In the second part of "The Witch," the story continues with the main character, Mary, taking on a new role as an apprentice to the witch, Mrs. Dyer. Mary learns about various potion making techniques, incantations, and the power of herbs and plants in conducting magic. Mrs. Dyer teaches her about the different types of witches and their abilities, as well as the responsibility that comes with practicing witchcraft. As Mary delves deeper into her apprenticeship, she begins to understand the complexities of the witching world.
From pulling doors off cars to knife fights that don’t miss and giant storms of rocks that rip bodies apart, there is nothing small about the action-packed into The Witch 2. There is no subtlety or nuance, just larger and larger sequences that don’t stop building on each other. The center of the bulk of these fights is Jo-hyeon (Seo Eun-soo) the head officer of the agency tasked by the leaders of the Witch Program to capture the girl. She’s unyielding, angry, and capable of singlehandedly decimating an entire facility on her own. With heightened strength and speed, Jo-hyeon is a force on screen and manages to carry herself with an authority that matches the share physical space her well-over 6’3″ English-speaking partner.
Cloning, assassination, lots of blood, The Witch 2 is centered around the girl that brings multiple agencies with different motives together in a final act. The theme of the movie is that people who have more power than others are violent monsters so I think conveying queasiness of violence is important but CGI should have been more polished to make that work.
As Mary delves deeper into her apprenticeship, she begins to understand the complexities of the witching world. She learns that not all witches are evil and that magic can be used for both good and bad purposes. Mrs.
The Witch Part 2: The Other One is underwhelming.
I really respect Park Hoon-Jung making this movie despite many hardships such as having to quickly rewrite the script and having less budget than he was going to for the sequel because of pandemic and Warner Bros. Korea which produced the first one shutting down. I admire his passion for telling this slightly unconventional, dark, edgy, and violent superhero story with female protagonists. (I was pretty disappointed with the industry when I heard Park had a hard time getting the first one funded because it had a girl as the protagonist.) However, the movie is still disappointing.
The first one was an awkward start of the franchise. It was mostly ok until the movie tries to convince you that the protagonist isn't a monster anymore because she doesn't kill anything that walks anymore with a boring exposition. It was interesting to talk about because it was pretty weird and misanthropic. It's bold enough to suggest that superpower is a product of nazi science and US could acquire the technology through Operation Paperclip.
Screenwriting is bad. It has the worst tendencies of Marvel movies yet it's so lore brained that the structure is a mess. Comedic scenes and exposition scenes try to communicate the characters but it's done in such a clunky way and they tend to be too long. I despised cutesy humor that belong in movies like Edward Scissorhands. It was so predictable and didn't fit with the film language and the tone. I don't understand why you would try to make the protagonist 'likable' with cutesy bullshit when the protagonist behaves like Michael Myers or Jason Vorhees with superpower for the rest of the movie. Dialogue is painfully overwrought. You can see the writer desperately trying to make the dialogue sound interesting but it ends of being irritating.
They got way too ambitious with CGI. The theme of the movie is that people who have more power than others are violent monsters so I think conveying queasiness of violence is important but CGI should have been more polished to make that work. Violent scenes that have a lot of CGI don't really land.
Action editing is inexcusable. Action scenes are consisted of 3-4 very well framed shots, 5 bad insert shots, and 4 shots that aren't well framed that aren't inserts with a pace that is impossible to follow. Think of set pieces from Quantum of Solace. It's a shame because you can clearly see that the action scenes could work if they just used good shots. In other words, cinematography was genuinely good enough to make set pieces work but editing ruined them.
I liked the theme of the movie that is 'the more power you have, the more of a monster you are, and you will also be responsible for the horrific death of those with less power'. I love how it rejects power fantasy through pretty nauseous depiction of violence and making power fantasy sequences function as the reason of tragic conclusion.
