Alienoid

"For ages, aliens have locked up their prisoners in humans bodies."

2022 2h 22m KO

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 601

Science FictionActionFantasyAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Gurus in the late Goryeo dynasty try to obtain a fabled, holy sword, and humans in 2022 hunt down an alien prisoner that is locked in a human's body. The two parties cross paths when a time-traveling portal opens up.

“For ages, aliens have locked up their prisoners in humans bodies.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ryu Jun-yeol
Muruk
Kim Woo-bin
Guard / Thunder
Kim Tae-ri
Ean
So Ji-sub
Moon Do-seok
Yum Jung-ah
Madam Black
Jo Woo-jin
Mr. Blue
Kim Eui-sung
Jajang / Doctor
Lee Hanee
Min Gaelin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Choi Dong-hoon
Writers: Choi Dong-hoon, Lee Ki-cheol
Languages: Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 49% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Alienoid Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Choi Dong-hoon, shot by Kim Tae-kyeong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jang Young-gyu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shin Min-kyung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Woo-bin and Kim Tae-ri carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For ages, aliens have locked up their prisoners in humans bodies.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Choi Dong-hoon directs. Kim Tae-kyeong behind the camera. Jang Young-gyu scores. Shin Min-kyung cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 49% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Part of the "Alienoid Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Choi Dong-hoon, shot by Kim Tae-kyeong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jang Young-gyu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Shin Min-kyung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Woo-bin and Kim Tae-ri carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "For ages, aliens have locked up their prisoners in humans bodies.".
9IMDB entry: tt20168564 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 26 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kim Tae-kyeong
Original score: Jang Young-gyu
Editing: Shin Min-kyung
Production design: Lee Ha-jun
Costume design: Cho Sang-kyung
Makeup / hair: Hwang Hyo-kyun
Runtime: 142 min · 2h 22m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $24,500,000
Box office: $12,109,608
Return: 49% of budget
Original language: KO
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Alienoid (2022)

Part of

Alienoid Collection

From the late Goryeo dynasty to present day, alien visitors have been using the humans of Earth for secretive purposes. At the intersection of mystical martial arts, time travel and cutting edge Science Fiction lie the Alienoid films.

Also by

Choi Dong-hoon

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

MovieGuys2022-09-06
★ 6/10
I found it difficult to relate to Alienoid. I suspect the reason is cultural. Some things work across cultures and other's don't. I found Alienoid simply too strange. It has an off beat personality too, which really didn't help matters. The slapstick humour fell flat, too. Giving characters names like "dogturd", is a bit juvenile. Action wise it's alright but the action often didn't make a lot of sense, either. Characters appearing out of fans and hiding behind magic veils, just didn't track well, with this viewer. In summary, probably one for the domestic South Korean market. Lots of elements I suspect reflect Korean mythology but without a meaningful context, its lost on Western audiences.

Production companies