too?
-Probably!
-But what if the security guard had found the bomb in the east wing first, not the south? Would that place have exploded first?
The Film Critic nodded.
“That’s likely. The terrorists had the goal of getting their leader released, so they couldn’t let the bomb locations be discovered before the attack. They must have been watching from somewhere. Perhaps there were terrorists among the shoppers.”
-Oh. That’s why it didn't collapse all at once.
-No wonder… it felt like there was a lot of time to escape.
-And a lot of bombs went off.
“The terrorists must have known that the negotiations would take a long time. So they probably planned to drag it out as long as possible. The reason they targeted LA was likely because Hollywood is nearby and there are many tourists, so they were aiming for a bigger global news story.”
-True. Bombing New York or Washington would just be a declaration of war.
-Yup yup.
-They'd have to do something to save their own citizens, but wouldn't it be hard for other countries to tell the US to release a terrorist leader?
-You're right.
-But I don't think the US could completely ignore global opinion either.
-…You don't think they'd ignore it?
-This is really complicated.
“But none of that is shown in the movie. Except for the beginning, everything unfolds from the survivors’ perspective. The survivors don’t know why the bombs went off, who set them, if people outside will come to rescue them, or how many bombs are left. They are in a situation where they must either escape on their own or wait for rescue.”
-But if they had just stayed put, wouldn't they have been rescued?
-I don't know. With four stories above them… they'd probably be crushed to death before they could be rescued.
-It really feels like a matter of luck. You could die trying to escape, or you could be rescued after giving up all hope.
The Film Critic nodded and continued talking about the movie.
“Then let’s first talk about Lee Hyunwoo and his family.”
-ㅋㅋㅋThe hiking clothesㅋㅋㅋ
-They seemed like genuine Koreans lol.
-Packageㅋㅋtourㅋㅋ
“Yes. The Korean tourists who gave us a big laugh from their very first appearance. I knew about it from the making-of film, but it was still fascinating and funny. Of course, the actors’ performances were beyond reproach. We’re talking about Lee Seojun and Kim Jongho. Man. I never thought I’d see actor Kim Jongho in a Hollywood movie.”
-I'm used to Lee Seojun, but Kim Jongho was a surprise.
-I find it more surprising that you're used to Lee Seojun lol. Since when did it become normal for a Korean actor to appear in Hollywood movies? lol.
-Everyone's acting was so good.
-When actor Kim Jongho appeared, I thought it was a Korean movie ㅎㅎ.
“After the bomb explodes, Lee Hyunwoo heads toward his parents. It’s understandable, but it was a frustrating scene to watch him go alone in the opposite direction. There’s a scene here that’s getting a lot of attention overseas.”
-Is it that one? Where the mom is trying to let go, but the dad is holding on tight ㅠㅠ.
-The dad must have agonized over it so much ㅠㅠ. He'd regret it no matter who he chose.
-The scene where Lee Hyunwoo sees his parents and smiles in relief was also good. Though it tears the viewers' hearts apart…
The Film Critic smiled at the viewers’ comments and clicked his mouse.
An image appeared on the monitor. It was a recently released still cut showing Kim Jongho, inside the collapsing building, tightly gripping Jae Eunju's hand, his face contorted in a fierce scowl as he yelled.
-That's the last scene, right?
-Kim Jongho acted well, but… is it really that noteworthy?
-I know, right?
-Nope. This part is a huge topic.
-Foreign friend: Koreans might not notice because it's so natural, but for foreigners who don't know Korean, it's a really fascinating scene.
The Film Critic said with a smile.
“Everyone, when you watch a movie with subtitles, your attention gets divided, right?”
-Yeah. In important scenes, you can't miss the facial expressions or the meaningful dialogue.
-That's why we rewatch movies ㅎㅎ.
“But for this scene, reviews keep popping up on social media saying they could understand the Korean without looking at the subtitles. They said it sounded like they heard the word ‘Go.’”
