Hi-Five (2025 | South Korea | 119 minutes | Kang Hyung Chul)
Five strangers find them selves tangled up in each others lives after each receives organ donations from a mysterious donor. The young Wan Seo (Lee Je In) a Taekwondo champion with a failing heart and over-protective father, Gi Dong (Yoo Ah In) lost his site as a child, Ji Song (Ahn Jae Hong) got a new set of lungs, Seon Nyeo (Ra Mi Ran) was fitted for kidneys after attempting to take her life, and the overly kind and intensely devout Yak Seon (Kim Hee Won) gained a new liver. Very quickly after their operations, they were up and about, but even more surprising was their newly manifested super powers and a strange tattoo that appeared along with them.
Whether by sheer coincidence or, more likely, the bond that having these organs and powers created, all five found each other. Not exactly besties, they still attempted to learn about what has happened to them and explore the full might they are capable of. Of course a good superhero film must have a villain and this one was a doozy in the form of a cult leader Yeong Chun (the younger performed by seasoned actor and Kpop Idol Jinyoung of Got7) who had already lived far longer than anyone could have expected… but now that he has this new ability, he won’t stop at just one; he seeks to steal the other powers by any means necessary. When the five encounter this new foe, they learn working together is the only way they can even attempt to stop him.
In my opinion, this sort of super-natural comedy is right in Korea’s wheelhouse. I’ve seen more than a few (Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman comes to mind) that accomplished exactly what they should… a good story and a good laugh. Admittedly, the special effects were a little low-budget, but it was a cheeky and silly film to begin with so it didn’t distract from the film as a whole. The real issue I have with Hi-Five were the plot holes. While it’s two hours long, it doesn’t do a great job filling in back stories for all five of the main “good ones”. It goes a bit deep into the youngest lead Wan Seo since and set almost as a solo lead character with how they put her in the forefront and also spends a lot of screen time on the baddie (granted he is an idol and also the lead in hit Korean Drama “Yumi’s Cells” so they may have been leaning on that for the attention-grab). I liked getting to know these two characters, but there were four others that either barely scratched the surface (Gi Dong stared at a Tesla coil too long when he was a kid?) or weren’t examined at all (the only thing we know about Ji Song is that he got new lungs and is accused of plagiarizing his friend’s work).
I loved the story, the eventual kindness shared between the five goodies, the tension of discovering these powers and how to use them wisely, you know all the good tropes we’ve come to know and love. But it felt more like they were ramping up for a sequel or two and just wanted to get the story moving along relying on the additional time part two could offer to deepen the characters later. Even if that is the case, there’s a better way to avoid telling the whole story in the first film without making it seem like a mistake. Make it a purposeful secret instead of a confusing omission of info. I wanted to give it a higher rating because this is exactly the kind of film we need right now. Silly, low-stakes, and really fun, but I had a hard time really connecting with many of the characters. One last thing I wanted to mention, can we please see more Kpop idols put into bad guy characters, because Jinyoung knocked it out of the park. Couldn’t you see Taehyung of BTS being a total baddie in a movie or show? I definitely could, especially with the new set of muscles he got in the military.
Hi-Five is in theaters today for a limited time