[Drama Review #22] - Athena: Goddess of War 아테나: 전쟁의 여신 雅典娜:戰爭女神


Athena: Goddess of War 아테나: 전쟁의 여신 is the twenty-second drama on the watched list. Athena: Goddess of War is the spin-off series following the success of IRIS. It is not to be confused as the sequel to IRIS, which would be filmed a couple years later. One of the most interesting facts about Athena: Goddess of War is that after the production of the drama, it was revealed that Jung Woo Sung and Lee Ji Ah were in a relationship. After I found this out midway through watching this drama, I became more interested in their onscreen chemistry.

Athena: Goddess of War begins with the South Korean President's making efforts to advancing nuclear technology in hopes to unify the Korean Peninsula and be acknowledged as a leader in the global energy race. The President assigns a black-ops agent, Dr. Kwon Yonggwan, to retrieve Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim is a defector from North Korea and a nuclear scientist. However, while on the mission, he is caught by Son Hyuk (Cha Seung Won) and nearly tortured to death for intel. Son Hyuk decides to release Dr. Kwon after a moment of mercy. Three years later, Dr. Kwon becomes the new director of the National Anti-Terror Service (NTS). The NTS is a counter-terrorist force in charge of protecting South Korea from foreign threats. Lee Jungwoo (Jung Woo Sung) is a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent who recently transfers to the NTS, becoming one of the best field agents in the NTS. While on an assignment at an amusement park, Jungwoo meets Yoon Hyein (Soo Ae), a schoolteacher, and is immediately captivated by her. Jungwoo meets Hyein again on an overseas mission in Italy after his transfer to the NTS. It's not before long that Jungwoo gets involved with the chase for Dr. Kim's nuclear technology and learns about the secret terrorist organization known as Athena. Jungwoo's feelings for Hyein are tested as he learns who she really is and her relationship to Son Hyuk. On top of everything else, he finds out his ex-girlfriend Han Jaehee (Lee Ji Ah) has joined the NTS.

I thought that Cha Seung Won was an absolute badass in this drama. I definitely felt he was a very suitable actor to play the villain, Son Hyuk. His character was pretty serious all the time and Cha Seung Won did a good job protraying those expressions. In fact, I was caught off guard when I saw him actually smiled, which I found it amusing. Also, I'm glad to know that his English is pretty good and not full of foreign accent. While I felt Jung Woo Sung was a good actor, his character Jungwoo was a little disappointing. There was hardly any backstory that motivated him as a person. As an audience member, there wasn't any motivation to root for him. Perhaps it's due to the fact Athena will always keep being compared to IRIS. Lee Byung Hun's character Hyunjoon was betrayed by the NSS, which made me feel sympathetic for him. My favorite surprise was the cameo guest appearance of BoA. BoA was returning to Korea for her 10th debut anniversary and was promoted her single "Hurricane Venus". With Super Junior's Siwon and DBSK's Changmin featured in Athena, as well as SNSD's Taeyeon's contribution to the soundtrack, BoA's appearance in the drama was fairly explainable. For those who may not know, Super Junior, DBSK, SNSD and BoA all come from the same music company, SM Entertainment.

The soundtrack is not too impressive, but still has two good songs. One of my favorite songs from Athena: Goddess of War is Supreme Team's "Get Ready". The song has a dark feel to it, complementing the fierce rapping ability of both Simon D and E-Sens and their raw hip hop style. The other song is "I Love You 사랑해요" sung by SNSD's Kim Tae Yeon. This song is a ballad track, showcasing the powerful vocal talents that Tae Yeon is known for.

It's difficult to watch Athena: Goddess of War knowing it's a spinoff on IRIS. I couldn't help but constantly draw comparisons between the two dramas. This drama has a very weak romantic story in my opinion. Compared to action dramas like IRIS, Fugitive: Plan B and City Hunter, hardly any effort was put into developing the love story between Jungwoo and Hyein compared to the foiling of the Athena terrorist group. I hoped to find more couple moments between them, but I was disappointed. The appeal that comes from this drama would be the action sequences, which are really good. There are very few modern action dramas and this drama is still a good choice. I recommend watching Athena: Goddess of War for those who are looking for an action drama or looking to pass some time until the actual sequel to IRIS is broadcasted. Also, in case IRIS 2 contains some references to Athena: Goddess of War, it is perhaps wise to watch this drama first.