Fantasy Romance K-drama Genie, Make a Wish with Kim Woo Bin and Suzy Premieres to Polar Opposite Reviews with Solid Viewership on Netflix
It’s been a week since Genie, Make a Wish premiered last Friday on Netflix, dropping all episodes at once. Penned by drama hitmaker Kim Eun Seok and starring top stars Kim Woo Bin and Suzy in a reunion from their tearjerking Uncontrollably Fond, the drama has gotten one of the most polar opposite receptions and reviews in recent memory. Most of the review star votes are split equally between 1 star and 5 star with very few in between middle votes, so that says something. The naysayers criticize Suzy’s stone faced frozen acting (though she is playing an emotionally sociopath type), silly plot and tropes, and even Muslim viewers hating the Genie character set up claiming it insults their religion. Viewers who like it say it’s entertaining and easy to watch, with the story getting better as it progresses, and snappy dialogue and funny scenes in Kim Eun Seok’s forte. I’ve been so busy with work on stuff on weekends (and Mr. Koala is making me watch Alice in Borderlands 3 with him lol) that I haven’t managed to find more time to watch yet but still plan to. Those who have watched please share your thoughts!
I just finished Alice and Borderland 3 and not a fan. I loved 1 and 2 so much that 3 pales in comparison to its predecessors although it did confirm what we all thought the borderland was. Plus, the ending for 3 was ridiculous.
I have the final 2 episodes to finish so my opinion is based on where I’m up to. Yes, the plot is unbelievable … but it the story of a genie and based in the old “Arabia” so I’m not seeing anything offensive in it. Suzy plays a person with no emotion very well – and is still able to convey desire even though she doesn’t know what it is. I’m not an avid fan of Kim Woo Bin, but I am enjoying his portrayal of the genie and he does the physical comedy very well. Overall a good, fun romp (so far) but unlikely something I will watch again, so I’m probably in the upper-middle eg. 3-4 out of 5.
It was pretty visuals and some laughs but overall everything felt flat and undercooked. The acting and chemistry were both underwhelming and the supporting characters weren’t as fun as they usually are in a KES drama. The irony of the fantasy romcom was that it was sorely missing the magic that makes it a KES drama but I feel like most Netflix original romance dramas lack the authentic kdrama magic.
Seriously Good Entertainment!
What most Dramas are lacking today this has drama has it in spades!
Well executed and well acted.
In my opinion Suzy is doing a phenomenal job of playing a sociopath / psychopath and so much more.
I love Suzy and KWB. I am almost done watching the series and all I have to say is if not for them I would have put a hard stop at episode 3. The script is such a snoozefest. The story is bland. No wonder the 1st director left midway shoot. I wonder if KES has a ghostwriter for her good dramas. I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR REUNION. It sucks they were given this project.
It’s funny you should mention that, as I was thinking along the same lines. I can’t believe Genie is written by the same writer as Mr Sunshine or even Goblin.
Also for me there isn’t a lot of screentime for the second leads – glad they have other projects in the pipeline that can showcase their skills a bit more.
So true. KES dramas are known for strong sub characters. All supporting characters here are very low effort, both in terms of writing and execution/acting. Compare it to Glory or Goblin. The supporting cast was more memorable than the leads.
I really liked! It’s funny and easy to de eyes! Suzy is really good in here and KWB is charming and make a relly good “in love” face. But the last 30 min of the last chapter is bad BAD!
I am not sure how to say this cause I can’t buy Suzy act, she looks like she can and cannot act at the same time. She is a misscast
Something to watch while doing chores at 2x speed while generously using the FF button. The biggest letdown is the script. KES needs to step up her game in the next one.
I saw on some comments on mydramalist… angry at the show for insulting Islam. Supposedly the main male character represents the equivalent of the devil in their religion and they could not believe whoever made the drama would think to make him a love interest? I was like wow that is wild but does not surprise me because Korean dramas tend to misrepresent cultures at times. Probably won’t be the last and does not bother me too much but took me by surprise at those reactions. I watched the first episode and it just was not my cup of tea but i know some who enjoyed it and some who were not satisfied with the ending? The story just got a tad dark at the beginning that I never jive with genre wise.
