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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Call’ On Netflix, A Twisty, Bloody South Korean Thriller With Stellar Performances

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The Call (2020)
Stream It Or Skip It

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With flicks like #Alive , Train to Busan , and The Wailing , South Korean horror continues to put out some top-quality titles. The latest entry in the genre is The Call, a twisty time travel slasher thriller now streaming on Netflix. Starring #Alive star Park Shin-hye and Burning star Jong-seo Jun, The Call has is armed with a talented cast and intriguing premise. We’re here to tell you if it’s one worth answering, or if you’re better off sending it straight to voicemail.

THE CALL : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: In the wake of her mother’s cancer diagnosis , Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) returns to her hometown and moves into her childhood home. Seo-yeon blames her mother for her father’s death, believing that she left the gas on one day and caused the house fire that killed him, so their relationship is less than perfect. Soon after moving back home, Seo-yeon begins to receive calls on the house phone from a young woman begging for help as her stepmother tries to kill her. She is Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), a 28-year-old being tortured by her “shaman” mother. She also just so happens to live in 1999. The two women begin to develop a relationship over a series of calls, and when Seo-yeon realizes that Young-sook may be able to prevent her father’s death, she asks her for a life-altering favor – and it works. Seo-yeon’s whole life is made better and more beautiful by her father’s survival, and she gets caught up in it all, letting her relationship with Young-sook fall by the wayside – but only for a short while.

When Seo-yeon discovers that Young-sook is about to get murdered by her stepmother during an exorcism, she intervenes, inadvertently changing everything – and affecting tons of lives – in the process. Young-sook is in fact the mentally deranged murderer her stepmother believed she would become (and was trying to prevent). Young-sook delights in bloodshed and taking lives, and when her freedom is threatened, she takes things to the next level. Seo-yeon must now race against the clock to save herself and others from the monster she created, and each twist and turn is more shocking than the last.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: With a good blend of sci-fi and slasher components, The Call hits the sweet spot for lovers of serial killer flicks, tight thrillers, and twisty science fiction.

Performance Worth Watching: Jong-seo Jun is magnificent as Young-sook, taking us on a twisty journey that begins with deep sympathy for her horrifying situation and ends with pure loathing and terror. She’s convincing in both her quieter moments and her more maniacal outbursts, masterfully drawing out all the thrills and chills you could hope for with a movie of this nature. A role like this easily could be played in a much campier manner and lose its power, but Jong-seo Jun knows when to keep her contained and when to let it rip, and boy, does she.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: It’s rare that a thriller or slasher is able to do anything super innovative these days, which makes The Call all the more delightful (in a dark, demented way, of course). The combination of the time travel concept with the slasher and thriller components really work, despite all the ways it could potentially go wrong. The Call spends a lot of time establishing Seo-yeon’s world and her mental state, taking an effective slow burn approach that allows the intrigue and tension to build in a truly unsettling fashion. Things start pretty innocuously; at first, it seems like Seo-yeon and Young-sook’s connection could be some beautiful, important thing, a friendship that might help them both through their unique situations. Any quaint notions about this relationship are violently squashed, however, when the true nature of it all is revealed, and it’s thrilling to watch it all unfold.

In addition to having an original storyline, The Call also boasts some gorgeous, eerie production design and is full of interesting camerawork. These visuals are balanced beautifully with the strength of the performers, who fully embrace the wide spectrum of emotions required for their roles. The entire cast is great, but the two leading ladies – Park Shin-hye and Jong-seo Jun – truly carry The Call . They spend very little time on screen physically together, but they’re the perfect foils for one another, solidifying their bond – an immensely strong one, for better or worse – from the very beginning. Park Shin-hye established her star power in #Alive and it’s so exciting to see her take on an even bigger, more complex role this time around. It’d be nice to see her become a Netflix staple – she really is totally magnetic.

If you’re someone who needs answers to every single question, The Call may be frustrating for you, but it’s worth setting aside the need for allllll the information to enjoy a truly fresh flick. A strong contender for one of the best original thrillers the streamer has ever put out, The Call is entertaining, emotional, and extremely bloody, one bound to make more than a few year-end lists (even with its negligible plot holes).

Our Call: STREAM IT. With an original concept, chilling kills, and stunning performances, The Call is more than worth picking up.

Should you stream or skip the South Korean thriller #TheCall on @netflix ? #SIOSI #TheCallonNetflix — Decider (@decider) December 2, 2020

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski .

Stream The Call on Netflix

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The Call (2020) – Netflix Movie Review

A Decent Thriller Held Back By A Poor Ending

The idea of two people being connected through time thanks to an unexplained supernatural occurrence is nothing new on the small screen – especially in Korea. Much like Signal, Tunnel and – more recently – the currently airing thriller Kairos, this narrative device almost feels like a trope now coming from South East Asia. In its simplest form, The Call is a twisty-turny thriller that takes this aforementioned idea and blends it with pure slasher vibes to mixed results.

On the one hand, The Call effectively builds up an air of dread-inducing atmosphere and backs that up with a pacey screenplay that never looks like letting up. There’s a lot of interesting plot developments and a couple of unexpected twists that completely change the game. On the other hand, this pacey thriller does have a couple of nasty plot holes and the final scenes of the film effectively undermine a lot of the good work in a bid to jump in for a possible cash-grab sequel. But that’s not to say this film doesn’t have its moments.

Our protagonist here is Seo-Yeon (Park Shin-Hye) who returns to her family home and finds an old phone hidden away in storage. Connecting it back up, she receives a strange call from someone asking to speak to Sun-Hee. It soon becomes apparent that this girl, Young-Sook (Jong-seo Jun), is living in the past. After convincing each other that they’re not in the same time period, both characters soon realize that their actions could affect the reality surrounding the other.

What ensues is a game of cat and mouse, as Seo-Yeon begins by helping this girl before realizing that’s probably not the best move. With time rewritten before her very eyes and reality shifting depending on the actions either of these two take, the thriller aspects eventually crescendo into two duels – both split across two time periods.

It’s a nice way to end things but unfortunately the movie takes liberties with this satisfying conclusion to bait for a sequel that probably won’t arrive – and nor should it. The original ending actually rounds things out nicely but brings niggling plot issues into whole narrative-disjointing confusion while threatening to undermine the premise.

I won’t get into spoiler territory here of course but if you do intend to watch this one, please turn the film off the minute this one fades to black and ignore the scenes that follow. If you can do this, The Call winds up that much more enjoyable and satisfying.

In fact, there’s actually quite a lot to like with this thriller – even with the wonky ending. The pulsating rock soundtrack works well to show the brewing anger and chaotic feel to many of Young-Sook’s scenes while the slick editing and smooth camera work feeds into the feel of this playing out like a big budget Korean blockbuster. At times the movie gives off the same vibes The Invisible Man did earlier this year, playing into that aforementioned cat and mouse feel in a really positive and absorbing way.

On top of that, both Park Shin-Hye and Jong-Seo Jun bring their A game to this production. Both of them give heartfelt, solid performances and given Shin-Hye’s acting in Memories Of The Alhambra last year, it’s great to see her back on screen again for this thriller.

If you’ve never experienced Korean sci-fi before this is not a bad place to start. The premise is certainly unusual and the movie manages to nail the right amount of unnerving tension across its run-time. For those more accustomed to the quirks and tropes in Asian cinema and dramas, The Call is a pacey, enjoyable thriller ruined by a final bid to shoot for a sequel and unable to quite make the most of its talented cast on-hand. It’s certainly not a bad film but it’s far from the great one it so easily could have been with a bit more editing and a thoughtful ending.

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Verdict - 7/10 7/10

1 thought on “The Call (2020) – Netflix Movie Review”

Actually I have seen this before. The movie was “Frequency” with Dennis Quaid.

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Review: k-movie “the call” is a chilling and suspenseful murder mystery.

Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo star in Korean thriller “The Call,” which now streams on Netflix.

By Anthony Kao , 1 Dec 20 07:27 GMT

How do you stop a killing in the past? That’s the central challenge of The Call , Netflix’s latest Korean film acquisition. Featuring leading starlet Park Shin-hye and rising actress Jeon Jong-seo, this thriller depicts two women who become connected across time periods through a mysterious landline telephone. When the woman of the past starts on a serial killing spree, the woman of the present must take action before it’s too late.

