Based on a hit Korean webtoon, director Kim Byung-woo’s ambitious science fiction fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy stars Ahn Hyo-seop as a reclusive loner who discovers that his favourite online novel has become a reality.

Lee Min-ho and Chae Soo-bin also appear, as do K-pop starlets Nana and Blackpink’s Jisoo, but they all take a back seat to the film’s polished, if generic, spectacle.

It is impossible to conceive that a feature film like this would exist without the success of Train to Busan and Squid Game. Both of these international hits opened the floodgates for high-concept genre fare within South Korea’s risk-averse industry, and audiences have been inundated ever since, with their influence and aesthetic visible in every frame.

Read my full South China Morning Post review here