Life is not like a video game. Sure, you can improve your health through exercise and your wealth through education, work, and luck, and you shouldn’t smash some bad guys and collect their purse or take their clothes and/or belongings. In video games, that’s how you build your inventory; in the real world, that’s criminal. Thankfully, fantasy adventure stories exist where we can curb reality for a bit and get super weird, such as in Solo Leveling (俺だけレベルアップな件), originally released as a Korean webtoon in 2016 by author Chugong and later made into a 2024 television series which took audiences by storm with its fascinating premise, startling action, and a dark philosophy coursing through it. Solo Leveling is set to return to the small screen in 2025, but, before it does, audiences are given a chance to revisit, on the biggest screen in your neighborhood, highlight sequences from the series so far with the first two episodes of Season 2 tacked on. Though not as accessible for newbies as one might hope, the new theatrical event directed by Shunsuke Nakashige (Fuuto PI) and written by Chugong, Solo Leveling –ReAwakening–, reminds fans hungry for more why the series is as much fun as it is and hints at greater mysteries and violence to come.

Sung Jin-woo voiced by Taito Ban in SOLO LEVELING –REAWAKENING–. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners.

The film is a recap of season one of the series with a first look at the two first episodes of season two, so the presumption is that, if you’re here, you’re familiar with the show. If you’re not, however, here’s a brief summation of how the series functions and the central character’s place within it.

Things were once normal in the world until strange portals, referred to as “gates,” began to appear and a variety of monsters crossed through and entered our world. First, humanity fought back to protect themselves via the select humans granted superpowers through the cross-dimensional contact, but then they realized that there were also valuable resources within the realms accessible through the portals. Thus, the newly-titled “hunters,” those with abilities, formed guilds and businesses to reduce civilian casualties and pad their wallets. While the source of the portals is not yet known, one thing is certain. Once a person “awakens” into a hunter, they are unable to raise or lower their level through work or deed, an aspect which leaves Sung Jin-woo (voiced by Taito Ban) at a disadvantage with his lowest-level E-rank as he must provide for his studious sister and infirm mother. On one unfortunate day, Jin-woo is the key tie-breaking vote for one raiding party who are trying to decide if they should explore a hidden second dungeon within the portal, a choice that leads to the majority of the party’s violent demise and Jinwoo’s tortured end. Except, he doesn’t die. Instead, he wakes in a hospital, fully-physically restored, and is contacted by a HUD-like screen only he can see that he calls “The System” offering him a way to increase his level. Individuals have been known to experience a reawakening, but never to level themselves like one would playing a game. Mysterious and dangerous, Jinwoo finds himself physically and psychologically transformed as he takes on challenge after challenge to prepare for battles he’s unaware are building on the horizon.

Seeing as – ReAwakening – is a combination of a season 1 recap and two episodes from the upcoming season 2, what follows will presume you’ve seen season 1.

Baruka in SOLO LEVELING –REAWAKENING–. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners.

– ReAwakening – is to Solo Leveling what 2024’s To the Hashira Training is to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba in that it’s basically a promotional tool to get audiences hyped for an upcoming season. The primary difference between the two is that – ReAwakening – is a judiciously edited 80 minutes (roughly) of film footage that’s meant to cover an entire season’s worth of narrative plus two new episodes whereas Hashira is a composite film of the final episodes of one season into the start of the next. Hashira can do this as anyone coming to see the film has, presumably, seen the prior two seasons of the show or has at least done some homework ahead in order to understand characters and stakes. Because Solo Leveling has released only one season thus far, what’s shown in – ReAwakening – cuts out a lot of character interactions that set up important relationships in order to make way for more important action that’s tied to the two episodes of Season 2. For instance, after the events of episode 5 and episode 6, “A Pretty Good Deal” and “The Real Hunt Begins,” respectively, in which Jinwoo meets both Hwang Dongsuk and Yoo Jinho (voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya and Genta Nakamura, respectively), the entire sequence that establishes the partnership between Jinwoo and Jinho is cut out, as is the *hilarious* interaction with White Tiger Guild recruiter Ahn Sangmin (voiced by Hironori Kondo). The characters remain significant, but their relative connection and reason for reacting to each other (or working together) is treated as assumed rather than explained. The film also cuts out general explanations of how The System functions (daily quests, penalties, etc.), the importance of developing skills in order to earn the magic potion that might cure Jinwoo’s sick mother, as well as the concurrent investigation of several S-Rank hunters and the monster island introduced at the start of the series. This last one is odd because the first new episode provides an update on this specific thing, except none of it is explored in the film due to needing to focus on setting up the revenge plot with Hwang Dongsoo (voiced by Junichi Suwabe), Igris the Bloodred, and Jinwoo’s job change: all of which are important for where the season 2 episodes go.

