Fantasia XXIX Review: In OMNISCIENT READER: THE PROPHET, The Only Way Out Is Through

I’ve had a few of director Kim Byung-woo’s titles on my radar over the years, but it’s only now that I’m able to review something he’s directed. To this, we get Omniscient Reader: The Prophet, adapted for the screen and based accordingly on a hit webtoon by singNsong.

Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop) is a young, but world-weary drone working remedial corporate temp jobs. His only escape from reality to date is his favorite manhwa from childhood, which even helped him get through some of his earlier hardships. Interestingly though, the webnovel just completed its ten-year run, and Dok-ja? Well, he hates it.

Little does he know that after emailing the author his feedback, Dok-ja is offered the opportunity by the reclusive author himself to rewrite the ending as he saw fit. What that entails, exactly, will depend on the incumbent choices Dok-ja will be forced to make when, during his train ride home, he and the passengers are thrust into the world of the very novel he just finished, battling gargantuan creatures, reanimated mobs of dead humans, and more.

The rules are set in place by dokkaebi: deceptively cute-looking, colorful, tempermental, floating little gatekeepers and messengers of the various “Constellations” looking down on mankind having decided that our species deserved punishment. To survive, people have to fight and kill their way each time to safety, in order to make it to the next “Scenario,” each a part of the novel Dok-ja remembers and can use to the advantage and that of others.

What Dok-ja doesn’t know, however, is that his prophetic knowledge of the realm he’s in will only get him and his friends so far. Faced with harrowing adventure and a myriad of mystery and danger, and with the help of a ragtag group of characters, including a heroic soldier, a deadly femme fatale, and an incorrigible fatalist hero whose demise might bring the world’s end, Dok-ja has no choice but to think on his feet and write this epic adventure to its end his way, come hell or high water.

Prior to screening, I read at least one review that wasn’t too keen on the film in all its CG-laced glory. So, I went in with a grain of salt, and I think I’m as different a moviegoer as anyone, mainly in that I probably enjoyed Omniscient Reader: The Prophet more than some might have. It could be that the story seems a little all over the place in some areas, and in a way, they might have a point. The film has quite a handful of moving pieces, but not too many that you can’t keep up with the story, particularly as its told from Dok-ja’s perspective which keeps things linear and concrete enough to digest.

Like any spectacular fantasy thriller, Omniscient Reader: The Prophet has its highs and lows. Big-scale thrills pave the way for Dok-ja as he crosses paths with people from his world, and the select characters of his beloved webnovel, each challenged in all scenarios and utilizing coins to accrue certain skills, and even conditional endorsements by the Constellations.

Even more perplexing than trying to figure out what’s happening and how to survive, is how it is that Dok-ja seems to know more than everyone else. The only way he can make sense for all the skeptics is to claim it as a skill he’s been imbued with, which tees things up a bit for the viewer as a measure of just how far his knowledge of the novel and its elements can take him.

Even the penultimate hero of his beloved webnovel, Yu Joong-Hyeok (Lee Min-ho), doesn’t really buy into Dok-ja’s role here, which is where our protagonist’s true quest begins. Par for the course are moments of pure character development that reveal more about Dok-ja than he realizes as the “Scenarios” take effect, resulting in portentous revelations about our protagonist well into the second half; Flashbacks play a role here with scenes harkening back to Dok-ja’s teen years of being bullied, including at one point involving the death of a friend at the hands of the same bully.

Other characters like Hyeon-Seong (Shin Seung-ho), Hi-won (Nana), and Ji-Hye (Kim Ji-Soo) share similar points of struggle in this aspect, each lending something to their evolution throughout the story, attributing things like redemption, forgiveness and courage. The latter especially applies to adorable bug-loving Gil-Young (Kwon Eun-seong) who has a knack for insects, and even acquires a tool that antes up his ability to communicate with insects. Co-star Chae Soo-bin plays Sang-ah, a friend of Dok-ja’s who later reunites with him after he survives a major challenge.

The action sequences are just as interesting at times, with cinematography that often ventures into angling from a side-scrolling perspective. It’s an immaculate touch to a film that speaks with competent video game nuances to its audiences, with big, sweeping set pieces to boot.

I do have a few gripes with Omniscient Reader: The Prophet, which are more to do with the Constellations and their endorsements. Some areas of this concept aren’t really fully evolved in Kim’s film, although the ending sets up a potential sequel which I hope happens, and otherwise explores deeper the concept at hand in Kim’s webtoon adaptation. Beyond these small irks, I enjoyed this one as fairly decent and bolstering with popcorn thrills catered to summer moviegoers looking for big things that go boom on the big screen.

Omniscient Reader: The Prophet enjoyed its Canadian Premiere for the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival. The film is currently available in the U.S. from Capelight Pictures.