Jung E

Did You Know?

• Kim Hyun-joo and Ryu Kyung-soo also appeared in director Yeon Sang-ho's previous work, the 2021 Netflix series Hellbound.
• Filming began in November 2021 and concluded in January 2022.

Plot

In 2135, Earth becomes uninhabitable due to rising sea levels from climate change, forcing humanity to build 80 orbital shelters between Earth and the Moon. Decades later, shelters 8, 12, and 13 declare themselves the Adrian Republic and attack Earth and other shelters, sparking a prolonged war. Captain Yun Jung-yi, a legendary mercenary for the Allied Forces, fights to afford medical treatment for her daughter Yun Seo-hyun, who has a lung tumor. On the day of Seo-hyun's surgery, Jung-yi fails a mission and falls into a coma. Thirty-five years later, in 2194, Kronoid clones Jung-yi's brain to create an AI mercenary named Jung_E. Dr. Yun Seo-hyun leads the project, aiming to memorialize her mother as a hero. In simulations of Jung-yi's final mission, the AI Jung_E repeatedly fails, mirroring the original failure.

Cast

Kang Soo-yeon portrays Yun Seo-hyun, the team leader at Kronoid Laboratory and daughter of Captain Yun Jung-yi; Park So-yi plays young Yun Seo-hyun. Kim Hyun-joo plays both Captain Yun Jung-yi, a war hero who enters a coma, and the AI clone JUNG_E. Ryu Kyung-soo plays Kim Sang-Hoon, the director of Kronoid Laboratory, a robot who believes himself human. Lee Dong-hee appears as the chairman of Kronoid Laboratory, and Uhm Ji-won as Lee Se-yeon.

Reception

A day after its release, Jung_E ranked first globally in Netflix's film category. It debuted at number one in Netflix's global Top 10 movie (non-English) for the week of January 16 to 22, appearing in 80 countries and accumulating 19 million hours viewed. On Metacritic, the film received a score of 53 out of 100 based on five reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 24 critics gave a positive review, with an average rating of 5.5 out of 10. Hidzir Junaini of NME gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, praising the performances of Kang Soo-yeon and Kim Hyun-joo, as well as the action sequences, VFX, CGI, and practical effects. Rohan Naahar of The Indian Express also rated it 3 out of 5, appreciating the storyline while criticizing the premise.