We live in a fast-paced and demanding world, where stress and negative emotions can often consume our thoughts and actions. As humans, we have the ability to create our own happiness, but we also have the power to create our own misery. This is what I refer to as the curse from within. The curse from within is the self-imposed suffering that we inflict upon ourselves through our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. It is a deep-seated negativity that can eat away at our happiness and well-being. It is an internal struggle that can be felt on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level.
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.
It is an internal struggle that can be felt on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. One way in which we curse ourselves from within is through our negative self-talk. We constantly criticize and berate ourselves for our perceived flaws and failures.
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.
We dwell on our mistakes and shortcomings, often replaying them over and over in our minds. This negative self-talk creates a toxic cycle of self-doubt and low self-esteem, preventing us from reaching our full potential. Another way we curse ourselves from within is through limiting beliefs. We may believe that we are not worthy of success or happiness, or that we are destined to fail. These beliefs hold us back from pursuing our dreams and taking risks. They become self-fulfilling prophecies, as our negative beliefs shape our actions and perpetuate our negative outcomes. Our behaviors can also contribute to the curse from within. We may engage in self-sabotaging behaviors, such as procrastination, avoidance, or destructive habits. These behaviors provide temporary relief but ultimately perpetuate our suffering and prevent us from growing and evolving. To break free from the curse from within, we must first become aware of our negative patterns and thought processes. We must challenge our negative beliefs and replace them with positive and empowering ones. We must practice self-compassion and remind ourselves that we are deserving of love, happiness, and success. We can also work on changing our behaviors by taking small, manageable steps towards our goals. By setting realistic expectations and holding ourselves accountable, we can break free from self-sabotage and achieve personal growth. It is important to acknowledge that breaking free from the curse from within is a lifelong journey. It requires continuous self-reflection, introspection, and self-improvement. It requires us to face our fears and confront our inner demons. But the rewards of breaking free from the curse from within are immeasurable. We can experience true happiness, fulfillment, and success. We can build meaningful and fulfilling relationships and make a positive impact on the world around us. So let us break free from the curse from within. Let us choose to create our own happiness and success. Let us embrace self-love and self-empowerment. And let us live our lives to the fullest, free from the burdens of self-imposed suffering..
Reviews for "The Curse of Unforgiveness: Releasing Internal Resentment and Anger"
1. John Doe - 1 star
I found "Curse from within" to be incredibly boring and unoriginal. The plot was predictable, following the same tired tropes of other supernatural horror movies. The acting was mediocre at best, with the characters lacking any depth or development. The scares were cheap and uninspired, relying on jump scares and loud noises rather than true suspense. Overall, "Curse from within" failed to deliver any originality or excitement, making it a forgettable and disappointing film.
2. Jane Smith - 2 stars
I had high hopes for "Curse from within" based on the intriguing trailer, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pacing was off, with far too much exposition and not enough action to keep my interest. The dialogue was cliché and forced, with the characters spouting off one-liners that felt out of place. Additionally, the special effects were cheesy and unrealistic, which took away from the intended horror experience. Overall, "Curse from within" had potential, but it lacked the execution and depth to truly captivate me.
3. David Johnson - 2 stars
"Curse from within" had an interesting concept, but it failed to deliver on its promise. The story was convoluted and hard to follow, with plot twists that made little sense and only served to confuse the audience. The performances were lackluster, with the actors delivering their lines in a flat and unconvincing manner. The scares were also underwhelming, with most of them relying on cheap jump scares rather than building true suspense. Overall, "Curse from within" had potential, but it ultimately fell short in both storytelling and execution.
4. Sarah Thompson - 1 star
I was highly disappointed with "Curse from within". The plot was disjointed and poorly developed, leaving me confused and unable to fully invest in the story. The acting was wooden and unconvincing, making it difficult to emotionally connect with any of the characters. Additionally, the visual effects were shoddy and lacked realism, diminishing the intended horror elements. Overall, "Curse from within" was a forgettable and disappointing film that failed to deliver on its promises. I would not recommend it to others.