Mago (2002) User Reviews

Holy Mountain meets Koyanisquatsi meets Salvador Dali meets Greenpeace

[dbborroughs · 4/10 · 12 April 2005]

Pretentious, vulgar, unbelievable, mind numbing, mind blowing. One of the biggest "HUH?" movies ever made.

I want the drugs these people were on.

Its a creation myth wrapped in an eco-rant. Its watching naked chicks run around while being abused for our behavior. Its gore and beauty.Its either a complete mess or brilliant meditation.

Its a film you can't really describe except by saying its the combination listed in the title of this review. If you don't know what each of those things are then you probably will despise this film. Then again even if you do know what they are you will despise this film. Let me propose a litmus test, if you can stand to watch the opening massacre of frogs by feet, wheels and tank treads, then perhaps this movie is for you. If you can't survive the first couple of minutes then either flee the theater or take the DVD back to where you got it. It just gets weirder from there.

Personally I was alternately loving and laughing at this movie. Some of it is really good, much of it is pretentious twaddle. How this film has managed to escape South Korea is a wonder since the audience for this film has to be tiny.

This is a movie for the most adventurous or stoned movie goers only. The more you are either of those things then the more you're likely to make it through this film with out laughing or walking out.

Wild, Weird, Disturbing

[shark-43 · 5/10 · 5 March 2005]

I'm not quite sure what to make of MAGO - I go to this funky video place where the staff knows I seek out movies that are odd and offbeat and I certainly like World Cinema. They told me this movie was "mind blowing" - well, that it is but I can't say I enjoyed it. Parts of it are beautifully shot, there are some amazing visuals and yes, lots of nude women BUT it is also so pretentious and the angry political message ends up feeling like being locked in a room with a snotty teenage zealot who beats you with a stick and holds you personally responsible for the devastation of the ecology. Lots of shots of pollution and dying animals and also, (rather disturbing) real footage of real animals being slaughtered. Yes, I understand the movie is basically trying to show the history of creation - the universe - and it is very ambitious and there are some powerful things in it - but overall, it is just a mess - almost like a two hour music video on acid. Skip it unless you are curious about nude Korean women.

disappointing low-budget art film, 5/10

[lionel2 · 5/10 · 15 May 2003]

i saw this movie today one year after its public screening in Korea may 2002. i have to say that i am disappointed. this film is very badly made. as a result, i would not recommend other people to see this movie with that said, there are one thing that made this movie special, or should i say over hyped. it features 825 nude actors and actress, which is ground-breaking in Korea or even the world. it is classified as certificate 18, which is the same as the nc-17 in America or category 3 in hongkong.

this is a fantasy film about mago, the mother of the creation of universe . the story is about a look at the modern world that is speeding up towards destruction and recovery of womens sexuality using magos sexually as background at the beginning of the world. pretty boring on the first subject and somewhat interesting on the second you might think? uh, i figured that this is the prominent reason that people go to see this movie, including me. but the movie failed on both parts. i noticed bad make-up, completely lack of dialogue, ( dialogues are eliminated purposely and the message is delivered only by body language.) bad acting and bad editing. and worst of all, it is very hard to understand, even from my point of view. i think western viewers will have more frustration on that. a certain amount of subtlety is good but this movie is way over the top on that which doesn't help attract viewers overseas.

in summary, if you are desperate to see hundreds of nude korean people, go forward and dig this movie. otherwise, don't mind.

5 out of 10.

Beautiful and Poetic, like Koyanisquatsi meets Asian nudie cutie!

[NateManD · 8/10 · 20 August 2004]

What can I say about Mago? It's one of those rare films, that not many people have seen. Mago is one of the largest Korean film productions. Many artists, poets and musicians contributed to tell the zen story of creation. 825 Nude Korean actors were used to tell the story beginning with paradise and progressing into man's destruction. In the beginning of the film frogs are being ran over, The movie shows modern times, and how man's greed and war have ruined the world. The main character recalls childhood voices, as technology is criticized. He has a flashback of loosing his mother in war. Then the film becomes beautiful as many lovely, nude Korean women live on a peaceful island. Each of these women are goddesses of particular parts of the earth. The paradise is like a garden of Eden that's ruined when men consume of the grapes. The beautiful imagery, than takes a turn for the grotesque as greed and power corrupt the innocence of the Mago people. Disturbing images of animal cruelty, rape, war, pollution, destruction and greed all follow. The images are dream like and have a poetic touch with the narration. The goddesses who are graceful, become vengeful against the greedy politicians and businessman who have created poverty and sadness. Mago, refers to the goddess of the sun. although I don't know much about Zen or the YinYang symbol, I found the film to be unique and A very moving experience. It's like nothing I've ever seen in American cinema! 10/10

A surreal intersection of universal themes with Zen Philosophy

[samxxxul · 7/10 · 19 December 2020]

Mago is an arthouse project featuring an all-nude cast spun with lot symbolism closely intertwined with Korean Mythology that will satisfy those who manage to connect with the fascinating nightmares. The zen philosophy permeates the film and the director succeeds and breaks the boundaries of presentation. The connection between life, death and rebirth and turns it into a visual experience. There is a lot of queasy metamorphosis in the story, the theme of creation and destruction will delight any fan of surrealist cinema. It is provocative with mystical narrative and few songs with nude cinematography on the lines of Kate Bush. The opening sequence is one of the most striking I have ever seen - a street filled with frogs crushed and runover by vehicles. It only gets weirder in each segment; the cyberpunk setup was oddly satisfying along with the strange musicals.

The sources of inspiration for this provocative works lie in both art house and avant-garde cinema. If you ask me which film influenced the gestation of Mago the most I'd say Mnasidika (1969) by Michael and Roberta Findlay, along with " Doom Generation" by Gregg Araki. However, on the top shelf is Rafael Corkidi's Pafnucio Santo (1977).

Final thoughts, I am still undecided as it left me visibly shaken but that doesn't mean it's a great experience. If there was more budget, with less indulgent editing it could have been brilliant. As it is, if you have the patience, there are gems to be found amongst the rough. Ultimately, you can enjoy this movie if you're' a fan of Rafael Corkidi, David Lynch, Walter Hugo Khouri, Parviz Kimiavi or Shuji Terayama. See this film and make your own judgement.