a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Too much drama, too much whimpering, too many close-ups, too many tiring zoom-in, too many onion tears, too many sad love songs, lame directing and acting, too long. So disappointing. Some real good actors though but the show is not up the expectations...

This has the same issue as every Korean television shows and movies - terrible writing. Fire your writers, get better writers.Doesn't matter what you do from beginning to middle - if the ending is horrible, the entire movie or television show is horrible.Learn to write good stories Korea.

Towards the end of this show, I found myself saying what more and more. This is not my first k- drama, but this is definitely one of the most disappointing shows I've ever watched. It seemed to have so much potential that all just fell flat in the final, crucial episodes of the series which made me even more confused as to why it was so highly praised and rated by everyone. I'm now wondering if we even watched the same show. Honestly, if you are going to watch this show, be prepared to be frustrated at the end.****************CONTAINS SPOILERS*************************First off, the beginning, although slow to some viewers, showed lots of promise. There were so many great opportunities that were set up and there were good characters, a lot of good twists and turns as the series continued, I could almost overlook the constant shaky cam., the choppy editing, and the odd direction. However, the show peaked around episode 15 or so and then rapidly declined at the end. The main failings were the plot, which became pretty convoluted towards the end, the lack of resolution of major plot points and the subsequent forgetting/absence of said plot points, and the plot holes that require you to suspend your disbelief and logic in order to follow what's going on and have it make sense. Then there is the final ending scene. I mean really, after watching all that they end the series with a major death that comes out of literally nowhere...I know apparently there were some issues with Lee Byun Hyun not wanting to continue with the series, but at least write off his character in a convincing way that actually makes sense in the context of the story. How are more people not upset with this? I understand that this was a tragic show and people died, but it seemed as though they wrapped up the main plot of the story, and LBH and KTH were going to get their happily ever after....except just kidding, he gets mysteriously shot and the show ends with no explanation whatsoever. That is not a befitting ending for the characters and his death was not set up at all and seemed to be a quick fix to the LBH issue and a chance to get in one last death for shock value.Giving this five stars because the plot was good towards the beginning and had some good performances in the lead roles.

Wikipedia gives the following information: "Iris is a South Korean espionage television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2009. With a budget in excess of 20 billion won (17 million USD), it, along with its spin-off Athena: Goddess of War, share the record for the most expensive Korean dramas ever produced. Premiering in October 2009, the series was a critical and commercial success, with an average viewership of over 30% in addition to ranking as the top program consistently every week after its debut. The series also took home many of the highest honors at the 2009 KBS Drama Acting Awards, including Byung-hun Lee winning the top recognition, the Daesang Award. Among other nominations and recognitions, Lee and Tae-hee Kim were also named as one of the best on-screen couples." My Review In One Breath: This series (20 episodes, 60 minutes each) concerns a National Security System agent who attempts to take down a secret organization. After the introductory opening episodes, the missions are similar to what one would find in the American "24" series (excluding the "real time" element), with agents attempting to stop terrorist attacks with the use of satellites and information support technicians. Of course, this is in the Korean style with some romance and melodrama blended in. Acting is top notch, with Byung-hun Lee in the lead role and a very good supporting cast: Tae-hee Kim (his love interest and fellow agent), Seung-woo Kim (a North Korean agent) and So-yeon Kim (as the gorgeous North Korean sniper). Production values are slick, the scoring is great at times, and the pacing is very fast for a K-drama with plenty of shootouts (a few of which are fantastic) and suspense. Storyline is clichéd but the secret organization is intriguing and represents a brilliant little twist on the North/South Korean conflict. Consequently, the relationships between the characters change significantly in exciting ways and the viewer will have an emotional investment in the protagonists. Highly addictive stuff.