Film Review: Emergency Declaration

Watching the Emergency Declaration in the midst of a pandemic made me feel like I wanted to tighten my mask when I was in the cinema.Not only that, this star-studded Korean film very well can make the audience maximally worried about getting back on a plane, surviving in the midst of a pandemic, including declining trust in the government.

All of this is packaged in a 140-minute film. Director Han Jae-rim as the scriptwriter made sure that the Emergency Declaration presented something new in the midst of so many types of terror in aviation. Terror is no longer given through armed action, suicide bombings, or deadly animals on board. The plane's passengers are shown to be in danger from an invisible weapon, namely a virus.

One of the things that distinguishes this film from terror on other planes is the figure of the mastermind who goes down directly to prepare the action until the execution, without asking other parties.

Not only that, Emergency Declaration also plays with feelings that make the film feel like a melodrama. The human nature to always save oneself first is capitalized in the film. You could say that is actually the main point in this film. Saving yourself is no longer just a personal matter, but a large amount to a country that involves the government.

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Han Jae-rim also displays a lot of debate processes between ministers or officials before making a decision. When arguing, each of these officials equally claimed for the good of the citizens, even though they had to sacrifice the citizens themselves.

Therefore, the Emergency Declaration also has the potential to make the audience able to question again or relate the debate scenes of the governments to their governments in the real world. Jeon Do-yeon skillfully brings to life the ideal and ideal ministerial figure of the people. He moved quickly when he heard of problems on the plane that was carrying a lot of Koreans on board. He also tried to ensure that residents in the air and on the ground were both safe.

Song Kang-ho's acting as a detective, father, and husband in this film is also unquestionable. While actor Sung Dong-il is known as the caring father in many dramas, Song Kang-ho is arguably the extreme father in his recent projects. Meanwhile, I only have one sentence to comment on Lee Byung-hun's character in this film, "I thought it was hot."

However, this film has a few notes. One of them is the unclear incubation period of the virus in the bodies of the passengers. There are many passengers who die quickly but there are also those who can survive for a very long time.

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In addition, Han Jae-rim also seems to want to show chaos on the plane when the pilot is affected by the virus for a long time which then affects the duration of the film. In the end, Emergency Declaration is a film that builds suspense well, and lets the imagination run wild not only about the spread of the virus but to other things.

If South Korea has a Train to Busan for the terror of spreading the virus (zombies) on the ground, they have an Emergency Declaration as a means to spread terror like a trap in the air. Emergency Declaration also stars Im Siwan, Kim Nam-gil, Kim So-jin, and Seol In-ah. Emergency Declaration premieres on August 16 in Indonesian cinemas.