From romantic love stories to dramatic action movies, Korean dramas in 2024 are still a highlight with revolutionary and innovative projects. These movies not only attract audiences with attractive content but also with technical investment and professional acting from top actors.
“Queen of Tears” - Queen of Tears storms domestic and international charts
The crown could not be more worthy for the Korean drama “Queen of Tears” with more than 600 million hours of viewing on the Netflix platform. The drama also made waves domestically when it ended with a rating of 23.45% – the first and only series to surpass the 20% mark in 2024 to date. Terminal illness, tycoons, falling in love with a “cool wife” again, familiar but creative motifs, along with a series of characters built with unique personalities, help “Queen of Tears” become a “classic” but not classic Korean rom-com.
The film is told in a non-linear way, interweaving the plot between the present and the past, through the perspectives of the two main characters.
“Queen of Tears” is a refreshing and transformative drama, at least compared to what we expect from Korean dramas in general. It brings unpredictable plots as well as successfully builds Hyun Woo - Hae In, the male and female leads are truly unique.
Forbes commented that the series belongs to the dark comedy genre, continuously creating many funny situations based on the tragedy of the characters.
“Exhuma” - The best horror movie of all time
“Exhuma” is a horror blockbuster released in early 2024, considered the best Korean horror film of all time, second only to “The Wailing” (2016). The film marks the return of director Jang Jae Hyun, who is known as the “master of mystery films”.
“Exhuma” was well received by audiences thanks to its engaging script, incorporating many spiritual horror elements which are a specialty of Korean cinema.
The film has more for viewers to ponder and feel than the familiar theme of grave digging and exorcism. The excavated ancient tomb of a wealthy family is just the "tip of the iceberg." After the excavation team solved the problem of the wealthy family's ancestral grave, they were surprised to discover an upright coffin hidden underneath. Because they suspected it was a double burial and related to the homeowner, the team decided to dig up and temporarily store the body at a nearby temple. It was here that the evil spirit appeared, leading to a dramatic story about mysteries related to history and the fate of the country officially beginning.
It must be said that Exhuma has a layered, solidly constructed script with 6 separate chapters.
The film does not follow the “beaten path” of previous horror films but impressively combines mysterious, spiritual and humanistic elements. A series of historical, religious and spiritual elements close to East Asian culture are subtly integrated into the film combined with visual effects, sound and outstanding acting of the main cast, helping “Exhuma” dominate the box office revenue from the first days of its release.
“Lovely runner” - Carry me and run, love changes fate
The project is a fantasy romcom, inspired by the webtoon The Best of Tomorrow (2017), written by Lee Si Eun. The content revolves around female student Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon). After many years of admiring Eclipse member Seon Jae (Byeon Woo Seok), Im Sol was shocked to learn that the male idol committed suicide at the age of 34. On the way to confirm the news, she got into an accident, causing the timeline to go back 15 years.
When returning to the past, Im Sol became the "umbrella" protecting Seon Jae. In the opposite direction, Seon Jae had a one-sided love for Im Sol. When she rejected him, he still loved and protected her.
Forbes commented that Lovely Runner is an emotional film about love and destiny. Through time travel, the film depicts the growth and change of the main characters amidst life events. From a girl who had exhausted her life, Im Sol was revived when she received comfort over the radio from Seon Jae: "Thank you for continuing to live. Just like that, the people around you are grateful. The weather is so beautiful. Even if it rains tomorrow, wait for the rain to stop and continue living."
Like many time travel movies, the work has many parallel scenes, depicting the fluctuations of the journey to change the past and destiny.
“Mr. Plankton”, the story of ephemeral lives
Not following the path of broadcasting one episode at a time to arouse curiosity, Netflix decided to release the entire 10 episodes, taking the audience on an emotional journey from sweet, romantic to choking in the last months of 2024.
The film is not only about love between two people but also a lesson about cherishing every moment, about living life to the fullest and not wasting time.
“Mr. Plankton” tells the story of Hae Jo (Woo Do Hwan), a young man who is trying to complete his “final vacation assignment”. Born due to an ironic medical accident, Hae Jo compares himself to a “plankton”. Growing up, he did not know who his parents were, and he struggled with the storms of life. One day, he was shocked to realize that he had a terminal illness and would only live for 3 months. With grievances and dissatisfaction piling up, he embarked on a journey back and forth across Korea to find his real “biological father”. And his “unwilling” companion on this journey was Jae Mi (Lee Yo Mi), the girl he had lost and the light that illuminated the dark corners of Hae Jo’s soul in the last months of his life.
Through the story of Hae Jo and Jo Jae Mi, the film clearly depicts that, no matter the circumstances, love can bring healing and be the strength to help people overcome pain.
“Mr. Plankton” is a warm but painful picture of love, loss and life of an unlucky boy and an unhappy girl. The two people are like a pair of magnets attracting all the suffering of the universe. Right from the title “Plankton” – plankton, the film cleverly compares the lives of Hae Jo and Jae Mi. Both are small people in society, swept away by the currents of fate, caught in one tragedy after another without being able to escape. But it is also their mediocrity, “a girl not worth a potato and a boy not worth a mushroom” that accidentally sows the seeds of hope for the other.
Not only is there an explosion in quantity, Korean movies 2024 also demonstrate class in quality. Each work is not only an engaging story but also a sophisticated and creative work of art, bringing unique experiences to audiences around the world.