Even if it doesn’t aspire to push filmmaking boundaries or provide philosophical musings, the movie is a solid piece of entertainment that doesn’t feel trite, even with the preponderance of time travel murder mysteries . Through effective world-building and acting, The Call creates a distinctively chilling and suspenseful vibe that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats until its very last moments.

[ Read: The 13 Best Korean Horror Movies ]

Telephone Time Travel

The Call begins with a young woman named Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) getting dropped off at an ornate countryside house with creepy gothic vibes. After getting situated, Seo-yeon hears the rings of a clunky landline telephone. She picks it up, and hears the pleading cries of another young woman named Oh Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), who insists that her shaman mother is trying to kill her. Seo-yeon soon realizes that Oh Young-sook lived in the same house two decades ago, and the landline somehow allows the two women to connect across time.

In spite of Young-sook’s abusive shaman mother, Seo-yeon and Young-sook begin to form a bond. However, when a warning from Seo-yeon leads Young-sook to kill her mother and embark on a murder spree, Seo-yeon realizes that she may have opened a time-traversing Pandora’s Box with bloody—and personal—consequences.

[ Read: The 11 Best Korean Dramas on Netflix ]

Gothic Shamanistic Vibes

Time-travel murder mysteries aren’t exactly novel. The Call is actually adapted from a Puerto Rican-British film named The Caller ; Hollywood makes many instances of the subgenre. Superfans of Korean media might also feel that The Call evokes hit K-drama Signal , which featured a walkie talkie that allowed a detective in 1985 to communicate with a criminal profiler in 2015.

Despite this, The Call avoids feeling formulaic—especially for global audiences—by building a chilling world that blends reliable horror elements with Korean tradition. The house that much of the film takes place in looks a lot like your classic Western haunted house, with gothic architectural elements like hood moulds and a creepy basement to boot. As expected for a horror-tinged thriller, dark colors dominate the movie’s palette, and much of the action takes place using artificial lighting or in low light.

However, The Call goes beyond those standard horror expectations by bringing in a distinctive Korean flair. For example, one scene has Young-sook stuff a clump of tendrily seaweed into her mouth and gnaw like a deranged cthulhu . This chilling use of Korean cuisine certainly wouldn’t occur in a Hollywood horror film. Furthermore, Young-sook’s mother performs exorcisms that draw from traditional Korean shamanism—which has been enjoying a renaissance in the 21st century and influenced numerous Korean movies . Reminiscent of Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden , The Call blends “Western” visuals with distinctive Korean context to create a distinctively foreboding vibe.

[ Read: Korean Movie “The Shaman Sorceress” Explores Clashes Between Competing Faiths ]

Acting and Suspense

Beyond worldbuilding, The Call also features an outstanding performance from Jeon Jong-seo. This is particularly notable given Jeon’s only prior acting role was as Hae-mi, the female lead of Lee Chang-dong’s critically acclaimed film Burning .

Jeon plays Young-sook with a degree of intense unhingedness that not only contributes to The Call ’s chilling vibes, but keeps audiences guessing about what she might do next. Young-sook toggles seamlessly between victim and manipulator, crying to Seo-yeon on the phone in one moment and incapacitating victims with fire extinguisher blasts in the next. The fact that Young-sook is such a contrast from the rather carefree Hae-mi of Burning speaks positively to Jeon’s range as an actress. Coupled with a well-crafted narrative that incorporates ample twists, Jeon’s acting gives The Call a constant current of electrifying suspense that lasts even into its post-credit scenes.

While The Call may not have the same philosophical aura as other Korean thrillers like I Saw the Devil , that probably wasn’t the film’s intent. When judged as a blockbuster, The Call is a solid piece of work. Its chilling visuals, suspenseful plot, and compelling acting should please anybody with a thirst for thrilling murder mysteries.

The Call (Korean: 콜) – South Korea. Dialog in Korean. Directed by Lee Chung-hyun. Running time 1hr 52min. First released November 27, 2020. Starring Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo.

The Call is available for streaming on Netflix worldwide .

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The Call: Korean movie’s ending explained

The ending of The Call — a new South Korean psychological thriller movie that premiered on Netflix on Saturday (November 28) — left many viewers perplexed.

After seeing the movie on Netflix , many viewers took to Twitter to inquire about the meaning of the ending of the movie.

Many Twitter users who had seen the Netflix movie responded to the request with various suggestions.

A debate ensued as people offered different explanations of the ending of the movie.

If you are also one of many viewers who were left scratching their heads after seeing the end of The Call, here is what you need to know.

I just finished The Call on Netflix and im inviting anyone who watched the film to talk about that very confusing ending and what do you think really happened? Go. #TheCallonNetflix pic.twitter.com/m2b89IExfv — Are Zack’s thumbs in danger? (@CursedSoo) November 27, 2020

What is The Call about?

The Call tells the story of two women, Seo-yeon (Park Shin-Hye) and Young-sook (Jong-Seo Jun), who live in the same house but during different times, 20 years apart. Their lives and fate become intertwined after they connect through a phone.

Young-sook helps Seo-yeon to undo a tragic accident in the past that led to her father’s death, while Seo-yeon warns Young-sook that she will be murdered by her stepmother.

The plot takes a dark turn when Young-sook later becomes a serial killer.

Young-sook learns that she will be sentenced to life in prison in the future for the murders that she committed. So she tries to force Seo-yeon to help her avoid her fate by threatening to harm her younger self and family.

Seo-yeon refuses to help and Young-Sook murders Seo-yeon’s dad in the past and kidnaps her younger self.

The Call: Closing scene

The future Seo-yeon connects with her mother in the past. Her mom rescues young Seo-yeon and kills Young-sook by throwing her down from a height.

However, Seo-yeon’s mom also dies in the fall. In the future, Seo-yeon mourns by her mother’s grave. But viewers were left with questions when her mother appears at the graveside. Seo-yeon is relieved and happy to see her mother.

The closing scene shows her walking away with her mother, suggesting that her heroic mother didn’t die in the past and that she managed to survive the fall.

Post credits: The ending explained

However, the post-credits suggest that Young-sook also did not die in the fall.

Young-sook’s future self contacts her past self and gives her advice on what to do to prevent her own death.

Young-sook appeared to have fallen to her death when Seo-yeon’s mom threw her over the railings, but in the post-credits we see her open her eyes while lying in a pool of her own blood.

After Young-sook opens her eyes, Seo-yeon’s mom, who was walking with her daughter from the graveyard, suddenly disappears.

So we appear to have a late plot twist where Young-sook is able to save her past self and thus initiates an alternative timeline in which Seo-yeon loses her mother.

Some Twitter viewers suggested that the ending was probably meant to set up a sequel for the film.

The Call is streaming on Netflix.

The English translation on the mother’s grave shows her death as December11 1999 but we clearly see the countdown to 2000 on the TV just before the policeman is murdered.It would be imposdible for the mother to turn up at her own graveside. Seems to me a good film got spoilt by an ending which was inconsistent with the logic of its own premise for the sake of a negative twist or the chance of a sequal. I had enjoyed watching the film until that happened as it, for me, cheapens what was an otherwise good film. Then when I think about it there are other inconsistences, particularly surrpunding the main character not being able to remember the creepy girl that lived in the house when they first visited.

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What it's about

A woman loses her phone on her way back to her countryside childhood home. Once there, she connects an old landline in hopes of finding her lost mobile, only to start receiving weird calls that seem to be from 20 years ago.

On the other side of the receiver is a girl who seems to be in danger. The Call is thrilling, sometimes scary, but also brilliantly shot, and its plot is so expertly woven. It’s a proper movie-night movie.

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Against gossip & scandal, independent media network, global stories from local perspective, factual culture news, korean film ‘the call’ review: “did somebody dial time travel”.

