Okay. Okay. Breathe.
The sea.
The sea in Hansan: Rising Dragon just hits different.
I know it’s not real — just pixels on my TV — but for two straight hours my living room was filled with salt, cannon fire, and splintering wood. I’m still clutching my throw pillow like I survived the final battle myself. Just finished the movie. It’s almost 1 AM, and my brain absolutely refuses to shut down.
.jpg)
Expectations vs Reality
I put this on expecting a solid historical war movie. Something respectable. Something I could half-watch while scrolling on my phone.
Big mistake.
My phone is now face-down on the carpet, probably collecting dust bunnies, because I didn’t touch it even once for the entire runtime. The movie grabbed me early and never let go.
That Opening Shot… Wow
The first shot of the Japanese fleet is terrifying — a massive wall of wood and steel stretching endlessly across the horizon. Then the camera cuts to the Korean ships, looking small, fragile, almost hopeless.
My body leaned forward on its own. Like my couch wanted to drag me into the screen.
And then…
the dragon.
Not a literal dragon, obviously — but the Turtle Ships. They’re introduced like slow, armored tanks, almost clumsy. Then the battle starts, and suddenly they dive.
One moment they’re floating.
Next moment they’re gone.
You see this dark, impossible shadow sliding under the water… and then they erupt beneath enemy ships.
I actually jumped. Popcorn was spilled. Cheap microwave popcorn, not cinema popcorn — because couch life.
Admiral Yi Sun-sin: Calm in Absolute Chaos
There’s one moment burned permanently into my brain.
Admiral Yi Sun-sin stands on his ship while everything around him is pure chaos — fire, screaming, arrows, splintering wood. The sound cuts down. The camera moves into a tight close-up.
He looks at the water.
Just the wind.
Just the creaking of the ship.
He quietly says something like, “The sea remembers.” I might be misquoting — it was loud — but the meaning hit hard.
The ocean isn’t just a setting in this movie.
It’s a character.
It’s patient.
It’s angry.
And it’s on their side.
Why the Ocean Scared Me More Than the Enemy
This movie unlocked a memory I didn’t even know I still had.
When I was around ten, my cousin and I built this massive sandcastle. Moats, towers, shells — we spent hours on it. We were ridiculously proud.
Then a small wave came in. Not even a big one. Just a lazy wave we weren’t paying attention to.
Gone.
One second it existed. The next second it was wet sand. The ocean didn’t care.
Admiral Yi understands that.
He doesn’t fight the sea — he uses it.
I just got my towel wet and cried.
(My cousin laughed. Still rude.)
Strategy Over Spectacle (Mostly)
The battles aren’t just loud chaos. They’re chess matches.
Smoke screens.
Fake retreats.
Traps layered inside traps.
I usually hate scenes where people sit around tables talking strategy, but here? Those scenes were sometimes more intense than the battles themselves.
That said… now that I’m typing this, I do have one doubt.
Did the Japanese commanders fall for everything a little too easily?
Every trick works. Every plan succeeds.
Is that realistic? Or am I just nitpicking because my brain is still vibrating from the surround sound?
Honestly… I’ll let it slide.
Sound Design That Shook My Living Room
My humble little soundbar was fighting for its life.
The creaking of ships
The whistling of arrows
That horrible, wet thud when a cannonball hits a hull
It felt visceral.
So visceral that my cat, Leo, panicked and hid under the coffee table during the final battle. He stayed there for twenty minutes.
So now I have:
A racing heart
A traumatized cat
Thanks, Netflix.
The One Weak Spot
The middle section drags a bit.
There’s political intrigue back at the palace, and yes — I understand why it’s important. But my brain kept screaming:
“Back to the boats. Please.”
I almost paused the movie to make tea but didn’t — because you know that feeling when you’re so deep into a film that even standing up feels like betraying it?
So I stayed.
Thirsty.
Committed.
That Ending Image
The final image is beautiful.
The sun rises over the wreckage. Smoke drifts. And in silhouette, the last Turtle Ship remains — battered, scarred, but still standing. Like an ancient sea monster that just survived the fight of its life.
Something might’ve gotten into my eye.
Dust.
Definitely dust.
From the popcorn.
Final Verdict
My brain is fried. I need to lie down in a dark room and avoid thinking about the ocean for a while.
But yes — Hansan: Rising Dragon absolutely works.
Rating: 8/10
Powerful, immersive, and loud in all the right ways.
— Alex
Related Posts
Icon (2022)
Har Har Mahadev (2022) Movie Review
Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 – Web Series Review by MwsGuy