-Ah. The line here was ‘Garago,’ right? They probably heard ‘go’ as ‘Go.’
-As expected… the power of rewatching until you've memorized the lines ㅎㅎ.
The Film Critic nodded at the viewer’s deduction.
“Yes. Just as you guessed, the line ‘Garago’ seems to have played a crucial role. But even if the pronunciation is similar, it’s not easy to act in a way that foreigners can recognize it. If he had emphasized the ‘go’ to be conscious of foreigners, it would have sounded strange to Koreans.”
The Film Critic said with a smile.
“But we heard the sentence ‘Garago’ naturally, not just ‘Go.’ It must not be an easy thing to deliver a line that sounds natural to Koreans while also being understood by foreigners. That’s actor Kim Jongho for you.”
-Ah. I want to watch it again now lol.
-22 Gotta go to the theater again lol.
-I just wish they'd release the VOD already…ㅎ
-But there's something about watching it on a theater screen lol.
“The next characters are Cynthia Lindbergh and Ian Weaver. Cynthia Lindbergh is an information desk employee at Galleria Mall, and Ian Weaver was a lost child.”
-ㅠㅠ Our Ian ㅠㅠ
-A lost child ㅠㅠ
-So cruel ㅠㅠ
“Well, this is completely unrelated to the movie, but we’ve seen a similar story before.”
The Film Critic said with a sly smile.
-???
-We have?
“Yes. It was the same during Shadowman Mac and Jin Natra’s first meeting.”
-…Vel Natra!
-A name I didn't expect to see here ㅎㅎ.
-He was abandoned on Earth back then lol.
-The scale is different ;;;
-Back then it was the Earth, this time it's a shopping mall in chaos lol.
“I just brought it up because the same actor appeared in both movies.”
The viewers, who simultaneously thought of a certain actor at The Film Critic’s words, chuckled.
“Then, back to the movie, Jackson Miller and Raymond Wish appear. Jackson Miller seems like an ordinary person, while Raymond Wish has a ‘I’m the main character’ vibe from his first appearance.”
-But he wasn't.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“Yes. Honestly, when I first saw the character introduction part, I thought the roles were more or less set. I expected Raymond Wish, a former soldier, to use his experience to become the real hero, with the others as supporters, and Lee Hyunwoo as a liability. Of course, Ian is the hope.”
-I thought so too. That's how all disaster movies are lol.
-But the director's cut…ㅠ
-Let's not talk about the director's cut here.
“But it changes from the middle. Raymond Wish, who seemed mature and reliable, becomes a ticking time bomb, and Lee Hyunwoo becomes an even more precarious trigger. But the sincerity both of them express makes it impossible for the audience to hate either of them.”
-I really hate characters who are liabilities, but I truly understood Lee Hyunwoo ㅠㅠ. His acting was so good, I just thought, he must be in so much pain to act like that ㅠㅠ.
-I disliked Raymond Wish when he got angry, but after hearing his story, I understood ㅠㅠ.
-I think the reaction depends on who you empathize with.
“Yes. If you empathize with Lee Hyunwoo, you’ll dislike Raymond Wish, and if you empathize with Raymond Wish, you’ll dislike Lee Hyunwoo. But that’s only for a moment. The audience is persuaded by the two actors’ performances. They become characters you can’t help but understand because of the actors’ skills.”
The Film Critic’s eyes sparkled.
“And the ones who created a progression different from typical disaster movies were these very actors. Davis Garrett and Lee Seojun.”
-?? What do you mean?
-Wasn't the script just well-written?
-Right. I thought the director wrote a good script? Though it has a different feel from his previous works.
-Aren't movies all about the director?
The Film Critic said with a bright smile.
“An interview with Jeffrey Rodox, the director of Survivors, came out today. It was an interesting interview full of various behind-the-scenes stories about Survivors. I’ll share them with you all during today’s review.”