Escape from North Korea is a crowd-funded short film that pays homage to everything ’80s. It’s most definitely not the first one but, for me, it may have been the most fun. Directed by Keith Eng, a former lead editor and graphics artist, he wore various hats in order to complete the film including star, writer, editor, effects, and more. With over 200 donors on Kickstarter, Keith has spent the last three years completing it. Is Escape from North Korea worth putting in the time to view it? Read on…
In the distant future of 1985, world peace has collapsed and North Korea possesses the most advanced weaponry in the world. Now, they’ve kidnapped the president’s daughter, Tracy Lawson (Haleigh Ciel). The government enlists the aid of the final member of the American Ninja Task force, Kang (Keith Eng). He has to parachute in to the country and make his way through various levels and bosses before he can battle the Supreme Leader (Ray Shih). Hopefully, he finds the first daughter before it’s too late.
Kung Fury and Commando Ninja are two similar projects that came to mind when I first saw the trailer for Escape from North Korea. However, there’s also something distinctly different about it. It pays homage to pop culture from the ’80s in a way that’s almost essential to the story. There are so many references to films and video games that someone needs to come up with some sort of drinking game for it. There are references to Bruce Lee, John Carpenter, Aliens, The Goonies, Nintendo, Mortal Kombat, and the list just goes on and on. I watched it three times in a row and kept picking out different nods or references. Some of them are obvious, others are a bit tougher to find.
The actors are all having a blast playing in this arena. Keith Eng plays Kang as your typical ’80s action hero, a man of a few words who uses his fists first. Haleigh Ciel is hilarious and beautiful, and a bit of a scene stealer. Ray Shih as the Supreme Leader obviously takes pride in his ability to ham it up on screen. By the time you reach the final couple of minutes, you will know exactly what I’m referring to. The synthwave score was done by Pylot, and it’s amazing. The thing about modern synthwave is that the majority of artists create soundtracks to movies they see in their heads. The songs, instrumental or not, always tell stories and each track written for this film really feels as if it’s essential to helping the story move forward.
Escape from North Korea is a 30-minute nostalgia trip through a futuristic 1980’s landscape that will leave you feeling gratified for having the opportunity to tag along for the explosive journey. Watch it for FREE April 10th on YouTube.
Visit the official website for more info.
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