The best part is when it becomes a mean spirited slasher movie with superpower with sadistic violence. There are two scenes that I really like. One is the protagonist testing out how to subdue an enemy with superpower. The protagonist stabs the enemy with telekinesis multiple times to test out which part to stab to subdue her and breaks her spine and toss her when stabbing doesn't work. I kind of wish she stabbed her until it worked though. The other is the scene where the protagonist keeps breaking a feet of a supervillain so that regeneration ability gets triggered until the side effect reaches the brain of him, which pops his brain and kills him painfully. I think the movie could have been better if there were more violence simply because I like the idea of a superhero movie full of sadistic violence. It still feels too restrained because there are moments where decapitation and head popping are obscured probably to avoid 'adults only' rating.
I will give the movie 3/8. Pretty underwhelming. It's definitely Park's worst movie. I really like where he's going for and love that his superhero franchise is consisted of weird, edgy, and dark entries. I just wish we could get movies like this but good.
Edit: There's also an American character and you can see how much the director wanted Aaron Taylor Johnson in this.
I really respect Park Hoon-Jung making this movie despite many hardships such as having to quickly rewrite the script and having less budget than he was going to for the sequel because of pandemic and Warner Bros. Korea which produced the first one shutting down. I admire his passion for telling this slightly unconventional, dark, edgy, and violent superhero story with female protagonists. (I was pretty disappointed with the industry when I heard Park had a hard time getting the first one funded because it had a girl as the protagonist.) However, the movie is still disappointing.
Dyer emphasizes the importance of using magic ethically and responsibly, warning Mary about the consequences of abusing her newfound powers. Throughout the story, Mary encounters various magical creatures and beings, such as fairies, goblins, and shape-shifters. She learns how to communicate with these creatures and the importance of maintaining a harmonious relationship with the supernatural world. However, Mary's journey isn't all smooth sailing. She faces challenges and setbacks along the way, testing her determination and commitment to becoming a skilled witch. Mrs. Dyer pushes her to her limits, forcing her to confront her fears and weaknesses. As the story progresses, Mary begins to understand her own magical abilities and discovers a unique power within herself. She learns to harness this power and use it for the greater good, becoming a formidable witch in her own right. In the end, Mary successfully completes her apprenticeship and becomes a fully fledged witch. She uses her newfound knowledge and abilities to help those in need and protect the magical realm from dark forces. With her mentor's guidance, she embraces her role as a witch and accepts the responsibilities that come with it. "The Witch Part Two" is a captivating tale of self-discovery, magic, and the transformative power of embracing one's true nature. It explores the intricacies of the witching world and the journey one must undertake to become a skilled practitioner of magic. Through Mary's story, readers are reminded of the importance of using power responsibly, and the potential for both light and darkness that lies within all of us..
Reviews for "The Witch Part Two: Unraveling the Web of Magic"
1. Susan - 2 stars
I was really disappointed with "The Witch Part Two". I was a big fan of the first movie, but this sequel didn't live up to my expectations. The plot felt convoluted and confusing, and the pacing was incredibly slow. The characters lacked depth and development, and I found it hard to care about their fates. Overall, I felt like this movie was just trying to capitalize on the success of the first one, rather than offering a compelling story. I wouldn't recommend it.
2. John - 1 star
"The Witch Part Two" was a complete waste of time. The first movie had a unique and unsettling atmosphere, but this sequel was severely lacking in that department. The scares were predictable and cliché, and nothing about the plot felt original or engaging. The acting was subpar, and the dialogue was wooden and unconvincing. It seems like the filmmakers were just going through the motions with this one, without putting any heart or effort into it. Save yourself the disappointment and skip this movie.
3. Emily - 2.5 stars
I had high hopes for "The Witch Part Two" after enjoying the first movie, but unfortunately, it fell short for me. While there were a few creepy moments, the overall story lacked cohesion and failed to keep me engaged. The pacing was uneven, with long stretches of boredom followed by rushed and confusing scenes. The characters were forgettable, and their decisions often didn't make sense. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity to continue the intriguing mythology established in the first film. I was disappointed and wouldn't recommend it to fans of the original.