JP Nunez
From the minute I heard about Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman, I knew I wanted to review it. Even before reading the plot synopsis, the title alone made this film a must-see, and who can blame me? Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is an awesome name, so I didn’t even need to know what the story was about. I figured it would be right up my alley, and when I finally checked the plot synopsis out, it just confirmed what I already knew. I couldn’t wait to give this movie a watch, and after getting the chance to press play on my screener, I’m happy to report that it’s just as fun as its name suggests.
Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman was directed by Kim Seong-sik, and stars Gang Dong-won, Huh Joon-ho, Esom, Lee Dong-hwi, Kim Jong-soo, Park Soi, and Jisoo. The film follows Dr. Cheon, a fake exorcist who just so happens to be the grandson of a powerful shaman. He’s forsaken his spiritual heritage, so these days, he goes around scamming gullible people who think they’ve been besieged by evil spirits.
One day, he runs into a problem that’s a bit above his pay grade. He’s hired to exorcize a little girl who turns out to be genuinely possessed. However, unlike in most possession movies, this girl’s tormentor isn’t a demon. Instead, it’s an evil mage intent on escaping his mystical imprisonment. To stop him, Dr. Cheon has to team up with an unlikely group of heroes, reconnect with his spiritual heritage, and find the titular lost talisman.
Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman had me hooked right from the get-go. When the film begins, we join our main character and his trusty sidekick, In-bae, as they scam a family of three, and it’s an absolute hoot. Actor Gang Dong-won immediately establishes Dr. Cheon as a charismatic, confident trickster you can’t help but love. Lee Dong-hwi, who plays In-bae, is perfect as the somewhat hapless comedic relief.
These two performers have excellent chemistry together, and their hilarious antics draw you in right away. They make you want to follow these characters wherever they go, so you’re already fully on board with them when the story begins in earnest.
And when it does, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman gets even better. For starters, the characters in this movie are pretty strong. Not only are Dr. Cheon and In-bae consistently charming the whole way through, but the rest of the doctor’s ragtag crew are equally likable. They’re just a good, wholesome group that’s really easy to root for, giving this film a solid foundation to build on.
That being said, there was one character I wasn’t quite enamored with—the malevolent mage. He’s your standard mustache-twirling villain who’s bad because that’s what the script calls for, so there’s zero depth to the character. He feels more like a walking plot point than a real person, and he doesn’t add anything to the story.
Thankfully, actor Huh Joon-ho is pretty menacing in the role, so the thin characterization here doesn’t take anything away from the movie. He gives the good guys a convincing villain to fight, so even though I wish there were more to this sinister sorcerer, he at least gets the job done.
On top of its likable protagonists, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman also has a ton of incredibly fun fantasy action, as the mage sends his minions to foil our heroes every step of the way. Once Dr. Cheon realizes that the little girl he’s been hired to help really is possessed, the film will keep you on the edge of your seat right up until the credits begin to roll. Granted, it’s not all action all the time, but the pace never slows down long enough for you to get bored.
Even the exposition scenes are fun, and there’s one in particular that I really enjoyed. It involves a spirit speaking to Dr. Cheon and his friends through a medium, and it never feels like we’re listening to a lecture about the mythology of this fictional world.
The scene shows us what we need to know rather than just telling us about it. Park Jeong-min, the actor who plays the medium, does an excellent job differentiating his character’s normal personality from the spirit speaking through him. They feel like two different people, so when they switch back and forth a few times, it adds a touch of fun to what could have been just another bland exposition dump.
If you couldn’t tell, I had a great time with Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman, but I have one criticism of the movie. It’s a ton of fun, but that’s all it is. The story feels like something we’ve seen numerous times before (even the fake exorcist angle has been done in films like The Last Exorcism and The Cleansing Hour), and it’s a bit too predictable at times, even down to some specific plot points. Similarly, the theme of reconnecting with your heritage is also rather common. Even though I appreciate it, I’ve seen it too many times now for it to elicit any real emotion from me.
Simply put, Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is basically the movie equivalent of empty calories, and that keeps it from being great. Instead, it has to settle for being merely good, but at the end of the day, that’s a relatively minor criticism. Good is still, well, good, so if you’re a fan of fantasy action films, you should give this one a watch. It’s a fun story with likable characters. Even though it doesn’t give you much to chew on after the credits begin to roll, it’ll definitely put a smile on your face while you’re watching it.
Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman is set to hit VOD, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 27.