All of that said, the editing done in the film is truly impressive in how it sews together enough of the narrative meat in a creative way to help those without the experience of a full season (or those who haven’t watch the show since March 2024) to get their bearings. It opens with Jinwoo’s sacrifice in full swing and the opening credits/title sequence incorporate Jinwoo’s early trials with The System as a montage (time in the hospital, early daily quests, goblin and wolf dungeon, etc.), ensuring that little time is wasted in order to get to fixed points in Jinwoo’s journey. The previous mentioning of “judicious editing” refers to how the film version of events still works to convey the intensity of Jinwoo’s physical and psychological transformation, the major moments given their space and time without feeling as if the character is just jumping from one major battle to another. Unfortunately, this does mean that newbies won’t have the rush that comes with Jinwoo’s remembrance of his saved daily quest reward while battling the spider dungeon boss or what it means when Jinwoo receives a timely daily quest penalty during overtime after battling Igris, but the audience is shown enough to understand that The System functions like an RPG with an inventory system, rewards, and experience points, so the gist is received. Thus, the audience can, to some degree, just sit back and enjoy the action, of which there is plenty, and it remains profoundly satisfying. Another strong function of the editing is that while it does leave out quite a bit, what it opts to show does directly connect to the first two episodes of season 2, which do function as both kick-off for the season’s troubles and a solid ending for – ReAwakening –.

If you leave the film wanting more, well then, the film did its job.

Sung Jin-woo voiced by Taito Ban in SOLO LEVELING –REAWAKENING–. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. ©Solo Leveling Animation Partners.

– ReAwakening – is, from top to bottom, a hype machine. It’s intended to remind audiences of the events of Solo Leveling and get folks excited for the rapidly upcoming season 2 start, while also providing a chance to see some of the cinematic action in an actual cinema. It successfully scratches the itch that eight months without Jinwoo created, even if it leaves out a lot of the stuff that helps the series carry on beyond the action. It’s easier to understand the philosophical concepts here with the truncated narrative, that there’s a battle going on within Jinwoo regarding the ideologies of “only the strongest can survive and the weak must perish” and “kindness can’t save you” vs. “what the strong do with their strength matters” and “what makes us human” and how these concepts tumble and shape within Jinwoo throughout his leveling. Our choices do matter and the quest for power can corrupt, so what Jinwoo does matters. Is he the hero needed for this violent time or is he a potential threat in the war against the forces from another dimension? – ReAwakening – implies that these ideas are central to the narrative in season 1 and, with luck, they’ll come into greater focus within season 2.

In select IMAX theaters December 4^th, 2024.
In North American theaters beginning December 6^th, 2024.

For more information, head to the official Crunchyroll Solo Leveling – ReAwakening – website.

Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Categories: In Theaters, Reviews

Tags: A-1 Pictures, action, adaptation, adventure, Aniplex, Chugong, Crunchyroll, D&C Media, Daisuke Hirakawa, DUBU, fantasy, foreign film, Genta Nakamura, Hironori Kondo, Inc., Japan, Japanese, Junichi Suwabe, Reina Ueda, Shunsuke Nakashige, Solo Leveling, Solo Leveling –ReAwakening–, Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing, Taito Ban, webtoon, Yasuhiro Mamiya