Following his massively successful Vengeance Trilogy, director Park Chan-wook opted for a change in tone with his romantic comedy I’m A Cyborg But That’s OK (2006) – shortened for international release to I’m A Cyborg. Received with a mixed response, the film was a disappointment for many – especially those fans who favoured the violence of Oldboy – but it nonetheless remains a curious piece of work. The film was reviewed on the site and it was the technical and imaginative aspects that were most highly praised:
“Almost every shot in I’m A Cyborg is stunning. With a team of extraordinary set designers, a pretty amazing cinematographer (Jeong Jeong-hun)and editor, Park Chan-wook has made a film that is consistently bright, bold and totally hypnotising. With a shine to it that verges on fairytale-like, I’m A Cyborg flits in and out of its characters fantasies and storytelling – true or otherwise – with stunning ease.” Read the full review here
Given a rewatch on blu-ray for this review, it must be said that I’m A Cyborg is a film that becomes more interesting with each subsequent viewing. A flawed film to be sure, there’s also hints of brilliance throughout. Below is a look at the UK blu-ray release, courtesy of Tartan Palisades..
UK Blu-ray Review
Shot on digital video, I’m A Cyborg But That’s OK is visually a real treat – and that’s something that’s given a full justice on this UK blu-ray release from Palisades Tartan. There’s not really anything negative to say about this – bright colours with clear and crisp detail throughout, this is one of those discs that reveals the beauty of the blu-ray format. Sound-wise there’s the option of three tracks – Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) all of which make the most of the beautiful score and subtitles are excellent throughout.
There’s a selection of special features, starting with an interview with director Park Chan-wook. Filmed at the London Korean film Festival this lasts an hour and is of some interest, but its a slow affair and requires some patience – a live Q&A means that a question is asked in English, translated into Korean then the answer is given in Korean and then translated into English. The teaser and main trailer for I’m A Cyborg are included (in standard definition), there’s a music video for Rain’s ‘With U’ which is fine if that’s your cup of tea, and finally there’s a brief (just shy of eight minutes) ‘making of’ the film which consists of behind-the-scenes footage.
The UK blu-ray release of I’m A Cyborg from Palisades Tartan comes highly recommended for anyone after a crisp and shiny version of the film. The disc may be low on the special features front, but the film itself is stunning.
