Yonggary (1999)
Introduction
In the wake of the news that Columbia Tri-Star would be producing a new Godzilla movie with high-tech computer effects, Korean production company Zero-Nine decided to make their own update of homegrown monster Yongary. Yonggary (1999) was definitely made with an eye for foreign distribution in mind, as all the featured actors are American, and the spoken dialogue is in English.
Yonggary was directed by Shim Hyung-rae, a former slapstick comedian who has more recently specialized in making campy sci-fi fantasy films. It seems that Yonggary is supposed to be more serious than his other films. For more on Shim's other films, check out the page on other Korean monster films.
Plot Summary
A greedy paleontologist finds a dinosaur skeleton in the mountains of Korea. The bones reanimate themselves (or they may be brought to life by aliens), fulfilling an ancient prophecy. The monster, now called Yonggary, goes on a rampage, destroying cities and the US military. Then the aliens attack Earth with another giant monster, dubbed Cyker. Some scientists convince Yonggary to fight the other monster, thereby saving the world. (Compiled from various sources)
Cast
Here's the cast as given on the English language poster. In parenthesis I've added the some other noteworthy roles:
Dan Cashman (Night Eyes II)
Richard B. Livingston (What's Love Got to Do With It)
Donna Philipson
Wiley Pickett (Mighty Joe Young)
Brad Sergi (The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper)
Briant Welles (Mr. Wrong)
and Harrison Young (Saving Private Ryan)
All of these actors are Hollywood bit players. I couldn't find any starring roles for any of them.
Links
Yonggary at Younggu Art - This site, which seems to be exclusively in Korean even though an English version is promised on the front page, may be the new "official" Yonggary home page. Lots of pictures, and even a video clip.
KoreaPop.com - Korean retailer of music and videos. Back when they were Iodo.com they had a special page devoted to Yonggary, but it isn't there anymore. However, if you look in their video catalog under sci-fi, the genre is represented by a poster from Yonggary. Sadly, the last time I checked, they did not have the film for sale.
Rogue Eagerly Anticipates Yonggary's Arrival - He's still waiting, and I have a feeling he will probably be disappointed when it does arrive, but Rogue has the most comprehensive image and movie collection on Yonggary that I've found. Of particular interest is a link to the full trailer.
Monster Zero's Review of Yonggary - Fandom.com's Godzilla news site published this review of Yonggary.
Korean monster epic looks to maximise its chances internationally - An interview with the cinematographer of Yonggary.
Darcy's Korean Film Page - 1999 - A survey of the year in Korean films, with box office figures. It looks like the film wasn't quite the runaway hit some articles have said it was.
Korean Yonggary Page - In Korean, this site, which seems to be a series of articles and message boards, has some great pictures. Look for the stats on the God Swing.
Yonggary at Yahoo - The Korean Yahoo Movies entry on the film.
Another Korean Yonggary Page - From some sort of database.
Final Thoughts, Notes, and News
During the spring of 1999 there have been rumors that Shim Hyung-rae is reshooting parts of the film to make it more palatable to international audiences. Apparently this has held up its release on video even in Korea.
As of the summer of 1999, Korean sources were reporting that Shim was working on another big budget film. This one is to be called Imoogi, about a 1000 year old snake.
In November of 2000, the "new" version of the film (called Update Yonggary) played at the Tokyo International Film Festival. It looks like the new version will play in Korea in January of 2001.
Send mail to me at Scott@Stomptokyo.com
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