Melissa McGrath is a writer for Hollywood Insider, offering rich and engaging content for reviews and features. Melissa feels at home with Hollywood Insider’s lively team who share an equal passion for the art of cinema. Having sought out compelling stories her whole life, she is eager to examine and share her observations with others interested in thought-provoking material. She believes in changing the world through meaningful dialogue and hopes to provide helpful insight with her work. She values open discussions concerning morality, culture, personal development, and holds a soft spot for cathartic humor. Through the art of storytelling, journalism, and cinema, Melissa seeks to help build a strong community of free-thinkers and cultivate a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Jan 30, 2021

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Hollywood Insider The Call Review, Korean Films, Netflix

Photo: ‘The Call’/Netflix

Ring, ring, ring. “Hello?” “Oh hey, what’s up, I’m just sitting in the same room as you– but in the past– what are you up to?” “Nothing much, just wishing my dad was alive again, just chillin, what about you?” Wiping the blood off her forehead, “Still having trouble with this witch lady, but I think I took care of it…hey do you want me to tamper with time and bring him back? That would be pretty sick…” In tears, “Oh wow, that would mean the world to me, thank you person from the past!” Dances to Korean metal music.

Based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican film ‘ The Caller ’ and directed by Lee Chung-hyun , ‘The Call’ stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong- Seo as two women who are from separate times but connect through a bulky cordless phone that intertwines their fates, all the while featuring angsty Korean punk and metal music. Colliding past and present across two decades, the girls exchange details about their lives.

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‘The Call’

They both experienced the loss of a parent, which retrospectively might have been some kind of emblem of unspoken trust and empathy between the two of them, allowing Seo-yeon to trust Young-sook maybe more than she should have–scratch that, definitely more than she should have. It’s like if the movie ‘Saw’ had a baby with the ‘ The Butterfly Effect ’, and then that baby called the guy from ‘Saw’ and said, “Hey, I’m your baby. Don’t ask how I can speak, I have a magic phone, idiot. Also, I will rip myself out of your scrotum and you will feel it in the present time if you disobey my demands..” To which he would respond, “Wait, won’t that mean you die too?” “Goo goo ga ga!”

After Young-sook discovers she can alter the past, subsequently altering Seo-yeon’s present, she ventures off to prevent the tragic fire that killed her new friend’s father, and is successful. But this friendship kindles a new flame, born of envy and neglect. Seo-yeon is happier than she’s ever remembered, reunited with her mother and father in their flourishing new life together, all the while leaving Young-sook to seep in the harrows of her much dimmer reality. Living with her mother who performs rituals on her, and violently punishes her for being on the phone, she grows resentment towards Seo-yeon.

In an act of self-defense, Young-sook commits murder but then proceeds to heinously murder anyone who might threaten her newfound freedom in the world. After doing research and revealing to Young-sook that she will be arrested for her crimes, she calls upon Seo-yeon to give her information so she can avoid being caught. Emotionally distraught, she refuses to help and the relentless heckle ensues like a live-action Tom and Jerry blood bath, whoever outsmarts the other survives–once again cue angst metal.

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A Burning Call for Jeon Jong-Seo

While both actresses held impressive performances, I had recently viewed Jeon Jong-Seo in ‘Burning’ , and I am just so captivated by her. She is something of a wild card, which really complimented her strengths as the demented serial killer in this film. She is a unique batter of precarious and silly, highlighted by an almost lackadaisical aloofness that distinguishes her from being pigeon-holed as the stereotypical damsel in distress or the vapid villain.

Her alarmingly playful attitude — whether she’s being touched by the heaviness of life’s fleeting beauty, or severing heads and placing them in black plastic bags to store in her refrigerator– is a whimsical waltz of magnetic endearment. She’s just so fun to watch, I almost imagine her occupying another dimension than the rest of us, evident in her body as she floats and sways in her own very idiosyncratic formula–like she’s tilting with the earth , rotating on its axis. She’s listening to music no one else can hear, and she doesn’t give a damn. Even in her anguish, she can make twisted funny.

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Allegorical Alternative Ending

In the film ‘The Butterfly Effect’, there were some editions that had alternate endings. This film wasn’t like that, as far as I can tell, but I picked up on something that I felt was pretty powerful–had it gone in that direction. In the film, Seo-yeon lost her father, and she blamed her mother for his death. She saw her as careless and neglectful, and shamed her for accidentally leaving on the gas that licked her father in flames till his death. In this timeline , her mother is suffering from a serious illness, and they are both filled with resentment and regret. When her father is brought back to life, her mother is vibrant and caring, heroic even.

When fate changed the second time around, shifting reality, she goes back to see her mother expecting it to be the way it was before Young-sook ever interfered–and found her to be the same kind, caring, flourishing version of herself that she became when her father was brought back to life.

It occurred to me that it could have easily been interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. Seo-yeon had the same kind of internalized hatred for her mother as Young-sook did for her adoptive mother, she could have very well been a metaphor–and have not existed at all. Instead, she was a projection– a hologram for the hollowness in her heart to which a complex narrative. It would make sense, as her psyche desperately needed to contend with the grievances of her loss –and finally forgive her mother for the accident. A dark allegory for the absurd lengths our minds go when we are unconsciously processing intense emotions–to vie with tragedy that dismantles the soul, it often requires some paramount psychological symbolism , not just mere confrontation.

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This is the power of stories and metaphor, they are perhaps the greatest tool we have for the mind. Maybe language paved a new era for the imagination that allowed us to process the emotional complexity of higher consciousness, posing as the quintessential accolade that separated us from our ape predecessors. The apparatus of allegorical content may have been the precursor for our evolution, as it were.

Another alternate ending idea! The guy from ‘Saw’ never actually had a baby, in fact, the baby was him–using the same bulky cordless phone from deep inside his mother’s womb, guiding him to convert to veganism before the antibiotics in his favorite beef stroganoff gave him the cancer that wracked his better judgment.

Now Streaming on Netflix. ‘The Call’, not ‘Saw’.

Director: Lee Chung-hyun

Starring: Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo

Producers: Syd Lim, Jeong Hui-sun | Written by: Lee Chung-hyun | Based on: ‘The Caller’ by Matthew Parkhill | Music: Dalpalan | Cinematographer: Jo Young- jik

Editor: Yang Jin-mo | Prod. Company: Yong Film

By Melissa McGrath

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The call (2020).

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 3 Reviews
Kids Say 4 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Dark, bloody thriller has unexpected twists, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Lots of violence, blood, murder, and some gore. Multiple stabbings, beatings, an

Language includes "f--k," "c--t," "s--t," "bitch," "goddamn," and "hell."

Adults smoke cigarettes. A young woman smokes luxuriously. Adults drink wine ove

A young woman entices a strawberry farmer with new clothes she purchased as he g

Clear mention and use of Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Any Positive Content?

Persevere through difficulty and admit mistakes to find redemption.

Seo-yeon is brave and perseveres through difficulty. She tries to forgive hersel

Violence & Scariness

Lots of violence, blood, murder, and some gore. Multiple stabbings, beatings, and torture. A young woman is tied up and whipped. An older woman performs various exorcisms on the young woman, including burning her legs. A few scenes show victims pleading for their lives before being killed. Body parts in plastic bags in the fridge later leak everywhere in the sink and onto the kitchen floor. Victims in peril, chase scenes, and lots of crying. Burn scars on legs, backs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults smoke cigarettes. A young woman smokes luxuriously. Adults drink wine over dinner.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A young woman entices a strawberry farmer with new clothes she purchased as he gazes longingly at her.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive messages, positive role models.

Seo-yeon is brave and perseveres through difficulty. She tries to forgive herself and her mother for the past. She thinks quickly in peril and overcomes a killer.

Parents need to know that The Call is a Korean thriller about a young woman who returns to her abandoned childhood home only to find another young woman calling her on the landline phone screaming for help. There's lots of violence, blood, and some gore. A young woman is tied up, beaten, and burned. A handful of adults are killed with knives; several stabbing scenes. We see the cleaning up of blood, body parts in plastic bags. People are in peril, terror, and fear. Lots of screaming and crying. Plenty of swearing, with frequent use of "f--k," "s--t," "c--t," "bitch," and "goddamn." Adults smoke and drink. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (3)
Kids say (4)

Based on 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE CALL, Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-Hye) moves back into her old family home, long abandoned. Her father is dead and her mother is in a hospital for vulnerable adults. After getting unpacked and situated, Seo-yeon receives a phone call from another young woman screaming for help. These calls continue, and eventually Seo-yeon realizes that the young woman on the phone, Young-sook (Jun Jong-Seo), is somehow calling from the past, from inside the same house. This woman in the past seems to be in danger. Gaining Seo-yeon's trust, Young-sook makes Seo-yeon's father alive again, as Young-sook prevents the accident that killed him. This new future finds Seo-yeon's mother not ill and in hospital, but still with her husband, still in the same house, and still living naturally with their daughter. So Seo-yeon advises Young-sook that according to old news stories, she will be murdered by her stepmother. But after Young-sook manages to escape death, she begins to demand more and more from Seo-yeon. Will Seo-yeon somehow manage to change the past to keep her present from spiraling into complete annihilation?

