Jung_E

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Jung_E
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Jung_E is a Korean science fiction movie about a future wherein humanity has built shelters in space to live on after global warming became too devastating. But soon, some of the shelter sectors begin fighting against the mainland (and other sectors) and a civil war between them begins. Cut 40 years later, and humans have now nearly perfected the technology of brain copying and transferring to synthetic bodies. One woman, a legendary fighter who nearly won the war 40 years ago, is replicated and studied in order to perfect the best combat artificial intelligence possible. Expect lots of action, guns, and fighting. While there's lots of violence, none of it's gory and most of it happens to robots (and some humanoid-looking robots). A few humans do get injured, however (a woman gets shot in the shoulder, and blood shows), and some get injured and then find out they're actually robots. A robot screams in terror when she finds out she's a robot. Others do the same. No sex except for one scene where a man is caught in his room dancing with a naked (from behind, bare buttocks shown with thong) robot woman (looks completely human). He says that the robot will soon be a sex robot.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In JUNG_E, a legendary warrior (Kim Hyun-joo) is brought back to life as a robot by scientists who wish to replicate her combat intelligence into artificial intelligence. Her synthetic brain copies would then go into an army of robot soldiers. But when the war is suddenly over, some want to turn Jung_E into something else. Good thing her original human daughter (Kang Soo-youn) is around to make sure that doesn't happen.
Is It Any Good?
The action and fight scenes are top-notch, choreographed beautifully, and easy to follow. But the tricky ethical problems that Jung_E explores are really what's on display and worth thinking about. Once the story moves past its initial setup, the possible ethical issues involving making robots based on human brains begin to echo upon falling on the diegetic floor. Many viewers will appreciate the lack of hand-holding, as nothing is directly spelled out or explained (like, for instance, a character in exposition stating, "well, what are the consequences of modeling robots after actual human brains? When they first wake up, they think they're still human, and then when they realize they are being duplicated in the hundreds and lose all sense of individuality..." and so on).
Some of what happens also must be figured out or deduced. For instance, some viewers might not be aware of some Korean social etiquette customs in "the workplace" that might affect how they understand particular scenes. Further, some viewers might not understand why the reactions of some characters aren't more aggressive or reactionary, this actually having to do with Korean culture and not those characters particularly. Nevertheless, some viewers might also leave feeling like they wanted more from this somewhat light dive into the murky waters of robot and artificial intelligence ethicality.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in science fiction movies. Was the violence in Jung_E easier to take because most of it was done to robots? Why or why not?
Would you have made the same decisions as the daughter? Why or why not?
If you found out that you were actually a robot and not a human, how would you feel? Would you change anything about your life?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: January 20, 2023
- Cast: Kang Soo-youn, Kim Hyun-joo, Ryu Kyung-Soo, Uhm Ji-won
- Director: Sang-ho Yeon
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Robots
- Run time: 99 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: January 23, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love robots and sci-fi
Themes & Topics
Browse titles with similar subject matter.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate