Okja (2017) Review

“Okja!”

Netflix wants to be taken seriously. For all the acclaim they have received for their TV shows, they are still behind when it comes to film. They decided to cast their net globally, managing to snag Korean director Bong Joon-ho and his film about a super pig, Okja. Does Netflix deliver and bring home the bacon with Okja or are they still waiting for their masterpiece?

Ok, we cannot keep up this pretence any longer. If you have any interest in this film whatsoever, GO WATCH IT NOW, leave this page open and come back to read the rest afterwards. Because we don’t want to be over zealous in our praise and leave you with too lofty an expectation. Just know that it isn’t hyperbole when we say it is good, great, and gargantuanly genius.

Now, onto the full review.

Unless we’re mistaken the Cannes film festival hasn’t screened a film about a giant farting pig before, but that’s exactly what Okja is. A huge creature that is part pig, hippo, elephant and 100% cute. But when Okja is taken from her home by the Mirando Corporation, Mija (her human companion) has to embark on a global quest to rescue her friend from a grisly fate.

It’s a tale that is reminiscent of many a Studio Ghibli picture, being both timeless and aimed at a large audience. In simple terms, it’s a fable about friendship at its best, and consumerism at its worst. Like any good fairy-tale though, there is a dark message underpinning the whole thing.

Okja and Mija are undoubtedly the heart of the film, and both are adorable yet fierce in equal measure. The writing takes the time to build and effectively show you the loving, co-dependent relationship between these two so that when either is in peril you really feel that emotion. The contrast between the scenes with Mija and Okja at home in the lush, green mountains to later being alienated and put against the odds in the big city, are what monster movies have being attempting to capture for years. None have successfully managed this as effortlessly as they have here.

Of course none of this would be possible if Okja, the creature itself, wasn’t utterly believable, one that you view as an actual creature and not some CGI creation. The spectacular digital effects really bring this fantastic beast to life.

Like his last film Snowpiercer, Bong Joon-ho has filled his cast with a worldwide, diverse array of actors. Lead character Mija is played by Ahn Seo-hyun and is a revelation. Between her and Dafne Keen in Logan it seems this year that the acting world is going to be dominated by these young female actors.

There’s a few other Bong regulars here too with The Host’s Byun Hee-bong and Yoon Je-moon. The biggest laughs of the piece come from Choi Woo-shick who you may recognise as the baseball bat wielding teen from Train to Busan.

As such, around half of the film’s runtime is spoken in Korean, yet there is no language barrier, it’s universal. It almost seems like a not-so-hidden message to Harvey Weinstein, who wanted to cut the very little moments of Korean out of Snowpiercer completely.

On the English speaking side of things we have actors such as Paul Dano, whom you don’t see all that often, but when you do he is always terrific, as he is here as the leader of the animal rights activists who try to aid and enlist Mija to their cause.

Tilda Swinton, we love her, her stage presence envelops the screen and she’s a joy to watch. But then again, so is everyone from Walking Dead‘s Steven Yeun to Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito.

And then there is Jake Gyllenhaal, like you’ve never seen him before and clearly having fun with the free rein he has been given. Some may find his performance distracting and fear that he goes overboard at times but we never saw that, just over the top in that Korean “theatrical” style of acting.

Yes it does have something to say, and says it loudly and proudly, but it is never preachy. It pokes fun at all involved, including the would-be hero animal rights activists with their aversion to violence, which leaves them saying sorry a whole bunch, even when in the middle of total bedlam.

When it does decide to hammer that message home however, it’s shocking, and will leave you reeling, giving you a lot to digest (excuse the pun) once the film is over. It’s engaging and challenging at every turn. Believe us, you will leave the film with a different outlook on the world, especially food production.

Going into this, we already had our own very high expectations, but they were immediately met and surpassed. It might be a cliché but you will laugh and you will cry and express the whole gamut of emotions as Okja hits hard and is highly effective in creating an adoration for its outlandish super pig star.

Final Decision:

Okja, weird and wonderful, stupendous and stupefying. It’s also the best thing Netflix has done. Bong Joon-ho has deftly crafted a slick, swift and stylish film and we hope beyond hope this gets all the love and attention it thoroughly deserves!