Source: Pexels
Rampant, a South Korean horror film characterised by an action-packed storyline, was directed by Kim Sung-hoon. The film is set in ancient Korea during the medieval period. Hyun Bin and Jang Dong-gun feature as the main cast while playing the roles of Lee Chung and Kim Ja-joon, respectively.
Other talented actors, including Jo Woo-jin, Kim Eui-sung, Han Ji-eun and many others, play different roles in the supporting cast, while Kim Tae-woo makes a special appearance as Crown Prince Lee Young. With a production budget of approximately ₩17 billion, Rampant’s principal photography took roughly six months and ended on 13 February 2018.
Drawing Upon Contemporary Life
The movie follows the life of Lee Chung, the Prince of Joseon, who loves to engage in different cultural activities, including gambling. This trend, where content creators draw upon contemporary life to enrich their plots, has become popular. As technology advances and the gambling scene evolves alongside it, access to different casino products like roulette, slots, poker, etc. becomes even more convenient because of the popularity of online platforms. It’s therefore likely that, like Rampant, future films will continue drawing upon gambling in physical locations, as well as capture our digital age to include characters who access the entertainment through online platforms.
Themes like power, sacrifice and redemption dominate different parts of Rampant. Lee Chung, an excellent swordsman, has an older brother, Lee Young, who takes him to the Qing Dynasty. After ten years, Lee Chung returns to his kingdom only to find that it’s been dominated by monsters. As he tries to protect the kingdom and its people, he discovers a secret plot involving powerful individuals of that society. The prince must then navigate through different challenges while trying to put his kingdom together.
Release and Reception
Rampant made its domestic debut on 25 October 2018, where it was met with anticipation and excitement from both critics and audiences alike. After approximately two weeks, an international release of the film across 19 countries followed. These included the UK, Thailand, the US, Canada and many others.
Park Jin-hae, in a Korean Times write-up, lauded the production, stating that Hyun’s skilful depiction of action scenes made the movie more entertaining. During a press conference in Seoul, Hyun mentioned that he used satirical elements in some parts to add depth to the plot.
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The film was massively received, recording over 156,000 admissions on its opening day. After the fourth day of its release, it surpassed 1 million admissions. A month later, in November, Rampant recorded over 1.5 million admissions. The movie continues to reach even more audiences, thanks to the popularity of streaming platforms. From May 2019, the US, Canadian and Australian markets could access the film through Netflix at any time. With its widespread adoption, Rampant won the Technical Award during the 2019 Chunsa Film Art Award.
In conclusion, Rampant transcends the confines of the zombie genre to deliver a thought-provoking exploration of power, resilience and human nature. Through its gripping narrative and richly developed characters, the film invites audiences to reflect on timeless themes while entertaining them with its high-stakes action.
