The movie ‘Midnight’ released on the 30th (directed by Im Dae-hee, hereinafter referred to as ‘Midnight’) is an occult action film about a city plunged into chaos by a group that worships evil, and the team of ‘Midnight’, the solver of darkness with special abilities, consisting of Bawoo (Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (Seohyun), and Kim Goon (Lee Da-wit), who eliminate the evil forces. The background of the work is a city where horrific crimes occur daily due to the spread of a group that worships evil. Those who worship demons here have become criminals without hesitation, committing crimes without remorse and causing great harm to society. The ‘Midnight’ team sets out to deal with them. Bawoo defeats the surrounding demons with his fists, Sharon exorcises demons directly, and Kim Goon takes on the role of filming the scene, leaving evidence and cleaning up. In the midst of this, a powerful evil spirit that resided in the detached house possesses Eunseo (Jung Ji-so), and her sister Jungwon (Kyung Soo-jin) seeks help from the ‘Midnight’ team, leading to the start of a full-fledged incident. The setting of three people with different abilities fighting against demons is intriguing, but except for Sharon played by Seohyun, the characters of Bawoo and Kim Goon are somewhat ambiguous. Ma Dong-seok once again showcases his punch action based on his boxing skills, incorporating ‘fire CG’ into his punches and impactful sound to initially capture attention, but the anticipated refreshing physical exorcism falls short. This issue also affects the presence of the villains. The explanation of the demon group is weak, and the demons lurking around Bawoo easily fall apart like sandbags, not feeling threatening. The drama maintains a heavier atmosphere than expected. Ma Dong-seok’s humor directed towards Lee Da-wit this time arouses sighs, diminishing the charm of the character. Jung Ji-so’s performance is dazzling. Eunseo possessed by the evil spirit vividly showcases her struggle with Sharon. Seohyun also transforms into a shaman named Guma, reciting ancient spells in Guma language, emitting a different and unique charm. Thanks to the two people responsible for the main confrontation in ‘Midnight’, the tension of the drama is consistently maintained. The success of ‘Midnight’ at the box office is now being closely watched due to the efforts of these two individuals.
