Pratik Handore
Set in the 22nd century, Netflix’s ‘JUNG_E’ is a science-fiction thriller film directed by Yeon Sang-ho (‘Hellbound‘). The South Korean film tells the story of humanity’s efforts to end an ongoing war using advanced combat robots. These robots are developed by scientist Seo-Hyun and modeled after her mother, Yun Jung-Yi, a legendary mercenary who fought in the war. However, as the narrative progresses, viewers learn that Jung-Yi failed her final mission and the robots, dubbed “JUNG_E,” also face a similar challenge in battle simulations. Therefore, viewers must be curious about the reason behind Jung-Yi’s failure and JUNG_E’s chances of completing the simulation. In that case, here is everything you need to know about the final mission in ‘JUNG_E.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
A Promising Commander on the Brink of Victory
In ‘JUNG_E,’ humanity lives in space shelters built in the moon’s orbit. The earth has become uninhabitable following drastic climate change. A few shelters formed the Adrian Republic leading to a war among humanity. The position faction known as Allied Forces fought with the Adrian Republic for most of the 22nd century. During the war, Jung-Yi rose as one of the most prominent military commanders within the Allied Forces. Her combat ability and strategic planning were unparalleled, and she singlehandedly brought the Allied Forces to the brink of victory.
Before Jung-Yi leaves for her final mission to secure victory for the Allied Forces, she meets her daughter Yoon Seo-Hyun. Jung-Yi’s daughter is undergoing an operation for her cancer treatment. However, Jung-Yi cannot be with Yoon Seo-hyun because of the mission. As a result, she promises to return to Seo-Hyun’s side as soon as the mission is complete. However, a doll given to Jung-Yi by Seo-Hyun during the mission reminds her of her daughter. As a result, she gets distracted and is shot. The injury leaves Jung-Yi comatose, and her brain is used for research purposes. Therefore, it is safe to say that Jung-Yi failed to complete the final mission because of her love and affection for her daughter, highlighting the film’s central theme of a mother-daughter relationship.
A Flawed Memory, a Flawed Simulation
After Jung-Yi falls into a coma, the hopes of the Allied Forces winning the war are squashed. As a result, the Chairman of Kronoid, a military weapons development company, obtains Jung-Yi’s body to conduct research. Using the highly competent soldier’s brain, the company creates AI-powered cybernetic robots that will help them win the war. Jung-Yi’s daughter, Seo-Hyun, is the lead scientist on the project known as “JUNG_E.’ The test models of the combat robots are powered with neural cortex designed after Jung-Yi, and they hold all of her memories. However, scientists work to extract only the combat abilities from the neural cortex, to be used on the battlefield. To develop the combat skills of the robots, the scientists conduct a simulation that puts the test models in a dangerous battle situation.
Viewers late learn that the simulation is a recreation of Jung-Yi’s final mission, which she failed. However, the test robots also consistently fail to complete the mission. Moreover, the robots always end up in the same spot as Jung-Yi and get shot ending the simulation. After Seo-Hyun discovers that her memories were responsible for Jung-Yi originally failing to complete the mission, she erases the memories. Therefore, the JUNG_E robot has a better chance of completing the mission. However, the Chairman instructs Seo-Hyun to end the project with one last simulation run as the war is ending, and there is no use for the robots.
During the final simulation, Seo-Hyun expects the JUNG_E test robot the complete the simulation as she will no longer get distracted by memories of her daughter. However, JUNG_E fails to finish the simulation and generate the desired result. The robot gets shot in the same spot, implying that Jung-Yi’s memories of her daughter are inseparable from her brain. As a result, the robots also remember the mother’s affection for her daughter. The same is confirmed during the film’s climax when JUNG_E gives Seo-Hyun a cheek rub before she dies. Ultimately, JUNG_E fails to complete the simulation, but it proves irrelevant in the grander scheme of things.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s JUNG_E Filmed?
