Natural City

I watched Natural City and it’s a Korean sci-fi film set in 2080 after a devastating war. The world is dark and filled with cyborgs who only live for three years before shutting down. When some cyborgs try to extend their lives illegally, a special police unit hunts them down.

The movie borrows heavily from Blade Runner. The neon streets, constant rain, flying cars, and crowded skylines all feel very familiar. There are also bits of The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell mixed in. Because of this, Natural City feels more like a mash-up of other famous sci-fi films than something truly original. It looks like the director loved those classics but didn’t add enough of his own vision.

That said, the visuals are impressive for a 2003 Korean film. The city feels alive and detailed, and the action scenes are stylish with lots of slow motion gunfights and acrobatic moves. The CGI looks dated now but the film focuses more on mood than realism, so it still works. The whole thing has a sleek, flashy energy that keeps you watching even when the story drags.

The biggest problem is the lack of emotional depth. R’s love for Ria should be the heart of the story, but it never feels real. R comes across as cold and distant, while Ria barely has any personality. Their romance feels forced, which is frustrating because a human loving a dying machine could be so powerful.

The film hints at bigger questions about what it means to be human and the fear of death, but it’s more interested in explosions and special effects than exploring those ideas.

Natural City has charm despite its flaws. It’s a stylish attempt at mixing Korean emotion with familiar cyberpunk settings. It’s not original and the story falls flat, but it’s beautifully made and full of visual energy. If you like Blade Runner or cyberpunk worlds, it’s worth one watch for the look and mood alone, even if the heart of it doesn’t quite connect.