Is It Any Good?

This movie certainly requires some suspension of disbelief, but it still delivers thrills while providing unexpected twists and scares along the way. The Call starts out with a silly premise, a phone in an abandoned house that somehow connects those on either end through time. This phenomenon is never explained, and the reasons why these two young women are connected is also never explored, but the writing is surprising and tense. The actors clearly relish their incredibly juicy scenes, especially Jun Jong-Seo (Young-sook), like when she finds herself very disappointed with an outcome and vents by beating and punching a bunch of body parts tied up in plastic bags that are floating in a large sink. Within seconds she's fully in the sink herself, thrashing about, punching, and screaming. Likewise, Park Shin-Hye continues to impress, and she again stuns with an incredibly emotive and tender performance, needing to cry often, scream, and also somehow get revenge.

The deeper social underpinnings of why a family-less family drama like The Call resonates so strongly in South Korea (and also films like Mother , Parasite , Oldboy ) might be misunderstood or missed altogether by non-Korean audiences, but in no way does this take away from the film working as a simply effective thriller with a fun conceit. For instance, when Seo-yeon finds out that Young-sook was an orphan and now cared for by an "evil stepmother" figure, Seo-yeon notably reacts in a devastated fashion, showing immense sadness and compassion toward Young-sook. But the plot and horror of The Call belies a darker norm of Korean society and culture where family is everything. It reinforces, again, that those without "real" family can easily lose themselves and quickly turn to evil as they are "lost."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence and use of blood in The Call . Did these horror elements enhance your viewing experience? Why or why not? Would this film be as scary, thrilling, and horrific without the blood and violence?

Why do you think Young-sook behaved the way she did? Was her stepmother right to try to contain what she saw as "future evil"?

Is there anything you would have done differently? How might you prevent someone in the past from changing your present?

What did you think of the epilogue?

What lesson do you think Seo-yeon learned after all was over?

Movie Details

On DVD or streaming : December 15, 2020
Cast : Park Shin-Hye , Jun Jong-Seo , Kim Sung-Ryung , Lee El
Director : Lee Chung-Hyun
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Asian actors
Studio : Netflix
Genre : Thriller
Run time : 112 minutes
MPAA rating : NR
Last updated : June 20, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Mother (2020)

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The Call is a South Korean horror/thriller film written and directed by Lee Chung-hyun. The film stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo in lead roles.

South Korean horror/thriller movies have a way of inflicting horror in the hearts of its audiences. 2020’s The Call is a tad bit different from the films of the genre. It’s a mix of sci-fi, thriller and horror and the meshing of the stories along with the performances make this one memorable.

The Call follows two women, connected through a telephone 20 years apart, whose lives go through phenomenal changes due to their chance acquaintance.

The Call is a dizzying, gloomy ride through what I can only describe as manic fun. Okay, it’s not really fun in the traditional sense because there is a lot of blood and gore, but you get what I mean. From the moment the film starts, you know something dark is about to happen. The story is a twisty tale of two women who come across each other because of the home they share 20 years apart and a telephone. This encounter proves fruitful to Seo-yeon, but along the line, she realises she has unleashed a monster.

The monster comes in the form of Young-sook, who is, well, a psychopath. These two women are similar, but not really. And this story would’ve been just another murder mystery had The Call not decided to show us Seo-yeon’s life literally changing as Young-sook manipulates her past. The film ends on a cliff-hanger, and the way the shots change from one perspective to the other is extremely entertaining and also very frightening.

The credit has to be given to cinematographer Jo Young-jik, along with writer Lee Chung-hyun. Apart from having a tight storyline, the cinematography adds leaps and bounds to the narrative. The dark and gloomy atmosphere and sets add terror in the hearts of both Seo-yeon and us. The background score, too, is great.

I remember watching Park Shin-hye in #Alive which is one of my favourite zombie horror films. She was phenomenal then, and she’s phenomenal in The Call as well. She and Jeon Jong-seo carry the film on their shoulders, and you wouldn’t be able to look away from the screen – their presence is magnetic. Seo-yeon’s vulnerability, strength, confusion and happiness are deftly brought on-screen by Shin-hye, who never breaks character. On the other hand, Jeon Jong-seo is absolutely terrifying as the deranged Young-sook. The way she stares at people is enough to give anyone nightmares.

The Call constantly manipulates time and showcases cause and effect deftly. There’s a moment in the film where you see Seo-yeon happy, and in spite of knowing that is a thriller, you wonder if things would work out in her favour. However, it doesn’t and I have to blame that on Seo-yeon. To be honest, she makes a lot of incorrect decisions which probably doesn’t make much sense, but then again, when a crazed killer is holding your child-self hostage, I don’t know how I’d react.

Fans of gore and all things messed up, The Call delivers on its promise. The hopelessness of the situation and Seo-yeon’s wickedness go hand-in-hand with the horror. It’s absolutely mind-blowing and is, well, quite hopeless. The blood and gore all look very real, and for the most part, it is believable, the characters are fleshed out and you get hooked to it from the get-go.

Summing up: The Call

The Call , with its messed up but original storyline and presentation, creates a hopeless world where winning doesn’t seem like an option. it’s a delightful watch that will keep you thinking long after you’re done with it.

The Call is streaming on Netflix .

Liked The Call review? Read our other reviews here .

Overall

OVERALL SCORE

Original? Perhaps you didn’t see Frequency with Dennis Quaid? At least THAT one had a proper finish. The Call has a useless open end that doesn’t really make sense to me.

The Call [2020] Netflix Review: When Present and Past Collide in a Hopeless World

‘A black cordless phone’, ‘an intervention’, and ‘festering jealousy’ are all that it takes for everything to go irrevocably downhill in Lee Chung-Hyun’s gothic mystery thriller ‘The Call’. In this twisty genre-bending ride the past is pitched against the present, submerged in a gore, gloomy, overly thought time-travel plot. The movie loaded with a tight storyline builds a hopeless world in a bold premise where desperation to alter the aching memories of bygone years inflicts mayhem on the space-time continuum.

Known for crafting some of the finest, bloodiest, and most exhilarating genre in existence, Korean movies have become a staple for the cravers of a horror-tinged thriller. And this time writer-director Lee Chung-Hyun strikes the chord with his latest offering. ‘The Call’ that cuts through time, if not space, is surprisingly Lee’s first feature film. His work stands as a tough contender, making amongst the finest thrillers on Netflix right now .

Related to The Call Netflix – The Tunnel [2011] Review: Undone By Its Weak Ending

Although inspired by a 2011 Puerto Rican-British film ‘The Caller’, this genre hybrid avoids feeling cut-and-dried. The movie flaunts amazing visuals styles and camerawork by cinematographer Jo Young-jik with an impressive production design. The western graphics presented with Korean characteristics is well complimented by the high-contrast-dimly-lit palate and Dalpalan’s eerie background score that forms a distinctively menacing chill.

Lee Chung-Hyun’s film sets about with a phone call that connects two women; Young-sook from the past and Seo-Yeon from the present. Both belong to the same reality but live in two different time zones. In their newfound friends over a series of calls, the two women decide to try and change each other’s present.

Things start taking a 360-degree turn after ‘a proposition’ from the past. The cause-and-effect relationship between parallel past and present timelines is triggered by every word they speak and the actions they take. The tension increases as they engage in the battle of wits trying to outweigh the other.

Also, Read – A MONSTER CALLS [2016]: AN ENDEARING TALE OF ACCEPTANCE

‘The Call’ works so well as an intense mystery thriller. Its gothic vibe presents an outstanding line up of the stellar women-centric cast. Director Lee proves that female characters can be very powerful in various genres.

Jong-Seo Jun as Young-sook and Park Shin Hye as Seo-Yeon on-screen chemistry is rare and neatly balanced. With their intense and captivating performances, they carry the entire movie on their shoulders. They breath life into their characters in ways that refuse to be erased from our minds. Jun and Park take full command of every scene they are in. They are unflinching. The story doesn’t just box them into “the good” and “the evil”. Both have their moment of darkness.

