Marvel Universe, they ain’t. Kpop, they ain’t. But they are Korean, and they do have superpowers, sorta. Well, we’re done here. Right? You already know if you want to see this. What, I have to describe this? Oh, all right. If I must.
Hospital operating room. Unknown dead human. Organs being harvested. Medical professionals complain that the person has “tough skin.” Weird complaint from an organ harvester. When the deed is done, the remainder of the dead person melts away into the sunlight. Ooooooo.
Next scene, heart recipient Park Wan-seo (Lee Jae-in) is feeling better than she ought to. Her helicopter father has lost enough and he ain’t gonna lose her, but what can you do when the kid suddenly has unmatched strength and speed?
Forbid her from using it, that’s what.
Well, what pops don’t know won’t hurt him, right? Turns out the donor gave six different organs, and each recipient develops a unique superpower. Lung guy suddenly has the ability to blow. Corneal guy becomes a human remote control. Liver guy has that healing touch. Pancreas guy becomes a monster, and kidney woman … delivers yogurt.
Seriously. She delivers yogurt. Yes. It’s one helluva superpower. I think.
They all acquire unique tattoos to show for their efforts. Kind of a mixed bag, huh? On the one hand, we saved your life, on the other, you now have some new ink you didn’t choose. Enjoy!
Seo Yeong-chun is the miserable bastard who receives the pancreas. Oh, he’s a cult leader, is he? This won’t end well, will it? Yeah, as soon as he identifies his superpowers, Korea is in trouble. Of course, being a cult religious leader, one automatically assumes he’d use his newfound 
power to rake his subjects, like President Trump. To his credit, Seo Yeong-chun would rather be super first and grift later. Of course, the former includes abusing all of his new blood family first. Watch out, that one woman has yogurt!
This film is erratic; it’s cute in some parts, like when Park Wan-seo has to help her father fends off bad guys without letting him know she’s helping, but aggravating in others, like when the new friends just don’t get along.
Hi-Five is not a great superhero film. Getting the heroes to put aside petty differences accounts for more than half the battle, and then the scenes of superpowers are unbelievable to the point of being (unintentionally) comic. I enjoyed our lead actress but can’t say I was wild about any of the other supers. I think Hi-Five wanted to be a bigger film than it was and perhaps spur a TV series to follow. The problem is neither the premise nor the is the payoff gripping. But the film is cute, and should keep your attention, more-or-less. Good enough? Well, at the end of the day, I think I’d prefer a Kpop concert.
A young female in need of heart
Finds a donor to give her a new start
No ordinary organ
She’s now a small gorgon
Does she join or fight crime a la carte?
Not Rated, 119 Minutes
Director: Kang Hyoung-chul
Writer: Kang Hyoung-chul
Genre: I’m sorry, what is it you do, again?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Wannabes
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Megalomaniacs
