Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman
As “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman” got going, I found myself thinking about “Ghostbusters.” (Although Peter Jackson’s “The Frighteners” might be a better comp.) That seems like an odd comparison, but both films have people who are seen as charlatans at their center who actually know what they’re talking about. Gang Dong-won’s title character is someone who definitely believes in the paranormal and possession, and was raised to be a shaman, but in the modern world, uses his “gifts” to pay the bills, and for YouTube clout. When a young woman comes to him about her sister, he has to remember who he was meant to be.
Movies like this rise and fall on our engagement with the characters, and Dr. Cheon and his assistant, In-bae (Lee Dong-hwi), are a fun pair. As the film begins proper, we see the seeds of the supernatural story, and our antagonist, being laid before seeing Dr. Cheon and In-bae pulling up to a family’s home. Their daughter- a teenage girl- has been acting up, and things around the house have been disrupted by it. But, Dr. Cheon sets their minds at ease with a sight and sound act that seems to satisfy everyone. When they get to their offices, though, the young woman mentioned earlier, Yoo-gyeong (Esom), sneaks up on them, wanting them to come to see her sister. When this possession seems genuine, Dr. Cheon finds himself in over his head, and goes on a spiritual quest.
The story is very familiar in a lot of ways, but a big part of why I found myself quite entertained by it was how it turns into a journey for Dr. Cheon, and shifts from being something comedic to more action packed without losing its tone along the way. That’s in part because the characters at the center of the film are engaging, and Seong-sik knows how to balance the darker and lighter parts of the story. He also understands the importance of multiple layers of action happening, even in the same scene. By not focusing on one fight, but going between many others, he keeps the pace and momentum moving, allowing the story to fly by at 98 minutes long. This is a film that doesn’t relegate itself to one genre or type of story, giving us a clear path to the resolution we’re all fairly sure is going to happen. One might be able to figure out where the story is headed, but I enjoyed every step along the way of getting there, and how it wraps up. Then again, it has a lot of things I have typically liked- silly humor, supernatural adventures, action scenes that touch different bases- and at the center, a character’s spiritual journey towards whom they were supposed to be. Count me in every time.