That is so dumb. Genies as a concept PREDATE Islam and are rooted in the pagan mythology of the Arabian peninsula. They have also become a part of global culture and anybody can make art about anything – if some morons on the Internet find it offensive, they are free not to watch.
I would bet money that the people complaining are Indonesian Muslims who, ironically, have no cultural background to complain about this since, you know, they aren’t Arabs.
The offence wasn’t over the genie part, no one was mad about the genie from Aladdin, the objection seems to be over the name they gave him, Iblis. I suppose a non Muslim culture would just see that as ‘exotic’ and not bother with more.
Anyway re: cultural sensitivities, have we forgotten Korea once got a whole drama about sageuk zombies literaly cancelled mid-shoot and pulled off air because it was misrepresenting history by portraying a king badly? Joseon Exorcist or whatever and that was in 2021.
But I have been seeing complaints about the script, acting, pacing etc even excluding the religious offending. Like koala said it’s polarised, but Netflix only wants big view numbers on it like The Glory so let’s see if it makes it to that level even if the buzz is divided unlike TG’s wide praise. They certainly promoted it widely, which is better than what Disney+ does ie marketing department basically nonexistent, dramas unavailable to watch in most countries, and no presence even on the platform homepage.
Your entire post is offensive and you come off as so ignorant. Please do not speak on behalf of a religion you are not part of. Viewers were not upset about the genie part. Viewers were offended by the fact that they named the ML Iblees, who is the devil and straight up not something to be romanticized. A little more research would have informed them writer instead of just taking a component of someone’s religion and making her own version of mish mash. A little more research would’ve helped you as well before you chose to make an ignorant post.
I haven’t had the time to watch this, but the posters are giving Man Who Dies to Live, so I am not surprised by this. Anyone remember that drama?
@ Dachinko…Yes that one offended so many people but I could not get into it because it was such an odd drama even without the offensive content representing Arab culture incorrectly and then some it was just a mess. One of the many controversial dramas. I thought surely they would have learned from the fallout of that one lol 🤦🏻♀️
A huge disappointment!!!!! I had high hope for this one given my positive opinions about the two leads and the reputation of the writer and the director. But welp it was chaotically boring from the get go at least hella incoherent through the end of ep2. I’ve never given up an overhyped drama so soon without regret. LOL. As much as I liked them in the past, KWB and Suzy did not have enough charisma to bring their wacky characters to life. The plot was eccentric and needs zany acting skills to execute, which the two leads were simply lacking and limited unfortunately.
it’s entertaining and Kim Woobin is such a hottie. The writing is a huge mess, but the visual is indeed satisfying except for the cgi which looks crappy. Tho ngl i’m more interested to dig into their behind the scene fiasco where it was reported that none of the production team member attended the premiere presscon.
Happy to see Woobs on my screen again, but I checked half my brain out. There were seriously funny moments that made me laugh in the earlier episodes, although I did’nt enjoy and FF’d alot of the last three episodes.
I personally loved it. It’s an easy breezy watch for the most part. Brainrot humour is in these days so I loved it. It does get super emotional in the latter parts but overall I loved despite flaws in writing. The major and best advantage of this show is the super talented cast who are so in sync with the material and they elevate the show over its hiccups. Characters are fun and new and refreshing. And Suzy and Woobin still have that magical chemistry. So even if the romance part is minimal than expected,their magical chemistry just elevated everything. Gosh I love them both. I also don’t get the criticism for Suzy. Poor girl is always hated upon. She’s amazing in this role. She was really able to capture the nuances. And her dialogue delivery is at her best here. Her acting is very apt to the character. The last episode cry in the desert and gold rain scene were peak moments😩
I never bought any chemistry between them since uncontrollably fond, this one was a bit enjoyable with kayoung psycho life story and how she was nurtured to never do crime. But other than that there’s nothing. I feel like the romance felt absurd, it just came out of nowhere