Jong-Seo Jun ( Burning ) is the star of the show. One cannot help but be in a state of awe with the sheer brilliance the rookie actress brings to the screen. Jun is splendid as Young-sook. Her character build-up is most convincing to watch as she seems effortless in evoking the sense of pity to pure repugnance and horror. The duality of her persona is more evident when she shifts from a mysterious extremely miserable and fragile victim to a merciless, brutal manipulator in a killing spree, with utmost conviction in a matter of a couple of scenes.

Even though the mystery thriller takes pages from a typical time travel flicks with a side of serial killer genre undertone, it stands on its own as director Lee puts together something that has never been done before.

The movie bears the slightest resemblance to Oscar-winning ‘ Parasite ’. Director Lee uses ‘The house’ brilliantly as a central theme. The frequently changing aesthetics of the secret-loaded house throughout the story offers an analogy of shifting circumstances and the psychological state of the characters. Hidden creepy bunker, wooden floor making snap-crackle-pop noises presented on the washed-out and foggy backdrop with aural suspense also reflects architectural rudiments of a typical haunted house.

‘The transitions’- the scars, house, people, and vehicles, thanks to the amazing CGI, is one of the most satisfying things to watch. With the intervention in the past, the viewers can witness the beautiful morph and its impacts on the characters.

The Call Netflix Trailer

The Call is now streaming on Netflix

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What To Watch Next?

What happens when you answer the phone and the person on the other end is calling from 20 years in the past? That's the premise of The Call, a South Korean thriller that ramps up the intensity until the end.

Theoretical science says it is possible to travel to the future via time dilation. Near light speed, time moves slower for you than those relative to you, and so you advance across time at an accelerated rate. Are we able to produce such speeds? No. But do we need to? Also no. A simple telephone can do the job equally well. At least that is true for Kim Seo-yeon. After a strained visit with her sick mother , Seo-yeon’s journey to her rundown childhood home takes an odd turn when she answers an old, ringing, cordless phone.

The Call is a South Korean horror film that poses a very intriguing question: how can you fight against the past? On the other end of that phone is Oh Young-sook, a young woman calling from 20 years in the past but from the same house.

The two strike up a friendship, with the bitter Seo-yeon enjoying simple pleasures like playing YouTube clips of Young-sook’s favourite musician’s latest releases down the phone, and the lonely Young-sook leaving behind time capsules for Seo-yeon to find. Yet Young-sook’s past actions have the ability to cause major changes in the present for Seo-yeon, and these quickly sour from positive through to outright dangerous.

Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo, also set to star in an upcoming series of Money Heist ) is the key character throughout the movie. We see early on that she is the subject of abuse from a highly superstitious mother who foresees great evil in her future. Jong-seo dances with an iron will behind the eyes as resistance to her abuse elicits both sympathy and fear in us.

One minute she is screaming for her life and the other she is deliberately eating sloppily to rebelliously invite further abuse. Seo-yeon sees none of this, of course. Their friendship is a genuine one, full of gossiping and concern for each other. At least at first. The Call takes the time to make the connection before severing it so severely.

Whilst Jong-seo gets plenty of scenery-chewing moments to go wild with, Park Shin-hye (as Seo-yeon) has the harder ‘rabbit in headlights’ duty to fulfil. Don’t bother applying the normal ‘time travel’ logic to the plot of The Call . Characters who were to die in the past can be saved and thus ‘sprung back to life’ in the present, and then snuffed out again, yet with Seo-yeon retaining all knowledge of what happened. It’s a credit to Shin-hye’s performance that we can skim over the shaky script logic and still be sold on the devastating effect that Young-sook’s violent rage can have in the present day.

Another way The Call sells the emotional impact of its events is by investing good chunks of the budget on effect work for when a major timeline change takes place. The smaller moments may be just people fading in or out, or the general upkeep of the Seo-yeon / Young-sook house shifting from glossy upmarket home to decrepit rubble. But The Call commits to its major moments, slowly dissolving key cast (and even a car Seo-yeon is driving) with showy but effective special effects. Seo-yeon’s hysterics as her life literally falls apart around her is excellently done.

And thus The Call leaves you pondering that key question: how can you possibly fight against someone in the past who is determined to do you harm? Later scenes have shocking moments where Young-sook’s bloodlust really takes hold, and this leaves Shin-hye with the difficult task of installing tension in essentially ‘aggressive research sessions’ whilst trying to work out how to mislead a person from two decades ago.

The movie gets around this dull avenue by making it clear that all actions take place in ‘real time’, with 10:00pm on June 1st 2019 happening simultaneously with 10:00pm June 1st 1999. Thus a desperate knife fight in the past carves out structural damage before Seo-yeon’s eyes in 2019. The Call manages to convince you of otherwise dodgy time logic by making its own rules clear so that the stakes are never in question.

My only criticism of The Call is that it doesn’t have the confidence to stop. You may be willing for the movie to dial the wrong number a few times for the sake of narrative tension, but once the natural rhythm of the plot reaches an apex The Call pushes with more ‘what ifs’ than it earns. This is symptomatic of horror where a 50/50 choice gets made about which ending to go for, or whether the phone should be left off the hook for sequels. Arguably, The Call should have had its handset placed back in its cradle and the cord yanked out of the wall, yet for the time the line remains connected, The Call speaks volumes until dropping the phone to dangle in the wind.

Words by Mike Record

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‘Incoming’ Movie Soundtrack: Every Song Featured

The soundtrack for Incoming features some original score plus hits from Katy Perry and Chromeo.

Picture: Netflix

Netflix’s new raunch R-rated comedy movie has just arrived on the service and features a big soundtrack, although many of the songs are pretty hard to track down. Here’s the full list of every song featured throughout the new movie starring Kaitlin Olson and Bobby Cannavale.

In case you missed it, Netflix acquired the new hour-and-a-half-long movie from the Chernin brothers, Dave and John, a little earlier this year. It tells the story of four freshmen attending their first-ever high school party. While our critic here at What’s on Netflix wasn’t overly keen on the movie despite a solid performance from Cannavale, we’re sure it’ll make some waves in the coming weeks.

Before we discuss all the music in the movie, let’s briefly discuss the original score. Jonathan Sadoff provides that (it is not yet available), having previously worked on a slew of titles both in TV and movies. Some of his best-known titles include The Peanut Butter Falcon , Angelyne for Peacock, and Ingrid Goes West .

Full List of Songs in Netflix’s Incoming

With the caveat that many of these songs are completely unavailable online, here’s the full breakdown of the song featured in Incoming .

I’m Legendary – dv/sn, minimy
Dare You To Get Started – Wesley Eugene Smith, Quinten John Coblentz
Choose Your Fate – Spkilla BeatsNdaHood
Jordan – Omer Agca
Call Me The King – Wade08 and Matisse Marie
Peached – I’m Free

Booty Work (Original Mix) – DJ Godfather feat. Lil Mz 313
Body – Cassio Lopes and Marlon McClain
Fancy Footwork – Chromeo

Takin Off – Crypto Bunny
Party Sex Drink Repeat – Raphael Lake, Aaron Levy & Wesley Smith
Higher, Here for the Party – Caden Jester featuring Kendra Checketts
Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

New Ting – Stella Mwangi
Bumpy – Al Wilkinson
Pizza Shop – IDK with Yung Gleesh

Back 2 Bassiks – Rotamola
Bling Bling – Jungle Pussy
I Need You – Drew Milligan, James Geoffrey Wrigley
TVs – Argonaut & Wasp
Trigger Finger (Love is a Bassline Remix) – Jim Davies
Real Love – Funk LeBlanc featuring Holland Greco
Return of Django – The Upsetters

Steppin’ – Al Wilkinson
Clothes Off – Alex Ross featuring Mila Falls
Louder Than Words – Al Wilkinson
My Fit – Mad Circuit
‘Bout To Get Real – 7kingZ

Spa Glow – Richard Anthony D Pike
Acerate – Gabriel Candiani and Jose Juan Ortiz
Lotus Posse – Dylan Berry
Girls Like Drugs – Paris Texas
Research Chemicals – Viagra Boys

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonder
Too Late Now – Wet Leg

We’ve also put together a Spotify playlist, although be warned many of the songs above cannot be found on the music streaming service at the time of publishing.

