Noryang: Deadly Sea is the third and final film in the Korean sea battle trilogy, preceded by The Admiral: Roaring Currents and Hansan: Rising Dragon (although Hansan was released after The Admiral, it was actually a prequel). All three films focus on pivotal naval battles during the Japanese Invasions of Korea from 1592 to 1598 (also referred to as the Imjin War) led by the legendary Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin, considered one of the greatest naval commanders in history by many historians. The Battle of Noryang, which as you may guess is the primary focus of this film, was the final major battle in the Japanese/Korean conflict and follows Yi Sun-sin as he develops a strategy to completely annihilate the retreating Japanese army while navigating subterfuge and betrayal from the Ming Dynasty.

If you haven’t seen the previous films in the trilogy, it isn’t strictly a requirement. Noryang opens with a brief catchup on where we are and what is happening (although if you dig this one, chances are you are going to love The Admiral and Hansan too) before we are plunged straight into Yi Sun-sin’s fierce and ruthless strategizing. The leader of Japan’s army dies suddenly giving Korea the impetus to launch a final attack on the Japanese to completely destroy them both in numbers and in morale, securing a total victory and discouraging them from attempting further attacks. As in the prior films, Kim Yoon-seuk is excellent as Yi Sun-sin, capturing that willful determination and cleverness that the real naval commander almost certainly possessed in order to accomplish what he did. The real triumph of this film though is the incredibly epic extended battle sequence that takes up a large chunk of the film’s runtime. The special effects are quite good and the production design is excellent, really immersing you in another place and time while also providing a truly exciting viewing experience. While the massive visuals will rightfully get much of the attention here, the excellent sound design is to be commended as well.

The transfer here is stunning with nary a blemish or problem to be found anywhere, and this is a film that really needs that absolute clarity. The detail is excellent and the images pop even in the night scenes. Not to be outdone, the DTS HD 5.1 surround sound audio track is amazing as well, providing a highly immersive experience and showing off the intricate sound design of the film really well. A 2.0 stereo track is also included. The only area of the disc that I feel could’ve been better is on the extras. The only extra of note beyond the usual promotional trailers is a 5-minute featurette giving a history of some of the major characters in the film. This could’ve easily been a much richer extra (surely the History Channel has done a documentary on these battles). I also would’ve liked to have seen some interviews with cast and crew and how the impressive visuals were executed, considering the film had a fairly scaled back (by Hollywood standards) budget of $40 million.

If you enjoy epic seafaring films like Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, then Noryang: Deadly Sea and its predecessor films are pretty much no-brainers. Plus Well Go USA has given us a disc with great technical specs that showcase the aural and visual experience of the film really well. Definitely recommended!