Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days () is a 2018 South Korean fantasy action film directed by Kim Yong-hwa and based on a webtoon by Joo Ho-min, Along With the Gods. It serves as the sequel to the 2017 film Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. It stars Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok and Kim Dong-wook. The film was released on August 1, 2018.<ref name=wellgo>{ { cite web |title=Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days |url=http://www.wellgousa.com/films/along-with-the-gods-the-last-49-days |publisher=Well Go USA Entertainment|accessdate=August 1, 2018}}</ref>
Plot
The three grim reapers Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi) will guide their 49th soul Kim Soo-hong (Kim Dong-wook) to the underworld trials. Meanwhile, God of the House (Ma Dong-seok) will recover the grim reapers' memories from 1,000 years ago.
Cast
Main
Ha Jung-woo as Gang-rim
Ju Ji-hoon as Haewonmak
Kim Hyang-gi as Lee Deok-choon
Ma Dong-seok as Seongju
Kim Dong-wook as Kim Soo-hong
Supporting
Doh Kyung-soo as Private Won Dong-yeon
Lee Joon-hyuk as First Lieutenant Park Moo-shin
Nam Il-woo as Heo Choon-sam
Ye Soo-jung as Soo-hong's mother
Jung Ji-hoon as Heo Hyun-dong
Jung Ah-mi as Kang Rim
Oh Hee-joon as Translator soldier of Goryeo
Kim Myung-gon
Jo Han-cheol as Judge
Jung Yoo-ahn
Special appearance
Lee Jung-jae as Yeomra
Sung Dong-il
Kim Min-jong as Afterlife Messenger
Production
Along With the Gods Part 1 and 2 took (around ) to produce. Both parts of the film were shot simultaneously. Dexter Studios, one of Asia's largest film production and visual effects studios, who was behind director Kim Yong-hwa's previous film Mr. Go (2013), created the visual effects for the film. It was reported that around 300 artists and technicians took part in the film's production. Chinese production company Alpha Pictures invested $2.2 million. Filming began on May 26, 2016, and ended on March 22, 2017, for part 1 and 2. Some scenes that featured actors Oh Dal-su and Choi Il-hwa were re-shot due to their controversies as they were replaced with substitute actors.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of .
Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter gave a mixed review and wrote, "Though the two films were shot simultaneously, there’s a sense of 'more' to Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days that doesn't really do it any service. Like many a sequel bent on topping its predecessor to prove the first entry wasn't a fluke, the end result is just a bigger, noisier, less focused slog rather than continued world-building."
Noel Murray of Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review and wrote, "While Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days is awkwardly bloated, it does eventually develop some momentum. Once viewers get accustomed to a movie that can move within minutes from courtroom drama to dinosaur attacks, they may enjoy the overwhelming spectacle of it all."
Box office
South Korea
Prior to its release, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days set the record for the highest pre-sale tickets in South Korea's box office history with 60.5% reservation rate. The rate reached 42 million, outdoing the record of the 2017 film The Battleship Island which reached the same number of reservations on the day before the opening of the film.