What was your favorite track featured in Netflix’s Incoming ? Let us know in the comments.

Founder of What's on Netflix, Kasey has been tracking the comings and goings of the Netflix library for over a decade. Covering everything from new movies, series and games from around the world, Kasey is in charge of covering breaking news, covering all the new additions now available on Netflix and what's coming next.

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The Call Reviews

The Call is verdant, inventive, sophisticated storytelling that leaves you buzzing...

Full Review | Apr 6, 2023

The Call is far more interested in its visuals than telling a coherent and compelling story.

Full Review | Sep 30, 2021

A curate's egg that, while entertaining in fits and starts, never comes together as a whole.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Aug 24, 2021

An entertaining ride for horror fans which benefits from great production design, The Call uses its clichés for a purpose and has fun along the way.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 23, 2021

A highly derivative horror movie lifted from utter mediocrity by a couple of veteran genre stars and some eye-catching nightmare sequences.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jul 20, 2021

Although it doesn't quite land, it's worth noting that Stibbs frames the narrative in an intriguing way and creates an inventive premise behind the film's deadly mayhem.

Full Review | Jul 19, 2021

The film has its flaws, but strong performances from a pair of horror icons and a fun premise make this worth picking up.

Full Review | Jul 15, 2021

Apart from some fun outfits, [The Call] takes little inspiration or nostalgia from its '80s setting which is seemingly only there to fit the current trend.

Full Review | Jul 14, 2021

'The Call' falls short in just about every conceivable aspect, wasting talents like Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell on a supremely unfrightful eyesore.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Jul 13, 2021

Will people enjoy watching The Call? I'm sure some will; perhaps those who are missing their teen TV stars, or those who enjoy being kept guessing. I'm also sure that most horror fans will find much more satisfying fare elsewhere on Shudder.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 12, 2021

Beyond the well-sampled wellspring of '80s nostalgia, there is little to stay on the line for.

Full Review | Original Score: 2 | Jul 9, 2021

Shaye and Bell lift this thin, over-familiar material, but not enough to compensate for the trite terrors that turn up, the dead spots in the narrative and cardboard characters one and all are saddled with playing.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jul 7, 2021

Like everything else in this production, all the encompassing mystery, suspense and promise that enticed viewers in the first place slowly fizzles out by the climax.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 29, 2021

The Call's strong Nightmare on Elm Street vibes (it's practically an homage) will surely lure some in. The premise is a little shaky with very little interest to the mystery. But bravo for some genuinely creepy sequences in the last half.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 18, 2021

Director Timothy Woodward Jr delivers perfectly timed jump scares along the way, and it's an undemanding, fun watch that doesn't outstay its welcome.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 13, 2021

The Call is ultimately a derivative horror film with a half baked 80's setting and a narrative that struggles to maintain much in the way of originality and surprise.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 11, 2021

A fairly shonky assemblage of tired tropes, full of dropped connections and annoying static.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 5, 2021

...thanks to some chilling imagery, two well-written characters and phenomenal performances from Bell and Shaye, it proves to be an entertaining enough ride for horror genre enthusiasts.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Dec 5, 2020

With an original concept, chilling kills, and stunning performances, The Call is more than worth picking up.

Full Review | Dec 2, 2020

Seems like something you might have seen before but is boosted by Bell and Shaye... and give us that little bit of distraction we need in the world right now.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5 | Nov 17, 2020

More From Forbes

‘the frog’ review: a netflix kdrama worth watching—for its second half.

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Go Min-si in Netflix's thriller K-drama "The Frog"

“If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

It’s the classic question that’s posed repeatedly in Netflix’s newest thriller K-drama The Frog . At first glance, the show’s Korean title <아무도 없는 숲속에서>—which means “In the forest where no one’s around”—might seem more fitting than its curious English-language counterpart.

But there’s a Korean saying that goes, “A frog is hit and killed by a carelessly thrown stone.” That is, a thoughtless word or action can cause great harm to others. And in that sense, perhaps no other title is more appropriate for a series that expands upon this idea to show how the actions of a single person can have unforeseen ramifications for countless innocent bystanders, who inadvertently become victims themselves (“frogs”).

Directed by Mo Wan-il ( The World of the Married , Misty ) and written by rookie TV writer Son Ho-young, The Frog stars Kim Yoon-seok ( Escape from Mogadishu ), Yoon Kye-sang ( Kiss Sixth Sense ), Go Min-si ( Sweet Home ) and Lee Jung-eun ( Parasite ) and boasts an equally impressive supporting cast that includes Kim Sung-ryung ( The Call ), Roh Yoon-seo ( Our Blues ), EXO member Chanyeol ( Memories of the Alhambra ) and other notable names. (Fun fact: Yoon Kye-sang is also a member of the legendary first-generation K-pop group g.o.d, and the show’s writer Son Ho-young happens to share the same full name as one of Yoon’s bandmates, which initially sparked some confusion and laughter among Korean audiences.)

In this stylish eight-episode limited series, Kim Yoon-seok plays Young-ha, the owner of a vacation rental home tucked away in the woods. His tranquil life is abruptly upended when a mysterious woman named Seong-a (Go Min-si) shows up at his property. Sang-jun (Yoon Kye-sang) ran a motel in the same area 20 years earlier. Like Young-ha, he and his family’s lives are forever changed when he decides to rent out one of his rooms to a sinister-looking guest.

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Yoon Kye-sang as Sang-jun in Netflix's "The Frog"

For fans of Korean crime thrillers, The Frog might feel somewhat reminiscent of TVING’s hit K-drama A Bloody Lucky Day (available globally on Paramount+), at least on the surface. Both series start off on a (mostly) upbeat note until roughly about three-quarters into the first episode, when things suddenly take a chilling turn. Like her role in A Bloody Lucky Day , Lee Jung-eun once again plays someone who’s determined to nab the culprit in The Frog . Then there are the creepy eyes in the title card for each show. Some of the themes, characters and character arcs presented in both thrillers seem similar, too.

But such superficial commonalities aside, The Frog spins its own intricate web of interconnected narratives, relying on unique plot devices and masterful use of lighting, colors and music to set the mood for each scene. However, the show struggles with uneven pacing. It tries a bit too hard to be clever and unsettling in the beginning, resulting in a painfully slow buildup that drags down the plot. Viewers may be tempted to drop the show after the first few episodes, but that would be a huge mistake, as the pace picks up in Episode 4, and things start to get very interesting in Episode 5. Episodes 6 – 8 more than make up for the molasses pacing of the first half. Still, the entire series probably would’ve worked better had it been condensed into four or five episodes instead of eight.

Kim Yoon-seok and Lee Jung-eun in Netflix's "The Frog"

The story is told in non-linear fashion, constantly switching back and forth between the early 2000s (represented by the events surrounding Sang-jun and his family at Lake View Motel) and the early 2020s (associated with Young-ha and Seong-a). This might seem confusing at first, but the show somehow manages to guide viewers in quickly discerning the past from the present without explicitly stating the time period in which any particular scene takes place. And although it’s unclear in the beginning how the storylines involving Sang-jun and Young-ha are connected, everything comes together in the second half of the series.

Like many other Korean thrillers, The Frog takes a dig at issues that are at the forefront of South Korean society, such as the shortcomings of the country’s criminal justice system, school bullying and the abuse of power by the wealthy elite. And while The Frog contains some plot holes and characters sometimes do things that don’t make sense, that could probably be said of almost any thriller/horror show or movie. The brilliant acting performances alone—especially in the second half—make this series worth a watch.

K-pop idol and actor Chanyeol in "The Frog"

Various characters in the show use the analogy of the unfortunate frog to allude to the fact that when people get caught up in a terrible incident, they often wonder why it’s happened to them. Why did they have to be the frog that gets hit by a stone? But every single one of us has probably experienced being a “frog” at some point in our lives. We’ve had bad things happen to us for reasons that were beyond our control. But ultimately how we choose to deal with the misfortune in our lives determines our fate. And this—as we saw in A Bloody Lucky Day —is perhaps The Frog ’s core message.

The Frog is streaming now on Netflix.

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors.

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Movies won’t stop pursuing the next great one crazy night adolescent comedy anytime soon. You know, that “ Superbad ” formula obliquely indebted to much darker single-night films about hapless grown-ups, like “ After Hours .” And in a way, cinema aimed towards young eyeballs is all the richer for it. Without that perpetual effort, we would have never gotten the uproarious and refreshingly sex-positive “ Blockers ,” the genially fun “ Booksmart ,” the high-adrenaline “ Bodies Bodies Bodies ” or the best of them all, “ Emergency ,” a thrilling college comedy that also had something substantial to say on race, gender and class in America.

“Incoming,” from the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” duo Dave and John Chernin as co-writers and directors, is the next entry in this subgenre, and it’s a pretty good one, too! The jokes are funny (sometimes, laugh-out-loud funny), mostly because they’re unafraid to rattle a little—a quality that many recent comedies overeager to pander to the audience inauthentically can learn a thing or two from. In that, the kids in “Incoming” are messy, sometimes even ill-mannered, mean and clueless like we all have been in real life.

But most importantly, “Incoming” scores points for its casting instincts. In the lead as Benjamin “Benj” Nielsen is Mason Thames , a floppy-haired, kind-eyed actor with the disarming disposition of a ‘80s teen movie star, who wouldn’t feel out of place in something like “ Adventures in Babysitting .” (On that note, the film itself has healthy doses of nods to the more vintage teen fare, too.) Geeky and well-meaning, Benji has a crush on his misanthropic big sister Alyssa’s best friend Bailey ( Ali Gallo and Isabella Ferreira , respectively). Meanwhile, dumped by her ex-girlfriend for another girl, Alyssa tries to get over her heartbreak in unorthodox ways and obsesses over her nose-job makeover, assuming that supposedly better looks might lead to a better life.

Elsewhere, Benj’s best friends Eddie, Connor and Danah “Koosh” Koushani—played by the delightful trio Ramon Reed , Raphael Alejandro and Bardia Seiri , respectively—have issues on the first day of the school, as well. The uber-rich Koosh is under the shadow of his older and more popular brother, desperately trying to co-host his annual back-to-school party—a boozy and druggy affair. Eddie and Connor, meanwhile are hoping to keep their head low to get through the year in one piece, with Connor especially struggling to sidestep a cruel nickname the school’s bullies have given him. There is of course a popular girl, too—in their school, it’s Katrina ( Loren Gray ), someone the boys would do anything to be cool enough to hang with.

Opportunity to overcome their insecurities presents itself when the quartet heads to Koosh’s party, only to be told that just one of them could stay as Koosh’s +1. Desperate to get with Bailey, Benj convinces the rest of the clan to be that guest, while Eddie and Connor embark on their own adventure across the city. Also in the mix is the kids’ fun-loving chemistry teacher Mr. Studebaker (a hysterical Bobby Cannavale ), whose irresponsible actions throughout the film go from lightly questionable to highly inappropriate fast.

But the kids are the main attraction in “Incoming,” and they bring it. On one pretty corner of their mansion, the genial but frequently miscalculating Koosh gives a consenting girl a spa treatment as a result of a series of lies that she gets to the bottom of. Benj manages to impress Bailey on another corner, only to mess it up quickly. And running away with the film’s best story line (as well as most rewarding resolution), Connor and Eddie end up caring for a blind-drunk Katrina in the most gentlemanly way imaginable across one crappy (literally) night.

Hilarity ensues, but so do the lessons. From Alyssa to Mr. Studebaker, everyone in “Incoming” gets what they deserve, good or bad, as the Chernins’ film is one that neither panders in an overtly preachy manner, nor lets its players off the hook easily. In this raunchy little escapade, actions have consequences.

Still, you do wish that they’d let Benj win a little something—perhaps forgiveness, or a possibility towards a pardon. Without that, you can’t help but feel that “Incoming” doesn’t quite arrive in its finale in the big way that it’s earned. But thankfully, friendships survive, along with the undying tradition of teen comedies. And perhaps that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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Film Credits

Incoming (2024)

Mason Thames as Benj

Isabella Ferreira as Bailey

Ali Gallo as Alyssa

Loren Gray as Katrina

Raphael Alejandro as Connor

Bardia Seiri as Koosh

Dave Chernin
John Chernin

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Review | Netflix K-drama The Frog review: stylish mystery favours philosophy over reason

Two rural holiday homes. A murder and a disappearance two decades apart. Dark, twisty thriller series The Frog gets a bit lost in the woods

2.5/5 stars

Lead cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Yoon Kye-sang, Go Min-si, Lee Jung-eun

Kim plays Jeong Young-ha, the widowed proprietor of a handsome vacation rental in the woods. One day, mysterious young woman Yoo Sung-a (Go) comes to stay along with her stepson. She appears to leave without incident, but then Young-ha starts to believe something may have happened to her stepson.

Meanwhile, in the 2000s, Koo Sang-joon (Yoon) and his family also run a pension in the countryside. Business goes well until one night a stony-faced man comes to stay. When Sang-joon’s wife goes to clean up the next morning, she discovers the decapitated corpse of a young woman.

With the press descending on their property and news of a serial killer sending the country into a tizzy, their lives take a sharp turn for the worse.

Each episode of The Frog begins with one of the characters uttering the famous philosophical thought experiment: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

The question invites us to think about the difference between perception and reality. The sound a falling tree makes is a physical constant, but if no one is there to experience it, is it still sound as we understand it?

Given how frequently The Frog brings up this thought experiment, its application to the show’s narrative is surprisingly abstruse. It may be an allusion to the disappearance of Sung-a’s stepson, which it is strongly suggested is connected to Young-ha’s lodge.

Young-ha doesn’t know for a fact that something happened on his property, but black- box footage showing Sung-a leaving alone, and the scrubbed-down appearance of the used pension, offer chilling circumstantial evidence that something terrible has happened.

He decides not to follow his suspicions any further, and gets rid of anything that might be evidence, fearing damage to his property’s reputation and wishing to avoid the fate of Sang-joon and his family. As long as he doesn’t know for sure, he can carry on living as though no crime ever took place.

Given that other people were involved in the crime, and that there may be a child victim, this doesn’t offer itself as a terribly satisfying narrative corollary to the famous thought experiment. But if there is a clearer parallel in the story, we have not found it.

Almost as confusing is the English title of the show – the Korean title translates as In the Woods with No One.

The Frog refers to an old Korean saying, “A frog dies from a stone thrown inadvertently”, which means people’s actions can have unintended negative consequences for others. This is a recurring theme of the show, but of course characters’ lives are impacted by the actions of others – that’s how stories work.

With its evocation of summer, richly designed locations and a couple of great needle drops of Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”, The Frog has style to burn.

It also boasts some robust performances, particularly from Kim Yoon-seok as Young-ha, and the scripting, although often heavy-handed and meandering, is also at times lyrical.

Yet while the series has the contours of a gripping mystery, the slow-burn intrigue of the first few episodes begins to fizzle out thanks to some disappointing reveals and hard-to-fathom behaviour.

Also missing is a satisfying connection between the past and present timelines. There are many parallels and they do eventually connect, but the manner in which they do is surprisingly tenuous and lacklustre.

For all that there is that works in The Frog , the lingering sensation is of a missed opportunity. It does not build on its early promise – and if viewers give up on the show and no one sticks around to see the end, did it really happen?

The Frog is streaming on Netflix.

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Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs in The Crow (2024)

Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered. Given a chance to save the love of his life, Eric must sacrifice himself and traverse the worlds of the living and the dead, seeking revenge. Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered. Given a chance to save the love of his life, Eric must sacrifice himself and traverse the worlds of the living and the dead, seeking revenge. Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered. Given a chance to save the love of his life, Eric must sacrifice himself and traverse the worlds of the living and the dead, seeking revenge.

