Omniscient Reader early reviews: Lee Min-ho, Jisoo's fantasy film called hollow and soulless by angry fans

The much-anticipated fantasy film Omniscient Reader, starring Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Min-ho, Chae Soo-bin, and Jisoo, has finally hit screens—but the reception has been lukewarm at best. Despite its star-studded cast and glossy visuals, critics and longtime fans of the original webtoon source material are voicing disappointment.

Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, Omniscient Reader follows the story of an ordinary office worker, Kim Dok-ja (played by Ahn Hyo-seop), who finds himself living in the world of a web novel he was the only one reading. As reality collapses and the world takes on the structure and rules of the novel, Dok-ja must use his unique knowledge of the story to survive apocalyptic trials and save humanity—with the twist that he’s no longer the protagonist.

But while the premise is rich with potential for meta-narratives and fourth-wall-breaking intrigue, critics argue the film fails to deliver.

The South China Morning Post noted that while director Kim Byung-woo offers up "bombastic visuals," they fail to "conjure anything of substance." The review also criticised the performances as "uni-dimensional," singling out Jisoo in particular, and likened the viewing experience to "playing a video game on cheat mode."

Screen Daily echoed similar sentiments, saying the film is "powered by a starry but unchallenged cast," implying that while the names are big, the storytelling is not.

The most vocal backlash, however, has come from fans of the original webtoon. On social media, many expressed anger at the film’s significant deviations from the source material. One fan wrote, “There’s no fourth wall? That’s unforgivable,” referencing one of the core storytelling devices in the webtoon. Another quipped, “I fear they just liked the concept of it,” while someone else sarcastically wondered if the film was a “social experiment to see how far you can bait loyal fans.”