DR. BRAIN on Apple TV+ is a new Sci-Fi Thriller series from South Korea by the director of I Saw the Devil (2010). You’ll need to pay attention with this one, but it’s also quite rewarding in unexpected ways. Read our full Dr. Brain series review here!
DR. BRAIN is a new Apple TV+ series from South Korea which is being released with Apple TV+ being released in Korea. Pretty smart thinking and also very fortunate that this comes hot on the heels of the Netflix mega-success Squid Game from South Korea.
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This new Apple TV+ series is in the sci-fi thriller hybrid genre and made by the director of the brilliant I Saw the Devil (2010). However, it’s based on a popular Korean webtoon of the same name by Hongjacga. And yes, Dr. Brain does also marks the first Korean-language series to debut on Apple TV+.
Continue reading our Dr. Brain series review below. We’ve watched the first three of the six episodes in the series, so we’re at the halfway mark.
Pay attention – for your own sake!
When watching this series, you will need to really pay attention – and not just because it’s in Korean. For the record, I will always recommend watching anything in its original language and using subtitles. Watching something dubbed will always give a subpar product (animated productions excluded!).
In any case, the reason you will need to pay attention to this new Apple TV+ series is because it’s a bit tricky. We’re talking about a main character who links up to other people’s brains and retrieves their memories. Well, not just their memories, as he learns very quickly.
One good thing for many international (or just non-Korean-speaking viewers) is the fact that there are several familiar faces in Dr. Brain.
Most prominently the man in the title role of the brilliant brain scientist Sewon. The actor’s name is Lee Sun-kyun and he was also in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite which won several Academy Awards. He played the father in the wealthy family.
Pussy power to the rescue
Trust me, that headline isn’t nearly as crude as it may sound. However, when I tell you that our main character (the brain scientist) decides to brain sync with a cat, you’ll be clued in to the meaning.
What’s so interesting about this Apple TV+ series is the fact that it’s character-based (as are most South Korean genre production) while delivering a mindboggling plot. Mostly due to the main protagonist having few (or no) reservations about testing his brain syncing technology on himself.
That’s why he also decides to brain sync with a cat who he believes has witnessed a crime. You see, Dr. Brain is also very much a mystery. And, as mentioned in the previous segment, when he links up with another brain, he also gets the abilities of said brain.
A cat’s brain works in different ways which come in handy in ways he surely never expected. So yeah, “pussy power to the rescue” was what went through my brain as I watched certain scenes. You’ll know!
Watch Dr. Brain on Apple TV+ globally!
Kim Jee-woon is the writer and director of this new series (based on a webtoon). We’ve long been fans of Kim Jee-woon here at Heaven of Horror since he directed one of our favorite South Korean genre movies. It’s called I Saw the Devil and is from 2010. If you enjoy revenge movies, then you cannot miss this one. Trust me!
DO CHECK OUT
Our list of the best South Korean thrillers and horror movies here >
The sci-fi drama series will premiere with only the first episode, followed by one new episode weekly through December 10. And actually, most episodes end on a cliffhanger, so you may want to wait and binge-watch all six episodes quickly. If you can avoid Dr. Brain spoilers in the meantime, that is!
Dr. Brain will premiere globally on November 3, 2021, on Apple TV+. Or actually, November 4 in South Korea due to timezone differences.
Details
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Lee Sun-kyun, Seo Ji-hye, Park Hee-soon, Lee Joo-Young, Lee Jae-won
Plot
Dr. Brain follows a brilliant brain scientist Sewon who suffers a horrific personal tragedy when his family falls victim to a mysterious accident. Desperate to uncover what happened, he goes to extraordinary lengths to solve the tragic mystery by conducting “brain syncs” with the dead to access their memories for clues.
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