Love triangles with deadly outcomes.
It is time for The Duel!
Both of these movies are South Korean movies, and the theme is forbidden love and a love triangle. It is a king against an old poet fart who refuses to acknowledge that he is an old fart.
In the left corner, we have A Muse (2012), and in the right corner, A Frozen Flower (2008). Which one deserves your attention? Let’s see!
Best story:
Both A Muse and A Frozen Flower delve into the theme of forbidden love, but they approach it in different ways. In A Muse, the story centers around a shrunken poet professor who develops feelings for a girl, causing jealousy from his assistant who is also a struggling writer living in the shadow of his mentor. The movie explores the complexities of love, power, perversion and envy.
A Frozen Flower tells the story of a gay king who orders his chief to sleep with the queen to produce an heir. Why didn’t he call me? However, the twist occurs when the chief and the queen fall in love, leaving the king feeling jealous. The movie is based partly on a true story and it turns out that I, the sleepy, creepy pervert guy, is a part of korean history.
In terms of storytelling, A Frozen Flower outshines A Muse. The plot is way more deeper, the characters more layered, and the themes more interesting. And since the movie is also based on true events, it makes it an unforgettable viewing experience.
And I will always appreciate watching Song Ji-hyo. What a hottie queen, and I’m still mad at the king not calling me so I could perform my duty! I would have really enjoyed it, so would she. Hey, i’m just your ordinary Viking king!
So the first point goes to the excellent story found in, A Frozen Flower (2008). It is so good!
Best actors:
A Muse and A Frozen Flower feature a talented cast. However, when it comes to the quality of acting, A Frozen Flower takes the lead.
The actors performances are so natural and captivating that you become fully invested in the story and the characters. The chemistry between the actors in A Frozen Flower is fantastic, elevating the movie to another level. Well, to be honest, there was something else that was elevating when I watched the movie, if you catch my drift.
In contrast, the actors in A Muse come across as somewhat dry, shrunken and stuck-up in their performances, lacking the spark of chemistry that the actors in A Frozen Flower possess. While they are talented performers, their acting does not quite measure up to the standard set by their counterparts in A Frozen Flower. But I have to give props to Park Hae-il who plays the old shrunken poet fart. He has such a ten out of ten punshable face you want to plant your fist in, and he’s a dirty old man who deserves the punishment!
Another point goes to, A Frozen Flower.
Best characters:
There is a big difference between the stiff and reserved characters in A Muse and the lively characters in A Frozen Flower. The actors in A Frozen Flower get a much better script to work with, which allows them to explore their characters more. They are able to delve deeper into their roles and bring them to life in a way that pulls the audience in—you can’t take your eyes off the screen, except when the camera lingers on the lips of the men wearing lipstick. Welcome to South Korea, where men act like women, and women act like women—looking smoking hot and superficial.
The more complex story in A Frozen Flower enables the actors to connect with their characters on a deeper level.
The actors in A Muse have less to work with due to the one-dimensional nature of their characters. As a result, their performances come across as somewhat lackluster and uninspiring, failing to connect with the audience like the characters in A Frozen Flower.
A Frozen Flower gets one point.
Most likable character:
The young girl in A Muse is somewhat likable, but she also comes across as lost and somewhat annoying. The poet professor and his assistant are both selfish and arrogant, making it difficult for the audience to connect with them or care about their fate. In fact, you hope they’ll die and go to hell. Judging by the manly part the professor carries around, he might already be in hell.
The chief in A Frozen Flower is a character who evokes a great deal of sympathy from the audience. As the king’s lover, he never had a choice in his role, and it breaks your heart to see him fall in love with the queen, knowing their love is forbidden. When the queen becomes pregnant, the chief is torn between his love for her and his loyalty to the king, who truly loves him. It’s hard to be a man—even though a real man doesn’t use lipstick!
The character development in A Frozen Flower is far superior to that of A Muse. The complex portrayal of the characters in A Frozen Flower adds depth and richness to the movie, creating a more immersive and emotional viewing experience for the audience.
Another point goes to A Frozen Flower.
Best villain:
The character of the assistant in A Muse is depicted as a villain due to his jealousy and lack of talent. Throughout the story, his envy of the professor and his artistic abilities becomes increasingly apparent, leading him to take drastic measures in order to try and elevate himself because of his inferiority complex. He turns into a liar and a thief, both of which make him a character that is difficult to sympathize with.
On the other hand, the king in A Frozen Flower is a more complex character. Despite his mistreatment of the queen, there is a sense that he is a decent man with a good heart. However, as events unfold and he loses control over the queen and the chief, he transforms into a mad king, lashing out and wreaking havoc. Nonetheless, even in his worst moments, he never stops giving the chief several chances to come back to him. He loves the chief so much, but his love is not returned. The chief loves the queen! I also love her! She is the hottest queen ever! Yeah, baby!
The transformation of the king throughout the movie is one of the highlights of A Frozen Flower’s story. You witness his descent into madness, and you understand the reasons behind his actions. This adds layers of depth to the character, making him more compelling and sympathetic than the one-dimensional old poet fart villain in A Muse.
An easy point goes to A Frozen Flower.
Best erotic scenes:
You know as well as I do that this is the most important category. Don’t lie—you’re here to watch a hot Song Ji-hyo giving it her all as our beautiful queen. In the case of A Muse, it features a mere one-and-a-half sex scenes, and to be honest, they don’t bring anything exceptional to the table. So, this isn’t a movie you watch primarily for the erotic content. It’s just not steamy enough.
On the other hand, A Frozen Flower boasts several scenes that are absolutely smoking hot, starring the hottest queen ever. There’s also a brief moment featuring the chief and the king, but that’s not for me. The queen? Oh my! She is so freaking hot, and the erotic scenes will make you overheat—you’ll need an icy bath, and you’ll need several of them because there are so many of these scenes. A Frozen Flower will fulfill your needs if you’re a real man!
One point goes to A Frozen Flower.
Best ending:
Both A Frozen Flower and A Muse have tragic endings. A Frozen Flower has a more significant impact on the viewer, as it invests the audience in the characters’ lives and experiences.
Throughout A Frozen Flower, we see the characters struggle with their emotions, their love, their desires, and their duty. As a result, the ending carries a deep sense of tragedy, as the love between the queen and the chief ends in devastation due to the king’s jealousy and rage.
On the other hand, A Muse’s ending, while still sad, lacks the same emotional weight due to its less-developed characters. While we do feel a sense of loss at the end of the movie, it pales in comparison to the emotional punch of A Frozen Flower’s ending. Oh, my beautiful queen—give me a call right now!
The last and final point goes to A Frozen Flower.
Conclusion:
This was brutal! A Frozen Flower (2008) got 7 points, while A Muse (2012) got 0 points. So go and watch A Frozen Flower—you won’t regret it if you like this genre. It’s such a great movie.