Review of I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006) by Chin T — 28 Nov 2007

One man's whimsy is another man's poison. It's a tightrope. I really wanted to like Chan-wook Park's latest film, but in the end found myself squirming uncomfortably at the gratuitous use of twee.

Grown men hopping like bunny rabbits? A cute girl that talks to lightbulbs and licks batteries? You can't accuse anybody involved of not bringing their A-game to the table. The performances are good and Chan-wook Park has so many ideas that he doesn't know what to do with all of them.

He stated that he set out to make a film that could be watched by his daughter. Some voiced concern that there were some scenes that were too violent for kids. Personally, I think those scenes would be the only scenes kids would be able to relate to, as they have the delirious quality of a videogame.

They are more likely to be alienated by the sedate pacing, quirkily dark humour and an ending which sees the movie grind to a halt, much like a toy running out of batteries.