A prequel to ROARING CURRENTS, revealing another naval battle that Admiral Yi engaged in roughly five years before the events of that film. From the outset, HANSAN: RISING DRAGON sails over familiar territory; we get an hour or so of setup and character intrigue before the filmmakers let rip with an extensive battle sequence that occupies the second half of the running time. I found the cast undistinguished this time around - there's no Choi Min-sik to bring gravitas to the proceedings - and the CGI effects are only adequate. However, the concentration on military tactics and spectacle makes this a fun, breezy watch.

I LOVE great international movies!

And I LOVE historical movies based on real events!!

I am particularly fond of Korean films of the historical genre.

HANSAN is based on an actual naval battle between Japanese invading forces and defending the defenders of Joseon (modern day Korea).

Intent on conquering China, the Japanese first had to invade and conquer Joseon in the 1590s. They came very close to success.

However, the navy of Joseon, which included heavily armored and armed "Turtle" ships stood in the way of the Japanese navy and final conquest.

HANSAN is well written, well acted and ACTION PACKED!

I loved the ATTENTION TO DETAIL with regard to Joseon and Japanese culture - especially the clothes, armor, and weapons of individual soldiers and their commanders, and the naval vessels of both sides.

HANSAN is another Korean historical film I will add to my collection.

Rising Dragon is a sequel done perfect. A well made movie with hardly any flaws in the re-enactment process. Great work by the whole cast not missing a single beat. Excellent character insight and story build up no plot holes at all every bit of the story ia relevant to the final victory at battle. It's one of the very few movies of the genre that really is exciting without straight up war and bloody. Rising Dragon has a quietening effect to it which results it's action sequences to be fully effective. Mind-blowing special effects, simply fun to watch. Sound effects supplements well too. Worth the watch without a doubt.