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Psychokinesis Movie Review

Psychokinesis is a 2018 South Korean superhero film directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Ryu Seong-ryong. It’s an interesting mix of genres that is flawed, but somewhat original.

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“Those with real power aren’t people like us.

They were born to win“

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A father with newly acquired superpowers sets out to help his estranged daughter before she loses everything. This is actually a crime movie first and foremost and then a superhero one. Not being a fan of the crime genre, this idea disappointed me, but still the execution is mostly very good that I ended up appreciating the movie for its strengths regardless.

The turf war at the center of the film is definitely familiar. In fact, this particular subject is always very typical when portrayed in movies, and here it’s elevated only by the strong acting and emotional involvement. The superhero elements felt somewhat rushed as we rarely got enough fight scenes throughout what is a somewhat short movie, but those that we got are so much fun and simply the mixing of the two genres was very authentic, even if the execution is only solid.

I loved the protagonist. I also found the father-daughter relationship at the center of the film very well realized and quite moving. Their relationship is strained, but still full of love. It’s the emotional anchor for the film. Another character that I just loved is that villain, Director Hong. The fact that we got a genuinely cool, horrible female villain was commendable and all of her scenes were highly effective at conveying danger to the audience.

Psychokinesis is also technically very polished. The effects are excellent and the film’s overall look is terrific and quite grounded in reality. This whole idea to take a superhero premise to the real world made the movie not as fun as it could have been, but definitely believable and lived in as its world is very well depicted and detailed. The character work and each acting performance are fantastic. I just wish that the pacing was better and that the movie was more entertaining overall. It also needed a better second act, which itself felt overly dramatic with too much dialogue.

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Psychokinesis is definitely flawed and uneven in its mixing of the crime and superhero genres, but it’s still an authentic movie in that regard and quite different from other superhero flicks. The pacing could have been better, but the performances, character work and solid world building are all the highlights in this interesting Korean film.

My Rating – 3.5