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Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (신과함께-인과 연; Singwa Hamkke - Ingwa Yeon) is a 2018 South Korean fantasy action film directed by Kim Yong Hwa and based on the webtoon by Joo Ho Min, Along With the Gods. It serves as the sequel to the 2017 film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. It stars Ha Jung Woo, Ju Ji Hoon, Kim Hyang Gi, Ma Dong Seok and Kim Dong Wook. The film was released on August 1, 2018.
Third and fourth installments are currently in development, with Kim Yong Hwa returning to direct the sequels.
Synopsis[]
| “ | While defending an unlikely soul, the afterlife Guardians investigate an elderly man who's outstayed his time on Earth, and delve into their own past. | ” |
—Official Netflix Description[1] | ||
If they assist 49 souls in getting their reincarnations in a millennium, the three guardians of the afterlife are promised of their own reincarnations by the King of the Afterlife, Yeomra (Lee Jung Jae). Gang Rim (Ha Jung Woo), the leader of the trio, selects Su Hong (Kim Dong Wook) as their client, whom he promises to be their 49th's reincarnation, but the others aren't convinced. To allow Su Hong to get a fair trial, who previously wreaked havoc in the world of the living by turning into a vengeful spirit, Yeomra tasks the trio to ascend an old man from the Living World, who has surpassed his allotted lifespan. This small mission turns out to be very difficult since a rogue god, known as the God of the Household (Ma Dong Seok), is protecting the old man and his grandson, preventing any afterlife guardians from ascending him. Afterlife guardians Hewonmak (Ju Ji Hoon) and Deok Choon (Kim Hyang Gi) are sent on the ascendance mission, only to find out that the God of Households was the afterlife guardian in charge of ascending the two of them a millennium ago. Since they have absolutely no recollection of their previous lives, they begin helping the God of Housholds in order to find out about who they were when they were alive... Unveiling a millennium-old secret that spans the Living World and the Afterlife![2]
Plot[]
The three grim reapers Gang Rim (Ha Jung Woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji Hoon) and Lee Deok Choon (Kim Hyang Gi) will guide their 49th soul Kim Soo Hong (Kim Dong Wook) to the underworld trials. Meanwhile, God of the House (Ma Dong Seok) will recover the grim reapers' memories from 1,000 years ago.
Cast[]
- Ha Jung Woo as Gang Rim
- Jung Yoo Ahn as Young Kang Rim
- Ju Ji Hoon as Hae Won Maek
- Kim Hyang Gi as Lee Deok Choon
- Ma Dong Seok as Sung Joo Shin, the God of Household
- Kim Dong Wook as Kim Soo Hong
- Lee Jung Jae as King Yum Ra, the God of Death
Soundtrack[]
Production[]
Along With the Gods Part 1 and 2 took ₩40 billion (around US$36.6 million) to produce. Both parts of the film were shot simultaneously. Dexter Studios, one of Asia's largest film production and visual effects studios, who was behind director Kim Yong Hwa's previous film Mr. Go (2013), created the visual effects for the film. It was reported that around 300 artists and technicians took part in the film's production.
Chinese production company Alpha Pictures invested $2.2 million.
Filming began on May 26, 2016, and ended on March 22, 2017, for both parts.
Some scenes that featured actors Oh Dal Su and Choi Il Hwa were re-shot due to the controversies surrounding them and they were replaced with substitute actors.
Reception[]
Critical Response[]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 44% based on 9 reviews and an average rating of 5.5/10.
Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter gave a mixed review and wrote, "Though the two films were shot simultaneously, there's a sense of 'more' to Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days that doesn't really do it any service. Like many a sequel bent on topping its predecessor to prove the first entry wasn't a fluke, the end result is just a bigger, noisier, less focused slog rather than continued world-building."
Noel Murray of Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review and wrote, "While Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days is awkwardly bloated, it does eventually develop some momentum. Once viewers get accustomed to a movie that can move within minutes from courtroom drama to dinosaur attacks, they may enjoy the overwhelming spectacle of it all."
Box office[]
South Korea[]
Prior to its release, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days set the record for the highest pre-sale tickets in South Korea's box office history with 60.5% reservation rate. The rate reached 42 million, outdoing the record of the 2017 film The Battleship Island which reached the same number of reservations on the day before the opening of the film.
The film also broke the opening day record in South Korea by attracting 1,263,788 viewers on the first day of its release, which is more than twice the amount of Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (422,339 viewers). On the second day of its release, the film attracted more than 2 million viewers. On August 4, the film attracted 1,466,416 viewers, making the film set a record of the most viewers in a single day, surpassing Avengers: Infinity War that attracted 1,333,310 viewers in a single day before. On August 5, it was reported that Along with the Gods had attracted 5,409,817 viewers on its fifth day, making the film the fastest to reach such number, surpassing Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds which set the record in a week, and The Admiral: Roaring Currents, the first most viewed film in Korea, which set the record in a six days. Along with the Gods placed first in the weekly box office. The film accumulated $46.2 million from 6.2 million admissions. Along with the Gods holds the record for the fastest film to reach 7, 8, and 9 million views in South Korean box office history. It passed 10 million views on August 16, 2018. The film passed 12 million views as of August 30, 2018, becoming the 13th most-watched film of all time in South Korea.
Taiwan[]
On its first day of release, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days scored 37 million. It became the film with the biggest opening week gross for any Korean film in Taiwan, scoring 5.8 million in ticket sales in a week. The film had the third-highest first-week sales after Avengers: Infinity War and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in Taiwan.
Hong Kong[]
Prior to its official release, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days scored 8 million in pre-sale in Hong Kong. On its day of release in Hong Kong, the film earned 3.18 million, topping the box office. On August 9, the film reached 10 million and scored 20 million on the fourth day of its release, achieving the highest first-week sales in Hong Kong.
Other countries[]
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days had the biggest opening week gross for any Korean film in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan.
Awards and nominations[]
| Awards | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27th Buil Film Awards | Best Director | Kim Yong Hwa | Nominated |
| Best Art Direction | Lee Mok Won | ||
| 55th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days | |
| Best Director | Kim Yong Hwa | ||
| Best Editing | Kim Jin Oh & Kim Hye Jin | ||
| Best Art Direction | Lee Mok Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Jo Sang Kyung | ||
| Technical Award | Jin Jong Hyun | Won | |
| Best Planning | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days | Nominated | |
| 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2nd) | Won |
| 18th Director's Cut Awards | Best New Actor | Do Kyung Soo | |
| 55th Baeksang Arts Awards | Technical Award | Jin Jong Hyun (VFX) | Pending |
Trivia[]
- The drama was based on the webtoon "Along with the Gods" by Joo Ho Min.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
