Movie Melting Pot… ‘Volcano High’ (South Korea, 2001)

Travis:

‘Volcano High’ (2001) [originally titled ‘WaSanGo’] is a South Korean action-comedy written and directed by Tae-gyun Kim. The story follows Kim Kyung-soo (Hyuk Jang), an outcast student who is continually expelled from his high schools for violence. The problem is, Kim is a magnet for bullies and when he’s attracted, his “special” abilities come out and he has little control over his own power.

Deemed as a threat and a menace, Kim is enrolled in the last remaining high school that will take him. Volcano High is notorious for it’s violence. Kim vows never to use his powers again, but he’ll find it a difficult promise to keep, surrounded by students who all possess a special talent for the martial arts. The students belong to various clubs specific to their devoted forms of martial arts. One bully will do anything to retain his rank of the most powerful fighter in the school.

Mr. Ma is the leader of the group of five teachers charged with disciplining the students at Volcano High. They also protect a secret manuscript that is said to hold great powers for he who possesses it’s secrets. Song Hak-rim is truly the most powerful fighter in the school, but he was framed and is imprisoned for trying to steal the secret manuscript. After Kim discovers him, Song helps Kim to discover the true extent of his powers and the ability to control them. Now Kim must become the hero and save the day for the entire school, threatened by Mr. Ma’s “tough love” approach towards controlling the students.

‘Volcano High’ is a great modern martial arts movie that’s lots of fun. The movie offers good action, fight choreography, stylistic cinematography and an original and entertaining story. On it’s own, ‘Volcano High’ is a 4-Star movie that pleases anyone that enjoys the newer action/fantasy fare coming from the Far East. However, the MTV version released in the US with an English dub featuring several prominent rap and hip-hop icons is an entirely separate experience.

Re-scored with tracks from the artists features in the English dub, the music works well with the tone and action of the movie. For some reason, martial arts and hip-hop have become an unexpected marriage of success. The major characters in the film have been re-voiced by the likes of Andre Benjamin, Snoop Dog, Big Boi, Method Man, Mya and comedian Tracy Morgan. The “new” voice cast does a decent job, some working better than others, but it takes some of the attention away from the original version’s atmosphere, ultimately resulting in a slightly less-effective film.

‘Volcano High’ is certainly worth watching, especially for fans of the genre. The DVD is available for $9.99 through Amazon.com and is typically fairly easy to find for rent, especially online. The DVD includes both the MTV dubbed version and the original, so you can can choose, or watch both and compare. The DVD also includes a Making of ‘Volcano High’ featurette.

Overall: 4 Stars