That was a weird little movie. I saw a lot of similarities to Snowpiercer, unsurprisingly. It has a odd sensibility. My memory of every character is of them being bug-eyed. I don't think they actually were all bud-eyed, but they carry themselves like they were. It's a cartoon world. That's what I'm trying to say. The satire is very direct. I appreciate how willing the movie is to go for it in every scene, no matter what 'it' may be at that moment. I enjoy movies that happen inside a larger world. While Mija's quest to reunite with Okja is technically the primary story, the film is far more interested in the stories happening around that with the Mirando Corp. and the ALF.
Really, all my problems with the film were a matter of taste. The exact brand of humor isn't a kind I care for. It's a little too proudly aware of itself. I didn't care much for the pig, Okja. Perhaps it was too obviously CGI or more of an object than a character. I also had a hard time connecting with the girl, Mija. I think that comes down to her often being the only person not speaking English in a scene. I can pick up on delivery and word choice with all the English performances but I spent most of the time with her reading subtitles. It's hard to pick up the subtleties like that, so the performance looks limited by comparison. Again, that's more on me for not being bilingual as opposed to being a problem with the performance [I think].
Bong Joon-ho cast this very well. All the actors are having a great time playing these weird characters. Tilda Swinton is perfect for this type of high-strung quirk. Jake Gyllenhaal sure loves to play weirdos and goes for broke in this. Paul Dano is another actor with crazy in his eyes that fits right into the world.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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