Jung E

 Released last week on netflix, Noshi and me sat down to watch this newest high budget Korean sci-fi movie.

Because often, those are actually better in story then most of the rubbish Hollywood is producing the last years... especially in the "yet another Marvel movie" segment.

In the 22nd century, Earth is a desolate place no longer habitable.  Global warming has risen the water levels, flooding the cities and mankind has migrated to space shelters in orbit.  However, three of the around 80 shelters declare themselves independant as the Adrian Republic, instigating a civil war.

Captain Yun Jung-yi is a mercenary captain and hero who led her team on countless succesful missions, and has a little daughter suffering from lung cancer.  On the day of her surgery, the captain sorties on an ill-fated mission that puts her in a coma.  At Kronoid, an institute specialising in AI for war, called KI units, clone her brain and promise to take care of the daughter Seo-Hyun.

Thirty-five years later, her codes are used to make the ultimate combat android, Jung E, but for some reason it keeps failing in the final part of the testing simulation.  The daughter has become the head of development at the institute now, watching over the use of her mother's data.  

But she learns her childhood cancer has returned and has only three months left.  The work on combat Jung E ceases as a peace has been reached, and they want to develop her into a sextoy instead.  Seo-Hyun decides to break out her mother, as there is an uncharted part in her brain developping, and she learns this has to do with the fact she fights for her little girl.  They escape the facility on a train, but the director of the instute assault them.  he is shot, and revealed to be an android himself, intensifying his combat skills.

Jung E overcomes him as he falls down with a part of the train, as Seo-Hyun tells her to abandon her and be free.  To her amazement, the android shows affection before taking her leave into the wild mountains that are left on Earth...

A lovely tale about daughter and mother love, this was maybe not the most spectacular science-fiction movies but definitly one of the more beautiful, well worth the watch, giving of a feel between Terminator and Blade Runner.