Movie Review

Satirical Parasite gets under the skin with class warfare story

Foreign language films, no matter how good, rarely make much of an impact in the United States, either at the box office or at the Oscars. Those that do — Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Pan’s Labyrinth, Amelie — tend to stand out for their unique storytelling, giving a point of view that’s not often on display in the normal Hollywood films.

The Korean film Parasite, directed and co-written by Bong Joon Ho, is likely to replicate the success of those previous trendsetters. It follows a poor family — father Ki-taek (Kang-ho Song), mother Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang), son Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi), and daughter Ki-jung (So-dam Park) — as they slowly but surely infiltrate the lives of the rich Park family in an effort to improve their stock in life.

Things start out innocently enough, with Ki-woo using a small lie to take over as the English tutor for the Parks’ daughter, and Ki-jung soon finding a way to become the art teacher for the Parks’ son. But getting Ki-taek and Chung-sook jobs with the family takes a bit more underhandedness, leading to a twist that will irrevocably change the lives of both families.

Joon Ho has become well known for using genre films like The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja to comment on different societal issues, and Parasite is no different. It can be taken on surface level as a type of thriller, with enough suspense and violence to satisfy fans of that genre. But it’s clear just from premise that Joon Ho and co-writer Jin Won Han are taking a satirical approach, commenting on class issues in their native South Korea, as well as the world at large.

The differences between the haves and have-nots is stark in the film, and they only get more pronounced as the film goes along. Yet Joon Ho is careful not to label either side as good or bad, although you might be tempted to side with one family over the other. Instead, each family has a complicated inner dynamic that unravels the more the two groups intertwine.

Joon Ho uses a variety of signifiers, including the division of North and South Korea and the fascination of the Parks’ son with Native Americans, to add depth and extra meaning to the story. Those things, as well as the ever-present wealth gap, are played for laughs as much as they are for tension, giving a great balance to the film overall.

While none of the actors will be familiar for U.S. audiences, almost all of them give memorable performances. The film is entirely in Korean with English subtitles, but that proves to be no barrier for enjoying the talents of all involved. Especially notable are Kang-ho Song, Woo-Sik Choi, and Jeong-eun Lee, who plays the Parks’ first housekeeper.

Parasite is a master class in storytelling, providing one of the finest examples of how to entertain the masses while still telling a deep and meaningful story. Joon Ho has made critically-acclaimed films in the past, but this may finally be his ticket to the mainstream.

Woo-sik Choi, Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang, and So-dam Park in Parasite.

Woo-sik Choi, Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang, and So-dam Park in Parasite

Photo courtesy of NEON + CJ Entertainment

Woo-sik Choi, Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang, and So-dam Park in Parasite.

Movie Review

Supergirl loses the sense of fun that Superman brought to DC Comics films

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

The new Superman in 2025 brought with a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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