Tweekums Sang-hwan is an idealistic young policeman whose life is changed after he chases a thief. The thief is actually caught by martial arts expert Wi-jin but she accidentally hits Sang-hwan with her powerful 'palm blast' technique. She takes him to the Masters of Tao to be healed; they believe he has a very powerful 'Qi', a spiritual energy that could make him a Master of Tao one day. Sang-hwan begins his training however he soon gets frustrated with his lack of progress. Soon after he starts training the villainous Heuk-woon is accidentally freed from his underground prison; he is more powerful than the Tao masters and intends to become more powerful by taking a key from them which could enable him to control the world. Ultimately it will be up to Sang-hwan and Wi-jin to stop him.This Korean film is a lot of fun if you like special effects enhanced martial arts with a good dose of comedy. The story is solid and easy to follow and the characters are fun. The more humorous parts of the film are mostly in the first half as Sang-hwan attempts to train and the masters try to find more people who are interested in their ancient skills. As we move into the second half the action increases and there are some great set pieces most notably when Sang-hwan is confronted by local gangsters in a restaurant and the ultimate fight against Heuk-woon. While these fights are obviously somewhat exaggerated they feel real within the context of a film where such powers exist. The cast does a solid job; Seung-bum Ryoo and So-yi Yoon work well together as Sang-hwan and Wi-jin and Doo-hong Jung is suitably menacing as Heuk-woon. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to martial arts fans; especially if you like those with exaggerated skills and a touch of humour.These comments are based on watching the film in Korean with English subtitles.

Rock Savage "Arahan" adds nothing positive to the Kung Fu genre. To compare this confused motion picture with the inspired craziness and quality of Stephen Chow's films is a mistake.Firstly the fight scenes are nothing new. All that is presented here has been done before and better by the likes of Yimou Zhang, Tony Jaa and Jackie Chan. Fights in intelligent Motion Pictures need logic. There seems no point serving blows that have no damaging effect as in the "Matrix" sequels.The attractive female lead So-Yi Yoon captivated the screen but she never convincingly conquered the physical demands of the role as Ziyi Zhang had done so easily in "House Of Flying Daggers". Having a Martial Arts background serves well in Kung Fu movies. To cast actors inexperienced in these skills is a serious mistake (See Aya Ueto in "Asumi") unless you are a very talented director which as "Arahan" proves Seung-wan Ryoo is not.

dj_bassett A geekish cop is, unbeknowst to him, a secret chi master: he falls in with the 7 Grand Masters (although there's only five left) who are busy trying, and mostly failing, to find their way in the world. A bad guy turns up who wants a magic key that will make him God, or some such agreeable nonsense: our hero and his friends try to stop him. A lightweight, fun Asian action-adventure movie that is what it is, but is a good example of what it is: nice wire work, good fights, a little lowbrow comedy, and a nice slambang conclusion. Some fun is had with the characters trying to adapt to changing times: a sequence with the Grandmasters on a television show is priceless. Manages to entertain without getting in the way of itself; recommended.

AwesomeWolf With a tag line of "Urban Martial Arts Mayhem", and featuring a villain that comes pretty close to being an evil Korean Jesus, how can 'Arahan' not be awesome? It may not be quite as awesome as the trailer made out, but it still manages to be pretty cool.Sang-Hwan is in a fix. He is a rather ineffective police officer who seems to go out of his way to get beaten up. The Seven Masters (of which there actually five) are in a fix. The kids don't believe in the Tao anymore, and the ability to levitate seems only useful in changing light bulbs. After Sang-Hwan ends on the receiving end of a palm-blast from Eui-Jin, she takes Sang-Hwan back to the Seven Masters (of which there are actually five) where they discover his un-tapped chi-potential. The Masters want to train Eui-Jin and Sang-Hwan as replacement Masters, and Sang-Hwan just wants to learn how to perform a palm chi-blast. However, Evil Korean Jesus has been accidentally released from his prison, and now seeks (among other things) revenge against the Seven Masters, and world domination. Ambitious.If I could one major fault with 'Arahan', it is that the movie takes itself too seriously at times. On the other hand, 'Volcano High', despite being presented in a serious way, was non-stop fun. 'Arahan' sometimes drags on, giving away few laughs, but then makes up for it with scenes of awesomeness.Complaints aside, it was generally a funny movie, with some nice visual effects and some pretty cool fantasy fight scenes. 'Arahan' is an enjoyable action / comedy - 7/10