The first thing that occurred to me when I was watching Welcome to Dongmakgol was that I was watching a Hayao Miyazaki film. This was simply because of the score and the setting, a near-magical isolated village, complete with folk lanterns and strange wildlife. That, and most notably, the fantastic score, which was composed by frequent Miyazaki collaborator, Joe Hisashi. But, despite some similar atmospheric elements to Miyazaki's oeuvre, the film is very much a Korean film.<br /><br />Set during the Korean war, two small groups of soldiers, North and South, respectively end up in very isolated Korean village in the mountains, in addition to a UN pilot who crashed there. When the two groups discover each other in the antiquated village (most of whom have never seen a gun before) a tense standoff occurs, which results in misfortune for the village. Driven by guilt (or responsibility), these two enemy groups have to learn to work together to fix their mistake. Meanwhile, the UN forces get antsy for their missing planes (which seem to mysteriously vanish over that mountain) and suspect a North Korean anti-aircraft base to be located on the mountain.<br /><br />While the story isn't without its logical hiccups, it's still a well told fantastic anti-war film, having the isolation in the village force all sides to have to deal with the humanity of the other. The film, based on a play by notable Korean screenwriter/playwright, Jang Jin, features a sense of humor characteristic of Jang's style, melting both the serious with the comic and criss-crossing genre lines as necessary. It's largely successful in this regard and the small plot holes are easily overlooked. Unfortunately, the near cartoonish UN villains (which includes a Korean man as the ignored conscience, along with some Korean goons) don't get the benefit of a nuanced portrayal.<br /><br />The picture looks fantastic, along with a couple surreal seaming fantasy sequences which fortunately disguise the weaknesses of some of the special effects. The art/production direction is quite enjoyable to view and I obviously don't have to repeat the merits of Hisashi's score. The direction itself is good as well. The acting, on the part of the Korean actors is strong, except where the characters are shallowly written. The American actors on the other hand are largely cartoons and hard to believe, even within the context of the movie. The lead American, Captain Smith (Steve Taschler), comes off a little better than his one- off peers, but his acting is uneven; whether it's due to his acting skills or his character's limited portrayal, I'm uncertain.<br /><br />Welcome to Dongmakgol has a lot going for it, especially its mix-up of fun, fantasy, comedy and drama, as well as its admirable message of harmony and unity. I found the fantastic elements a little ungainly, but the fantastic atmosphere was very well embellished, and drawing in Joe Hisashi was a stroke of genius for the film. While the film has some minor logical hiccups and treats its villains with much less nuance than its protagonists, it still remains a largely enjoyable yarn and worth watching for those that appreciate this sort of film. 7/10.