Sunday, November 13, 2016

[DRAMA REVIEW] The K2 (2016)


It’s drama time again! Today, I’m going to write a review about The K2, a tvN drama just finished airing this Saturday, November 12th 2016. It’s a high budget action/political drama, which casted current it stars like Ji Chang Wook and Im Yoona alongside seasoned actors such as Song Yoon Ah and Jo Sung Ha.

The general description of The K2 gave out strong potential and drawn my interests. This was a good start since I am actually not a fan of action genre drama. Without further a do, how does The K2 go? Does it live up its potential? Check out my review for The K2 below………………………..


Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook) was a former soldier who wrongly accused of murder in Middle East area. He became a fugitive and tried to live a normal life as an escape plan. During his escape, Kim Je Ha coincidentally met Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon Ah), a wife of presidential candidate Jang Se Joon (Jo Sung Ha). Choi Yoo Jin was a powerful and manipulative billionaire who always got what she wanted

Choi Yoo Jin felt impressed seeing Kim Je Ha fighting skills and witty thinking during their meeting. She offered him to work as a bodyguard with code name K2. Kim Je Ha initially did not want this offer, but he changed his mind when he realized it could be a weapon for revenge.

Kim Je Ha then started to work as bodyguard for Choi Yoo Jin. His main job was to protect Go Anna (Im Yoona), the hidden daughter of Jang Se Joon. As he got more involved with his job, Kim Je Ha began to find the complicated secrets surrounding Choi Yoo Jin, Jang Se Joon, and Go Anna.


The K2 has my full attention since the beginning of this drama. The layering mystery about The K2 four main characters was really intriguing. It presented bits by bits and made viewers curious to know what exactly happened in their background. This made the first part of The K2 came out strong.

However, things started getting downhill at second part of The K2. Writer Jang Hyuk Rin seemed eager to add more mystery to The K2 story, but it became too complicated. This was because there was no resolution as the mystery dug deeper. Beside that, the heavy focus of romance also covered the central conflict during the second part of this drama.

Fortunately, they made it up at the last two episodes of The K2. The climax scene was solid yet bittersweet. Meanwhile the resolution as well as twist for most characters was unexpected. Writer Jang Hyuk Rin successfully brought again several aspects that made The K2 interesting in the beginning.


As for the casts, four main casts of The K2 did a great job. Their acting and their chemistry fitted each scene. No one looked out of place. Still, I believed that these casts could do more and maximized their capabilities. The writing limited their actions because the script did not explore deeply on each main character arc.

Only Choi Yoo Jin has a great character development throughout the drama. We see her background story, motivation, and mean side, even her vulnerable state. This added by Song Yoon Ah fantastic acting. Basically, Choi Yoo Jin was the soul of The K2.

Other characters unfortunately looked like Choi Yoo Jin plot device. Kim Je Has showed solid character motivation as a hero, but it wasn’t as impactful as Choi Yoo Jin arc. Jang Se Joon was just there while Go Anna has never been Choi Yoo Jin powerful enemy because she trapped into ‘damsel in distress’ character. It’s a pity because all of their characters showed so much potential.

Moving on to production value, it’s one of The K2 strongest point. Director Kwak Jung Hwan successfully showcased sleek cinematography and editing, especially on its fighting scene. This kind of approach felt suitable with The K2 dramatic and fast tempo story. The usage of glamorous setting as well as styling also fitted the drama vibe about life of elite people.


The K2 was a well-produced drama with interesting story theme. However, The K2 did not reach its full potential because it lacked execution on its storyline and characterization. I actually found it hard to assess this drama because it has both exciting moment and huge flaws just like what I mentioned. But, I thought if you only looked for entertaining drama, The K2 was an easy choice. If you wanted a multi-layered strong action and political drama, The K2 was not a right answer for you.


Rating:                        3/5 

0 comments:

Post a Comment