After needing to use the guns to get themselves out of sticky situations, local authorities, as well as the owners of the guns and car, begin to hunt for the girls. Roughly halfway to their destination, the girls pick up two more girls who are also disenchanted with their daily routines. Things may have turned for the better without these two along, because the newcomers see the situation as an excuse to commit crime and act irrationally for the sake of having a good time.

After their faces begin to appear on national television, their predicament getting blown out of proportion by the media, and copycat crimes of the ones they committed start happening, the girls want nothing more than to get home and put the events of the trip far behind them. With half of South Korea's police officials and a small gang of criminals after them, can they safely reach their destination?

REVIEW:
Have you ever anticipated something really great out of a movie before getting the chance to watch it, only to be seriously disappointed when it was all over? I'm sure everyone has had this happen on multiple occasions, and sadly, 'Afrika' is my latest letdown.

I've seen many movies from China and Japan, and more anime than I can remember, so I wasn't really expecting a big difference from what I had already experienced. I can't say this movie was bad because it was made in Korea, but I'm having a hard time clearing the bitter taste of 'Afrika', my first Korean cinema experience, out of my mouth.

Everything I had seen about this film, including the varying DVD covers, publicity stills, and in-movie screenshots, led me to believe it was a dark action/comedy. Roughly 1/3 of the way into the film, I fully realized that this was no such movie. 'Afrika' is, at best, an escape method for a teenage girl's grasping attempt to let off some steam. I can't say this is a bad thing, because if a movie is pushing in this direction as its main agenda, under well produced and executed means it can triumph. 'Afrika' fails to drive this point home under a weak and underdeveloped storyline riddled with annoying performances from hollow characters.

Trying to feel any sympathy for the girls' plight is incredibly difficult amidst all of the whining and confusing portrayals of angry, heartbroken young women. The acting, for the most part, seemed to be pretty good, but any actor/actress in the hands of an inept director will come across as stale, weak, and very unbelievable. This is the first movie I have seen by director Seung-Soo Shin, but I seriously doubt I will be giving any of his other films a viewing in the near future. This is a shame, because I have heard and read great stuff about him. Then again, expecting too much is what got me to purchase this horrible waste of celluloid in the first place.

The production values are very good, and a few of the scenes warranted a silent chuckle from my otherwise irritated brain. I imagine the soundtrack is a huge success in Korea, but it certainly doesn't set itself apart from any other pop-laced scores I have heard in recent years. As I stated earlier, for the teenage girl market, 'Afrika' can only be a resounding success. When these girls grow older, however, I have a feeling they might look back on this one as something only their youth could appreciate.

FINAL VERDICT:
Pretty girls and flashy cover boxes do not ensure high quality entertainment. I've been burned many times in the past by letting my hopes soar way too high for movies I hadn't even seen twenty minutes of, but I guess I'm a hopeless romantic for the cinematic world in this foolish sort of way.

I guess expectations can ruin an experience, but I think I would have disliked 'Afrika' no matter what.

It's quite clear that "Afrika" has the makings of something great: Four girls, who need to get away from their everyday 'troubled' life, take a road trip and discover a case full of guns in the backseat of their borrowed car. After they're forced to use the guns for the sake of self-defense, things start to get ugly and exciting at the same time. Running from the law and the underworld, the four females discover that they're all over the news as being "armed and very dangerous"; they also reach celebrity status gaining fans of all ages around the world.

Overwhelmed by the media madness and overjoyed with their sudden popularity, the girls continue on with their harmless, fun-filled rampage. The public labels them "A.F.R.I.K.A." which stands for Adoring Four Revolutionary Idols In Korean Area. At one point, A.F.R.I.K.A. becomes so big and inspirational that copycat gangs start to develop and internet fan sites start "getting so many hits that they don't work..." (actual quote from the movie).

This is indeed a fun film. It's also a very cheesy film. Cheesy in a "Britney Spears Movie" kind of way. But then again, if this movie were made in America and starred Britney Spears, Tara Reid and two other teeny bopper wenches, I wouldn't have watched it. Call me a racist, call me prejudice - I'd just rather watch a cheesy Asian film than a cheesy Hollywood one any day. Besides, with an all-star cast featuring some hot talent from some of the best Korean movies only helps.

Despite it's Britney Spear-ish feel, "Afrika" did get brutal. Where else can you see a babe gettin' smacked around in a chick-flick comedy? You also have a couple other scenes filled with beatings (Is it me, or do Koreans love "beatings"?), not to mention some blood splatter on walls. The makers of this film made it a point to show the audience that they have what it takes to capture the realistic sound of people taking shits. For all you Kim Min-Sun fans, you get to see and hear her go for a number 2. Like I said, brutal.

To sum up it up, "Afrika" is an enjoyable, slick but forgettable film. It needs a little more work in the plot and a couple of characters could've used more depth. It's almost safe to say that this film was a poor excuse to showcase it's four stars who have branched out from their hit films. It's ashamed, because this was almost the 'girl' version of "Attack the Gas Station". Speaking of which, there is a tie and a fun little reference.