Black Knight follows a legendary deliveryman and a refugee in a dystopian world where people depend on deliverymen for their survival. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
40 years ago, a comet collision changed the world forever. Most of the continents were submerged, and the Korean peninsula turned into a desert. The air is so polluted that the 1% of the world’s population that survived is in constant need of oxygen supply.
The oxygen as well as the other necessities like food are delivered to people at their homes by deliverymen. The deliverymen need to be strong and capable fighters, as they need to protect the supplies from hunters and deliver them without delays.
Due to the lack of resources, the society is divided into districts — General, Special, and Core. The people who were not included in these districts became refugees, who are now discriminated against and have to fight for basic necessities like oxygen.
A refugee named Sa-wol wishes to become a deliveryman, as that is the only way for refugees to advance in life. When he meets the strongest deliveryman, 5-8, who is also a living legend, he asks him to train him.
5-8 must train Sa-wol and go against powerful people who rule and control this world just as much as the government, as there is a conspiracy that poses a threat to the existence of all the refugees.
Performances
Kim Woo-bin as 5-8 is everything that one would expect a legendary hero to be. He has the charm, the style, and the looks; he commands attention whenever he is on screen. The show hypes his character quite a lot, and Kim Woo-bin does not disappoint.
Sa-wol is a refugee with big dreams, and Kang Yoo-seok’s performance will make you root for the character. He is lively and charming on-screen in a completely different way from Kim Woo-bin.
Although Esom as Seol-ah does not draw as much attention as Kim Woo-bin and is much more subdued, she will stand out as a powerful character.
Unfortunately, Song Seung-heon as Ryu Seok does not leave the same impact. He is the main antagonist, but he does not invoke fear.
Positives
The show’s visuals are remarkable. The desert landscape, the districts, and the Cheonmyeong Group’s building allow the audience to enjoy a new world, and the CGI makes it easy to believe that this world truly exists.
Unlike many other shows, the dystopian future in the show is not completely unrecognizable. A polluted world where humans cannot breathe and trees are only seen in virtual reality does not seem too far-fetched. This allows the audience to experience the horror of this world.
Furthermore, the show depicts that humans will find a way to create new distinctions and hierarchies when the old ones are destroyed; the refugees are denied basic necessities of life in this world also. It also questions what makes the privileged special if not the accident of birth.
The show’s plot is engaging, and the pace allows the audience to fully enjoy it. Additionally, the action in the show is exciting enough to keep the audience entertained.
Negatives
While the show tries to make deliverymen look like the most important figures in this society, it is not able to convince the audience of that. It seems like too much importance has been attached to one particular profession in order to do something different.
Apart from the few things that the show tells the audience about the characters, there does not seem to be anything more to them. They do not even change much. The audience would have gotten more invested in the characters if the show had worked on characterization.
Verdict
Black Knight is a drama about a dystopian future. It offers the audience evil villains, larger-than-life heroes, an interesting plot, and thrilling action. While there are many shows depicting a future like that, this one has everything that makes a show entertaining.
Black Knight
Director: Cho Ui-seok
Date Created: 2023-05-12 23:19
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