Visually speaking, Yesterday is fairly sharp, save for a few iffy CGI effects used to flesh out the story's futuristic setting. Truth be told, the filmmakers could have easily done away with this aspect of the picture, especially since we don't spend too much time staring blankly at the skyline. It's more of a gimmick, really, a cheap thrill for those who demand more from their high-tech procedural dramas. Had the setting played an integral part in the narrative, perhaps this wouldn't have been an issue at all.
The cast, spearheaded by Seung-woo Kim and Yoon-jin Kim, is decent enough, though I doubt you'll tune in to Yesterday for the breathtaking performances. Seung-woo is easily the strongest of the bunch, allowing you to connect with his character despite the fact we never really get a feel for who he is or what he's all about. Yoon-jin Kim, on the other hand, is surprisingly bland and somewhat miscast, a far cry from her recurring role on J.J. Abram's American television puzzler Lost. Underdeveloped and grossly underused, Yoon-jin spends the majority of the picture filling in plot holes and looking pitifully forlorn. The same can be said for Seon-a Kim, as well. What a shame.
If you can look beyond its many glaring problems, you may find Yesterday to be a mildly entertaining sci-fi thriller, one that happens to suffer from extremely poor characterization and a few inexcusable pacing problems. As it stands, the film is overlong by about fifteen minutes or so, dragging needlessly when it should have been turning corners at breakneck speeds. Yun-sun Jeon's nifty flick is literally saturated in cheap Hollywood lip gloss, the kind of stuff used to conceal a lackluster script and a handful of dodgy performances from its otherwise competent cast. Those in search of something along the lines of Blade Runner or Dark City should definitely get their kicks elsewhere.
This future, I'm afraid, is starting to spoil.
Article comments