According to Allkpop, the Korean drama industry is emerging a new trend, which is works on the theme of time travel (also known as space-time films).
Fans are looking forward to attractive films that combine the past and present in creative ways. But the question is whether upcoming works will help elevate this genre, or simply repeat old models?
The two films that are highly anticipated are The Tyrants Chef and Head Over Heels. Both works are a blend of modern scenery with the ancient and historical context of Korea.
"The Tyrant's Chef" is a fantasy romance film about a chef traveling back in time to the past. YoonA (SNSD) plays French chef Yeon Ji Young, who travels back in time to 500 years ago and meets the king known as the " example" Lee Heon (Lee Chae Min) of the Joseon Dynasty.
Head Over Heels tells the love story of a young man haunted by bad luck and born with the unfortunate fate of a destined death Bae Gyeon U (Choo Young Woo) and young magician Park Seong A ( cho Yi Hyun) trying to save him from his fate.
Fans of Korean dramas can see the trend cycle taking place year after year revolving around film themes. A hot film will shape the trend and attract other films with the same theme to be produced.
It can be mentioned the popular effect of "The Sun's fate" in 2016, which inspired films revolving around the romance between military officers and civilians that flood the golden hours.
Hometown Cha- Cha- Cha has inspired the theme of love affairs in coastal towns, where successful people in big cities left the city and returned to the countryside to start life in rural areas.
Or after the hit film Love Scout was well received, a wave of psychological films about CEOs who fall in love with employees has appeared.
Time travel is also becoming a trend from the popularity of some works with similar topics recently such as "Running on Your Back", "Sparking Watermelon", "Ms. Park's Marriage Contract"...
Time travel can be an effective thriller narration tool, but it is also one of the most difficult topics to do.
If promoted well, it will bring compelling stories and smart knots to the plot. If not done well, it will lead to loopholes in the plot, causing disappointment to the audience.
Times-travel movies often make mistakes about having a strong start with attractive settings and attractive main characters. But losing appeal in the midst, the pace became unstable and the plot that had been promised began to break down.
The chemistry between the main characters may help save viewers, but the success of the film still requires a tight script.
Therefore, when The Tyrant's Chef and Head Over Heels are about to air, the real challenge is whether these films will bring a new perspective or fall into the same trap of time travel.
