Despite the controversies that arose during the production and marketing phase leading up to this film's release, Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy still takes home a singular victory, and it might be the only thing that counts toward landing that second film. Back in its first web novel, Realies Pictures offered it a five-film live-action adaptation.
Originally written as a light novel before being adapted into a manhwa, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint remains a very popular series among fans and webtoon lovers. And while readers eagerly awaited the new content, concerns began to boil over when it was revealed that changes were being made to the source material that didn't make much sense.
Director: Byung-woo Kim
Writers: UmisingNsong
Stars: Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Kim Jisoo
The lonely, introverted young protagonist of Byung-woo Kim's "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy" replicates that feeling when one of his favorite webtoon novels, "Ways to Survive the Apocalypse," ends on a sad note. Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop), who has followed the novel since his high school days—a fictional world and a constant companion he had by his side when things got complicated in the real world—has just finished his contract work, and the novel's ending coincides with his.
The ending left him so disappointed that, while taking the subway home that day, he decided to write to the author about it. In other words, the web novel's audience had dropped so much over the year that, by the time it was finished, only Kim Dok-ja was reading it. What he didn't expect was a response. A thoughtful and absurd reasoning from the author leaves him stunned: they offer to change the ending, but before he can do anything about it, a sudden change on the train he takes home blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
The world suddenly transforms into the one he has been following closely, with the citizens immersed in a post-apocalyptic wasteland riddled with scenarios they must resolve to survive. Everything quickly becomes extremely chaotic, and Kim Dok-Ja becomes a guiding light, as she already knows this world inside out. She's joined by a makeshift team she meets while navigating the incredibly strange environments of this video game-like world: a coworker, Sang-ah (Chae Soo-bin); a heartbroken soldier; Hyeon-seong (Shin Seung-ho), a member of the original webtoon team; and Gil-yeong (Kwon Eun-seong), a young man with the ability to communicate with insects.
Based on the South Korean webtoon "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" by Sing Shong, Byung-woo Kim's vision feels uninspired. The success of global hits like "Train to Busan" and "Squid Game," among many other webtoon-inspired IPs, has left very little room for anything new to be established without it feeling like a recycled version of the same story. However, it's especially disheartening in this case, as the complacency of the fiction-within-a-fiction narrative setting could have allowed the film to soar with a wild and imaginative twist, so out of place that any criticism would be a harsh blow.
However, the film fails to evoke even a hint of pathos that engages you beyond the predictability of how it all plays out. Like the protagonist, obsessed with Jung-hyeok (Lee Min-ho), the hero of the story within the story who, he claims, will save the human race from total extinction, Byung-woo Kim's film relies too heavily on its inspirations like "Dune," "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World," and "Star Wars" to forge a distinct identity. The CGI work is uneven and sloppy, and the underground monsters fail to generate the terror the film is aiming for. It also doesn't help that none of these characters leave a lasting impression, despite the large cast of well-known Korean stars.
That said, the first two acts of "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy" are intriguing. Before the film devolves into a visual effects-heavy mess, there are some interesting twists. At one point, a new order is formed within one of the challenges the group must face. A politician invents humans on the subway so they can beg for points and survive the day. The scene alone is enough to demonstrate the film's intense interest in analyzing the human condition when survival becomes important. It uncovers something deeper about people, and while it's enough to keep a blockbuster from getting to the bottom of things, I wish the film would focus more on this aspect instead of overwhelming us with boring scenes that, in any case, fail to deliver a satisfying ending.
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