Movie Review – Parasite

Parasite has gotten a lot of attention, but I’m not certain why. It was a good movie, but I don’t think  it’s deserving of the accolades it has gotten, and it’s certainly not worthy of a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars.

What I liked about the movie

I had no trouble keeping up with the subtitles and the action on screen. I know that’s a problem for some movies: we’re busy reading a subtitle and miss something that happens quickly on screen, or miss the actor’s expressions which are necessary for understanding the dialog. None of that was an issue in this movie.

There’s no doubt that Parasite is gripping. The pacing of the movie keeps moving and I was always wondering what would come next.

The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App

The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.

As seen on

Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)

     

Read more about the RunPee app.

Every actor did an outstanding job. When that happens one must give credit to the director, Bong Joon Ho, and the writer, also Bong Joon Ho. I can understand why he has an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

What is the movie about?

Very broadly, it’s about class divisions in South Korea — which by extension apply to class divisions around the entire world. This story could have worked just as well in California, Brittain, Japan, etc.

What I don’t like about the movie

I’m not going to go into details, but some might consider the following a spoiler. Continue reading at your own discretion.

Some crazy events unfold, but I don’t get the sense that any of the characters change. Yes, there’s a brief flash-forward sequence that hints at one of the characters changing and coming up with a plan. But based on the character, I have no confidence that the character will follow through.

Otherwise, everyone is pretty much the same from beginning to end. In my book, that’s not how good stories progress. Either one or more individuals need to react to the events in the story to change, or the events can cause relationships to change. But by the end of this movie…nothing.

What people are saying
about the RunPee app.

dd33803, 07/05/2023

This is a great app. I wish more people would support it

This app provides info about movies, reviews, ratings from people who have seen it before and after viewing. It has links to info about the movies. It let’s you know when there will be a lull in the action and how long it will last. If you want to know what happens during that time, you can check the brief synopsis (you have to click a link, so no accidental spoilers). It has a timer you can set (silent) to alert you to a break. It also tells you whether there is anything extra during or after the credits. It’s really a wonderful app. I’ve subscribed for a couple of years to support the developers, but I noticed some of the links to provide feedback didn’t seem to work today. They also made it free, with voluntary donations to see the pee-times. If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to do so, and subscribe if you like it. I really hope the app is supported so it can continue to be maintained!

Developers note: RunPee doesn’t make much money but it supports itself nicely. Donations are appreciated, but not required. We’ll add as many movies to the database as we can until there are no more movie theaters.

View all reviews: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

     

Additionally, there’s no one to root for. No one is really bad; no one is really good. Every character is trapped in their role and they stay there. Neither is there any understanding made between the upper and lower classes in this movie.

In the end, Parasite is a well-made movie, but one that doesn’t enrich the audience.

Maybe I’m just missing it. If you saw it and saw something enriching, or profound, about it then please let me know in the comments.

Grade: B-

About The Peetimes: We normally don’t do Peetimes for movies with subtitles, because it’s difficult to impossible to take Peetime notes and read subtitles at the same time, but for this movie we made an exception. I don’t use any character names in the Peetime synopses, but instead describe the character by their role. I think that will be easier to read and understand for western viewers.

There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Parasite. (What we mean by Anything Extra.)

Rated (R) for language, some violence and sexual content
Genres: Comedy, Crime, Drama

Dan Gardner

Creator and developer of the RunPee app. When something doesn’t work right in the app it’s pretty much his fault. 🙂

Aspiring author. Would like to finish his “Zombie Revelations” trilogy if he could break away for working on RunPee and the cottage he’s building for RunPee Mom.