The Witch: Part 2. The Other One

Overall, _The Witch 2: The Other One_ is a mostly solid sequel that simply isn’t as good as its predecessor. However, while Park fails to get you as invested in the film’s story this time around, he does continue to provide a refreshing take on the concept of superhumans with an emphasis on relentlessly violent action and a well-developed world. So much so that it may actually pay off to watch The Other One before Subversion since the latter is more of a look at the ‘Witch’ version of Ja-yoon than the film she actually originated in. Full review: https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/06/20/the-witch-part-2-the-other-one-review-a-blood-soaked-tribute-to-akira/

The first film in this series was excellent but I can only describe part two as "painfully dull". Character development is fine but it should not take up two thirds of what is essentially an action film. Regrettably, that's exactly what you get. Worse still, there are so many side characters and sub plots, it quickly becomes a confusing mess. You really have little idea what is going on, why and who half these largely redundant, side characters are. This films only saving grace is reasonable acting. That said, so much else simply doesn't work, that means little in the scheme of things. All in all, an awful sequel to a vastly superior original film. Its weighed down by a lack of pace, bland, uninspired storytelling and an over emphasis on side plots and characters that add little to nothing, to the tale.

# A setup that wandered a little too far «The Witch 2: The Other One» (《마녀 2》) is the second entry in «The Witch» trilogy, and this time we follow the younger twin sister of Gu Jayun (구자윤), the central figure in the first film. This sequel expands the world a bit more. We learn what happened after the shutdown of the experiment, and the consequences of trying to erase everything—projects, subjects, and all. Just like in Part 1, it still touches on the question: what happens when you create a superhuman and take away their right to choose? But unlike Part 1, this time the film leaned heavier into the action. There were more fight scenes, more effects, and more explosions. The problem is, it also meant less of the balance that made the first film stand out. The pacing leaned more into style than substance. For example, the opening road sequence had special effects that felt out of place, almost too rough to be in a movie like this. Oddly, the final act had much better visuals, which made the earlier scenes feel even more disconnected. The writing also took a different direction. The younger twin was supposed to be the main focus—but for most of the film, it felt like the spotlight was elsewhere. She had significantly less screen time than the supporting characters, and the plot seemed more interested in following side arcs than actually introducing her properly. With a total runtime of 137 minutes, there was more than enough time to build her up, but they didn’t. That said, the actress did a good job, especially for someone still fairly new. She held her own despite the limited exposure. But again, she wasn’t really given much to work with, which was a missed opportunity. Production-wise, the quality is still there—sets, props, locations—all were consistent with what one would expect from a Korean film of this scale. No complaints there. In the end, this film serves more as a setup for Part 3 than a full standalone entry. It introduced new pieces, but didn’t fully connect them yet. Hopefully, the final chapter brings it all together. 9 stars from me. Still solid, just not as focused. --- - License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC By-SA) 4.0 International - By: Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한 (YourOnly.One) - Date: 2025-05-29