Mar 26, 20212 min read

The Weekend Watch: "Exit"

Updated: Jul 2, 2021

The wholesome weekend action thriller is back, and Korea reminds us how fun it can be.

Let it be known that when doom comes for us in the form of a gas attack, only the fittest will survive.

Or more specifically, only the fittest with parkour skills, rock-climbing experience, and mandatory military training will definitely survive.

So if there are two things we can learn from "Exit," it's: We're obviously all going to die in a gas attack, and OMO, WELCOME BACK, Super Entertaining Weekend Action Movie!

The Plot:

There's been a gas attack in Seoul! Our leads scramble to save their families—and themselves—by using all their rock-climbing and parkour skills to traverse from one rooftop to another. But with the toxic gas rapidly rising and all emergency services tapped out, will they make it through the night?

The Review:

If you've grown tired of formulaic disaster movies that feel like disaster movies (you know: too much cynicism, dread, death, and hopelessness), Exit comes to prove that Korea is not only capable of breathing new and crazy ideas into the genre, but that the flipped disaster + comedy + humanity formula works just as well as, if not better than, all that doom n' gloom. The terrific helming of the entire film and the so-unbelievable-it's-believable plot is enough to show anyone why it deserves not just one, but four nominations for the Baeksangs (and why it was the third most watched movie in Korea) last year.

K-drama fans who want to watch Exit are in for a fun treat. Who knew Jo Jung-sook (the lovable Ik-Jun from Hospital Playlist) could have it in him to be a legit action star? And Yoona! Well done. You did so well here, that we can now forget about that infamous ramen dance in The K2.

The action sequences by themselves are already worth the price of admission, but there are two more things you'll love about this movie:

1. Because this is an Asian film, the big and loud family is going give anyone seriously relatable moments (especially their attempt to take food home from a buffet. LOL) and

2. Exit really deviated from the hero-boy-saving-the-helpless-girl script and gave us a female lead that can hold her own very nicely. She cleverly matches our male lead where needed and is a dependable comrade in the fight to survive. The world may be ending, but our damsel has a sensible head on her shoulders and some serious survival skills. Takas muna bago landi!

There's really nothing deep here, but Exit is worth watching just because it's crazy and fun in and of itself. It's got loads of incredibly thrilling escapes, interesting twists, and such awesome music that not only do we wholeheartedly recommend watching it this weekend with the family, but you need make sure that your speakers are on full volume as well!