Rupert Sanders
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Zach Baylin
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Danny Huston
158 User reviews
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30 Metascore

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Trivia When asked if he had seen the trailer for this film, Ernie Hudson replied, "I haven't seen it. The actor, who- I can't name- is playing the lead, I love and respect. But for me, 'The Crow' is Brandon Lee . I can't imagine... let's hope they don't try to redo him, that they do their own thing with it and take it in a different direction. I haven't seen (the trailer). I haven't seen any of the other 'Crow' (movies) because of what happened to Brandon." In an earlier interview in 2021 Hudson explained he hadn't even seen the 1994 original saying, "It breaks my heart, and I can't get past it. So much of it was action stuff, but Brandon and I got a chance to work together."
Connections Referenced in Jonathan Ross' Must-Watch Films: Cult Classic Films (2023)

User reviews 158

averageguyentertainments
Aug 22, 2024

'The Crow' and More Reboots & Remakes

When was The Crow released? Powered by Alexa
August 23, 2024 (United States)
United Kingdom
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Prague, Czech Republic
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$50,000,000 (estimated)
Aug 25, 2024

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Runtime 1 hour 51 minutes

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The Call (2020) Netflix Movie Review & Ending Explained
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The Call (2020)

COMMENTS

'The Call' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?
A strong contender for one of the best original thrillers the streamer has ever put out, The Call is entertaining, emotional, and extremely bloody, one bound to make more than a few year-end lists ...
The Call (2020)
Netflix. Watch The Call with a subscription on Netflix. Critics Reviews ... Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 2, 2023 Full Review Jade Budowski Decider With an original concept, chilling kills ...
The Call (2020)
The premise is certainly unusual and the movie manages to nail the right amount of unnerving tension across its run-time. For those more accustomed to the quirks and tropes in Asian cinema and dramas, The Call is a pacey, enjoyable thriller ruined by a final bid to shoot for a sequel and unable to quite make the most of its talented cast on-hand.
Review: K-Movie "The Call" Is a Chilling and Suspenseful Murder Mystery
While The Call may not have the same philosophical aura as other Korean thrillers like I Saw the Devil, that probably wasn't the film's intent. When judged as a blockbuster, The Call is a solid piece of work. Its chilling visuals, suspenseful plot, and compelling acting should please anybody with a thirst for thrilling murder mysteries.
The Call (2013)
Kim C Fantastic movie and incredible acting by all. So realistic and put you on the edge of your seat. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review Liane C This is a very ...
The Call: Korean movie's ending explained
The Call: Korean movie's ending explained. Sun Nov 29, 2020 at 2:14pm ET. By John Thomas Didymus. Park Shin-Hye played Seo-Yeon in The Call. Pic credit: Netflix. The ending of The Call — a new ...
The Call
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 5, 2021. Terrific fun, with plenty of wickedness and gory surprises, all topped off by a captivating turn from Jong-seo Jun, The Call is well worth ...
The Call (2020) Movie Review
On the other side of the receiver is a girl who seems to be in danger. The Call is thrilling, sometimes scary, but also brilliantly shot, and its plot is so expertly woven. It's a proper movie-night movie. Connected by phone in the same home but 20 years apart, a serial killer puts another woman's past — and life — on the line to change ...
Watch The Call
Connected by phone in the same home but 20 years apart, a serial killer puts another woman's past — and life — on the line to change her own fate. Watch trailers & learn more.
Korean Film 'The Call' Review: "Did Somebody Dial Time Travel?"
Dances to Korean metal music. Based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican film 'The Caller' and directed by Lee Chung-hyun, 'The Call' stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong- Seo as two women who are from separate times but connect through a bulky cordless phone that intertwines their fates, all the while featuring angsty Korean punk and ...
The Call movie review & film summary (2013)
Brad Anderson ("Session 9," "The Machinist," "Transsiberian") is a capable genre craftsman with a good eye for shadowy atmosphere. In addition to directing features, Anderson has built a rock-solid side career as a prolific TV director. Even Anderson's lesser films — like "Vanishing on 7th Street," a sort of watered-down John Carpenter movie — have been surefooted. That, unfortunately, can ...
The Call (2020)
The Call: Directed by Chung-Hyun Lee. With Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung, Lee El. Two people live in different times. Seo-Yeon lives in the present and Young-Sook lives in the past. One phone call connects the two, and their lives are changed irrevocably.
The Call (2020) Movie Review
Parents say ( 3 ): Kids say ( 4 ): This movie certainly requires some suspension of disbelief, but it still delivers thrills while providing unexpected twists and scares along the way. The Call starts out with a silly premise, a phone in an abandoned house that somehow connects those on either end through time.
Netflix's The Call Review: Another Amazing South Korean Thriller
November 27, 2020. The Call is a South Korean horror/thriller film written and directed by Lee Chung-hyun. The film stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo in lead roles. South Korean horror/thriller movies have a way of inflicting horror in the hearts of its audiences. 2020's The Call is a tad bit different from the films of the genre.
The Call (2020) Netflix Movie Review
In the Netflix movie 'The Call,' a fateful wrong number connects two women, one from the past and one from the present, in a dangerous game that could change...
The Call [2020] Netflix Review: When Present and Past Collide in a
Related to The Call Netflix - The Tunnel [2011] Review: Undone By Its Weak Ending. Although inspired by a 2011 Puerto Rican-British film 'The Caller', this genre hybrid avoids feeling cut-and-dried. The movie flaunts amazing visuals styles and camerawork by cinematographer Jo Young-jik with an impressive production design.
The Call Netflix Movie Review
My only criticism of The Call is that it doesn't have the confidence to stop. You may be willing for the movie to dial the wrong number a few times for the sake of narrative tension, but once the natural rhythm of the plot reaches an apex The Call pushes with more 'what ifs' than it earns. This is symptomatic of horror where a 50/50 choice gets made about which ending to go for, or ...
The Call (2020) on Netflix is so GOOD! : r/horror
The Call (2020) on Netflix is so GOOD! : r/horror.     Go to horror. r/horror. r/horror. R/HORROR, known as Dreadit by our subscribers is the premier horror entertainment community on Reddit. For more than a decade /R/HORROR has been reddit.com's gateway to all things Horror: from movies & TV, to books & games. MembersOnline.
The Call
But Chung-hyun Lee has delivered a tight, surprising and moving thriller good enough to ensure that they will. The Call has some great performances, as well as being haunting and shocking. However, it abounds with too many script holes that, by the end of the movie, it leaves you with more questions than answers.
Watch The Call
An abducted teen and a sympathetic 911 operator work together over the phone to stop a serial killer from striking again. Watch trailers & learn more.
The Call (2020)
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'Incoming' Movie Soundtrack: Every Song Featured
Netflix's new raunch R-rated comedy movie has just arrived on the service and features a big soundtrack, although many of the songs are pretty hard to track down. ... Call Me The King - Wade08 and Matisse Marie; Peached - I'm Free; ... 'Incoming' Movie Review: Bobby Cannavale Can't Save This Tame R-Rated Netflix Comedy ...
The Call
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 13, 2021. Andrew Gaudion THN. The Call is ultimately a derivative horror film with a half baked 80's setting and a narrative that struggles to maintain much ...
'The Frog' Review: Netflix Korean Series Thrills--In Its ...
Netflix's newest Korean thriller starring Go Min-si, Kim Yoon-seok, Yoon Kye-sang and Lee Jung-eun starts off slow but redeems itself in its final four episodes.
The Union: Netflix movie sets regrettable review milestone for Mark
Film Review - The Union (© 2024 Netflix, Inc.) According to Rotten Tomatoes , of the 10 films that Berry has starred in since 2014, The Union is the lowest rated according to audiences.
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Not gonna lie, this had me in the first half. In its first hour, Tina Mabry's "The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat" is a bubbly, melodramatic story about the multi-decade friendship shared by three Black women. Based on Edward Kelsey Moore's same-titled novel, the comedy zigs—despite its name, it's not actually about the musical group—and zags through these characters ...
Incoming movie review & film summary (2024)
Movies won't stop pursuing the next great one crazy night adolescent comedy anytime soon. You know, that "Superbad" formula obliquely indebted to much darker single-night films about hapless grown-ups, like "After Hours."And in a way, cinema aimed towards young eyeballs is all the richer for it. Without that perpetual effort, we would have never gotten the uproarious and refreshingly ...
Review
Even more than Mask Girl, The Frog recalls the earlier Netflix Korea hit The Call, down to its rural locations, a pair of timelines 20 years apart, and a deranged female serial killer who forces ...
The Crow (2024)
The Crow: Directed by Rupert Sanders. With Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs, Danny Huston, Josette Simon. Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered. Given a chance to save the love of his life, Eric must sacrifice himself and traverse the worlds of the living and the dead, seeking revenge.
I Can't Live Without You Movie: Cast, Plot, Trailer
Directed by Santiago Requejo, the Argentine comedy I Can't Live Without You stars Adrián Suar, Paz Vega, and Ramón Barea.