''Space Monster Wangmagwi'' () is a 1967 South Korean ''kaiju'' film. It is the oldest surviving giant monster film to be made in South Korea and one of the all-Korean made science fiction film. It features a space variation on the plot to

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

. It was inspired by Japanese kaiju films such as ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...

'' as well as ''

''. Its 157,000 extras were among the most ever recruited for a film. After the film's theatrical release in South Korea, the film has been shown at

Korean Film Archive The Korean Film Archive or called Korean Federation of Film Archives and KOFA is the sole film archive in South Korea with nationwide coverage. It was founded in Seoul in 1974 as a non-profit organization. In 1976 KOFA joined the International Fe ...

screenings and has been available to view on computers on-site at the Korean Film Archive's library. In 2022 SRS Cinema licensed the film for home media distribution in the United States.

Plot

Although the plot resembles ''King Kong'', the monster is described as resembling reptilians such as the film ''

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

'', one with large fangs from its two sets of jaws alongside claws on hands and feet with a box on its back. Aliens from another world seeking the conquest of Earth invade with flying saucers. They unleash a gigantic monster called Wangmagwi, who destroys everything in its path. The Air Force, led by ace pilot Ahn Hee, is dispatched, but can do little in such still heavily populated areas. Amidst the carnage, the Space Monster picks up Ahn Hee’s bride, Oh Jeong-hwan, carrying her along as it carries out the alien orders. However, when it tries to crush a young boy, named Spider, the kid evades the monster by scrambling up its arm and hitching a ride in the monster’s ear. He tortures it from within, cutting through its ear drum and, after finding a path to the nostrils, stabbing its inner nasal cavity. Eventually, Wangmagwi deploys a powerful death ray, melting entire buildings, forcing Ahn to finally take action. He executes a risky plan to save his bride and the boy, while hopefully stopping the beast once and for all.

Cast

Nam Koong Won Namkoong Won (born August 1, 1934) is a South Korean actor. Namkoong was born Hong Gyeong-il in 1934. He was a popular actor of the 1960s along with Shin Seong-il, Shin Young-kyun and Choi Moo-ryong. Filmography * Note; the whole list is ref ...

as Jeong-wan Oh * Seon-kyeong Kim as Ahn-hee * Sang-cheol Jeon as Street Urchin * Eun-jin Han * Hie-gab Kim

Release

Critical response

After watching the film at the 26th

Fantasia International Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

, Christopher Stewardson of ''

Our Culture Mag ''Our Culture Mag'' (stylised ourculture) is a British arts and culture online magazine launched in 2016 by Modestas Mankus , based in Cambridge, England. It covers film, fashion, music, art, photography and literature. History In 2016, Modes ...

'' gave the film one and a half stars out of five, writing: "While not a good film, ''Space Monster Wangmagwi'' has its moments of weird delight. Its appeal may be illusive for most, but I’m glad it’s getting its moment in the sun."

References

External links