Customer Reviews

WaSanGo

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The first side of this movie has the 80 minute American MTV version dubbed by rappers and the like - and is quite honestly crap. It is supposedly the directors cut - but the way it is cut changes the original storyline and is confusing especially if you have seen the original.

There are three cuts of Volcano High the original Korean version
(122 min) the International version(100 min) then the American version (abt 80 min). If you flip the disk over it does contain
the original Korean version(with Eng subtitles) this does redeem
the movie to some extent.

The basic plot stays the same in all three movies a good boy with supernatural powers who has been kicked out of 8 or 9 high schools gets one last chance at Volcano High where everyone
in the school knows martial arts and is after a secret manuscript.

my recommendation is for the International version of the movie
(it is not too fast -nor too slow) then the original version
then lastly the American version.

If you're in the mind for a over-the-top, crazed, charged, genre-bending action-comedy movie, then VOLCANO HIGH is a good choice. It has great energy and interesting performances from the stars. The anamorphic picture is quite good and the sounds is very good. It is really nice to have the original Korean movie, as i find the MTV version nearly unwatchable, but the real annoyance here is that the english subtitles are CC english subtitles, which means there are things like, "[Thinking]" or "[Rumbling]" that show up in teh subtitles, which are just too irritating.

4 stars for the movie
-1 star for the bad subtitling.

I don't know why they have Hip Hop stars adorning and overpowering the DVD cover. They are not even in the film they just do the english audio and soundtrack. Maybe they thought that would attract north american movie buyers. Anyways if you look closely at the tiny images at the top of the cover you will see the fine young korean actors.

This is a cool "Korean" kick-ass fantasy film in the veins of "Dragon Ball Z". You can watch it with english subtitles and the original korean audio track and you still be blown away.

Don't listen to the naysayers; some people just don't believe in live and let live. Sure the MTV version is a butchered and mercilessly chopped-up version of the original, but the hip-hop voice acting and soundtrack make it a fun movie for more casual viewers. But for those who want a deeper experience, there's the original, which viewers will find has a more complex plot, expanded editing and larger roles for much of the supporting cast which were greatly marginalized in the MTV version. Now if they could only offer a third alternative: the original cut, with the original script, but dubbed with the hip-hop voice-overs and soundtrack. MTV didn't need to Americanize it so much that they had to remove so many extensive scenes from the original; give some credit to the viewers to be able to enjoy another country's art and culture without worrying that they'll reject it, or worse, defect from the union. For having both versions (and hopefully it's the complete version of the original) this is very much a worthy buy.

For those of us who are over the age of 25, back in the day we would all watch classic kung-fu movies on Saturday morning/afternoon TV. We remember that those movies were full of action but on the flipside they were also full of the most horrendously done dubbing of English voices that would make you laugh for virtually no reason. Nowadays we can relive those days thanks to Spike TV and their new "Films of Fury" series on Saturday afternoons, but last year MTV (Spike TV's big brother channel) decided to try a little experiment.

The experiment was to take an actual live-action movie and do the exact same thing the old-school movies did, however the film would be more recent (2001) and the dubbers would be those that the new-schoolers could feel (some of the most popular hip-hop artists around) The end result would be Volcano High, which did originally air on MTV last year and gets an official DVD release this year.

The MTV version, which is a truncated version of the original Korean film (also on the disc)focuses on Kim (voiced by OutKast's Andre 3000), a young man who has a little problem with the fact that he possesses an amazing power but it has gotten him kicked out of 8 schools. So Kim is sent to his 9th school, the titular school. Once he arrives he already finds himself hounded by the school bully Jang Yang (voiced by Lil Jon), attracted to a fellow student (voice: Mya) and has a slight run-in with the top student of the school, Hakrim (voice: Snoop Dogg).

When an incident occurs that sends the school's beloved principal to the hospital and Hakrim to jail for attempted murder, the evil Vice Principal (voice: Pat Morita) begins to take over with extreme discipline and rules that are enforced by a group of the meanest substitute teachers around, led by the stone-faced Mr. Ma (voice: Method Man). When the students learn that an even more insidious plan is in store for the students, Hakrim reveals to Kim that his powers are the only way the principal and Mr. Ma can be stopped.

The film is a fun little trip back for some and a total head-trip for others but it does feature some unintentionally funny moments (listen carefully and you'll hear Andre 3000 say a rather OutKast-ian variation on a phrase that made me bust a gut the first time I heard it) It also features something for the old heads that grew up with this type of film and those of us that are more hip to what's hot. It may not appeal to all but this is one class that you might like to attend...

i bought this movie today and i think tha MTV verson was funny and k but tha orginal was way better do to tha fact that i wasn`t edited...

Why is everyone putting down this dvd release!? It has BOTH versions of the movie on it. The original AND the MTV version. I am going to get it because once again it has BOTH versions of the movie. Stop bashing something that you have no idea what you are talking about. Get some facts people.

I really gave this movie one star because it is the average of four stars that I would have awarded to the Korean version and negative two stars that I generously bestow upon the MTV version. Seriously. You can purchase this DVD, that's fine by me, but after opening the package for the first time please follow these instructions carefully:
1) Locate side A of your DVD which contains the MTV version.
2) Rub vigorously with 60-grit sandpaper until you can no longer see your reflection in that side of the disc.
3) Insert side B of the disc, watch, and enjoy.
Following these steps will prevent you from accidentally witnessing the perversion that MTV has committed in trying to "gangsterize" this film.

Ok, it isn't like this film was the Film of the Year or anything, but it was entertaining... until MTV got ahold of it and ghetto'd it up with a bunch of rappers doing stupid voiceovers. The voice acting on this is sooo out of place and honestly embarrasing. I would ask "what where they thinking" but judging from the cover art, it is clear. You can practically hear the Viacom execs saying, "Hey the kids like those rappers and that Wu Fu Clan game is popular! Let's get rappers that can't act do the voices for a Korean fighting movie! Word!" Yep, it is that sad. Buy the import, avoid this turd.

This new "hip hop" version is insulting and just horrible. I've never been so confused and just lost. It's not enough that it is a foreign film and that there are some cultural differences but now that is all taken away for a hip hop feel and the tone of the movie is lost. The new dubbing is too extreme and feels like you're drinking oil and water. It is also cut up and edited and it is in a lesser audio format. The original is smart and layered with dark humor but also very entertaining as it is a martial arts film. It would be better for everyone to find themselves the original Korean import which is longer and in DTS format. which seems to be a normal thing in South Korea unlike here where we are still on the 2.0 stereo wagon. Do not even give this version a chance. I had the unfortunate luck of seeing it on an MTV broadcast and I couldn't believe this existed.