Korean cinema has often been inspired by legendary figures from old folktales in recent years. The superhero flick “Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard” is one such film infused with some modern twists. Based on the Korean folktale “The Tale of Jeon Woochi,” the sci-fi action comedy tells an imaginary story featuring a mischievous Taoist wizard from the Joseon Kingdom. Unlike honorable and virtuous heroes in most folktales, Jeon Woochi is not so much a serious, righteous character as a cheerful anti-hero who likes to show off his talents for his own pleasure. Director Choi Dong-hoon says he was attracted to the fact that Jeon Woochi is not a superhero but an exciting, naughty character, which makes him even more interesting. In fact, this amusing hero evokes laughter from the audiences with his exhilarating adventures that hopscotch from the past to the present.

The modern reinterpretation of the Joseon-era wizard takes the audiences back to the year 1509 when a prophetic magic flute falls into the hands of evil goblins that rampage across the entire country. Amid the chaos, three Taoist magicians ask for help from two master wizards, Cheongwan and Hwadam who manage to enclose the goblins into jars, like a genie in a magic lamp, and retrieve the magic flute. The magicians break the flute into two and entrust each of the two leading ascetics with one half. Meanwhile, Jeon Woochi, a mischievous young pupil of Cheongwan amuses himself by using his magic tricks to play pranks on government officials and even the king, while busying himself trying to seduce a beautiful woman. The three magicians and Hwadam visit Cheongwan’s house, only to find that Cheongwan was murdered. Jeon Woochi and his dog, which wants to become human, are falsely accused of killing the master. As punishment, he is sealed inside an ancient painting with his dog for a crime he never committed.

The scenes then switch into modern-day Seoul. The trio of Taoist magicians lives under a low profile as a fortune-teller, a Buddhist monk and a Catholic priest. But they are forced out of their peaceful retirement as the goblins escape from their jars and start reappearing, plunging the society into a whirlwind of disorder again. They are searching for Hwadam, who vanished long time ago. They reluctantly release Jeon Woochi from the painting to ask him to fight the goblins and save the day. But this troublemaking wizard and his dog are not very interested in the grave situation but indulge in the fun and pleasures of the 21st century. In the meantime, Hwadam appears before the baffled Taoist magicians but he confronts Jeon Woochi in search of the other half of the magic flute that is apparently possessed by Woochi.

The movie about the legendary Korean character became a commercial success, attracting more than six million viewers across the nation. Martial arts and wizardry are nicely mixed, making the film’s visual effects worthwhile. It is also interesting to see elements of Asian-style fantasy in the action adventure, such as animals transforming into ghosts. The critically acclaimed movie was sold to 13 countries, including Germany and China, even before its local release in December 2009.