Jung_E; The ultimate weapon and hope for humanity is an artificial intelligence battle warrior in the year 2194.
Jung_E, Credit: Netflix
Jung_E is an upcoming South Korean science fiction film that casts a dark shadow over the future of humanity’s relationship with AI.
Jung_E was written and directed by Train to Busan and Hellbound director Yeon Sang-ho. Despite being writer and director for the Hellbound manga (Netflix), though, Jung_E is the first Netflix feature film for Sang-ho. Jung_E stars Kang Soo-yeon, Kim Hyun-joo, and Ryu Kyung-soo. Kang Soo-yeon, who died before the film’s premiere, makes her final appearance Jung_E.
Opinion: After a sluggish start, Jung_E eventually settles in, finding its ground and gradually building up to form a unique, action-packed, and emotional conclusion.
Plot synopsis: Climate change has rendered the globe inhospitable in the twenty-first century, forcing humanity to live in an artificial shelter where a battle is raging. Jung, the allied troops’ top commander, was selected for an experiment for her prowess and abilities in a cloning project that may be the secret to winning the war. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance; all that stands in the way is Jung’s brain and a mercenary robot army.
How did Jung_E blend with Combat A.I?
Combat A.I. is currently being developed, and before we’ve had a chance to digest and understand all of the opening drivels about whatever the Adrian Republic is, we witness a lone female soldier facing a swarm of robots. She’s kicking ass, too, until an accident reveals she’s a robot, as well. But it’s all just a simulation intended to test the most recent version of the battle AI project. The simulation concludes, and a group of academics and other technical types begin studying the data to determine how their test subject failed the simulation yet again.
You can see Jung’s agony and grief throughout the film as she unravels the narrative.
How did the Jung_E come to be?
The A.I. fighter being tested is a clone of Yun Jung-Yi (Kim Hyun-joo), a great mercenary and military strategist who won several battles throughout the conflict. But a disastrous mission left her in a vegetative condition, and now military A.I. development corporation Kronoid is attempting to clone her brain to produce a superior fighter.
Even more intriguing in Jung’s current state, it’s been 35 years since her last mission, and Jung’s daughter Yun Seo-hyun (played by Kang Soo-youn in her final role) is now the lead researcher on the Jung_E project.
What is frustrating about Jung_E?
The appearance of an exceedingly irritating lab director at Kronoid, Sang-hoon, almost forced me to skip the entire film, especially since it came so soon after the agonizing opening scenes. The persona didn’t work for me since he barks unneeded instructions at everyone while attempting to be hilarious simultaneously. Fortunately, he doesn’t dominate the film, and his behavior is explained later.
What will keep you interested in Jung_E?
The first ten minutes are focused on the human side of the story. Seo-hyun lost her mother as a child 35 years ago and has to witness her resemblance go through the anguish of combat and realization that she isn’t human. We find that the dead have options for what can be done with brain data. As expected, packages are cost-driven and impact the human rights you receive when your data is executed in A.I.
The top choice gives you all the rights of any living human. At the same time, the lowest permits the government to use your brain data for whatever purpose it sees fit (allowing poorer citizens to pay it forward to the family as compensation, so to say). Jung Yi was given the lowest choice, so when no progress is achieved with combat development, Seo-hyun is shocked to discover the alternate intentions for her mother’s resemblance and brain data. Throughout the film, you can see her agony and grief, increasingly desperate to put an end to it all.
What does it mean to be human, packed in Jung_E?
Jung_E’s visuals are stunning. Aside from the Kronoid facility and the representation of complicated simulations, we frequently visit the outside world, where a monorail-style system transports humans through cities primarily buried under the water.
Anticipating a future war drama, I was pleasantly surprised to find a story about family and what it means to be human, making the action-packed ending all the more thrilling.
Jung_E will be available on Netflix on January 20, 2023