Dystopian action-packed, and awesome storyline, with top-notch visual effects, Black Knight proves how Netflix's staggering investment in South Korea's entertainment industry was the right move! Throw in one of the hottest K-drama actors of all time and bam! You have the makings of a Hollywood movie disguised as a television series! Here are three reasons why Black Knight should be at the top of your streaming playlist!
Set in the year 2071, the environment and concept of Black Knight have such a refreshing (oops, I mean, not so refreshing?) theme when the air is so polluted that humans must wear gas masks when they go outdoors. The landscape of South Korea has completely been disintegrated by a comet that crashed into Earth and left only as a desert wasteland. The overhead and zoomed-out shots are amazing considering that Netflix decided to leave some of South Korea's most important landmarks (such as the Lotte Tower). And this leads us to our first reason!
Breathtaking Visual Effects!
Headed by Korea's best visual effects studio, VFX Studio Westworld, which worked on other dramas such as Sweet Home, Squid Game, and All of Us Are Dead, it is easy to see why the dystopian scenes look so realistic and immersive. Backed by Netflix's $2.5 billion investment in South Korea over the next four years means that South Korea will continue to dominate the global content industry for a while.
According to VFX Studio, for the desert scenes, sand was laid on a construction site of 50,000 pyeong (165,289 square meters!), and a road was made with about 1 km of soil to digest various scenes filled with VFX. Lee Byeong Ju from Westworld Headquarters said, "The source shooting was conducted in areas such as Bayanjak in Mongolia and Honggorin Els in the Gobi Desert, and expressed as deserts suitable for each environment."
Robin Hood Effect
Born and raised in the slums, 5-8 was supposed to be dead as he was shot and was ready to be burned with the rest of the refugees that Cheonmyeong Group thought were rioters. Little did they know that 5-8 would exact his revenge because of the way they treated him and the other refugees! Although the story has a classic twist like Robin Hood, it is far from the fantasy ending that the green-hooded hero experienced!
Kim Woo Bin is perfect for the role of 5-8!
In addition to his good looks, Woo Bin proves that he has the star ability to pull off a Batman-esque role, by not only his stature (he looks towering over the rest of the cast during the drama) but also his demeanor! His deep voice is soothing and at times, very intimidating as he is accused as the killer in the murder of Jung Seol Ah's (Esom Taxi Driver 2021) sister, Jung Seul Ah (Roh Yoon Seo Crash Course in Romance 2023).
Kim Woo Bin portrays an equal amount of compassion to revenge-mode capacity as he takes a young Yoon Sa Wol (a refugee who idolizes 5-8) under his wing and trains him to be the next great deliveryman.
What do you think about this drama? Have we convinced you to watch it yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below!