[REVIEW] 'Steelay' opens new era for AI feature films

The science-fiction action film Steelay opened in local theaters on Oct. 21, using AI tools throughout production to tell a story about a young man, an AI ally and a rogue autonomous robot. At 90 minutes, it is described as the longest Korean AI feature film to date. The review notes visible AI-generated elements but says human selection and finishing work helped deliver a complete commercial film. Director Seol Woo-in said story, characters, action and emotion matter most to audiences.

Laon Company Plus produced the film on a budget of under around 1 billion won ($750,000) over six months.

The production team selected final scenes from roughly 13,000 discarded options, with humans making the final cuts.

The film’s plot follows Yoon Kang, who takes up a combat suit left by his father and joins AI Ara to fight a virus and AIRA, a rogue autonomous robot.

Human voice actors provided dubbing, which the team combined with lip syncing, sound mixing and digital intermediate processes.

Seol Woo-in began directing AI films with Code G, a collection of five short AI movies released last year.

Published Oct 29, 2026 8:39 pm KST

A scene from movie "Steelay" / Courtesy of Laon Company Plus

Korea has entered a new cinematic frontier with the release of the science-fiction action movie "Steelay," which hit local theaters on Oct. 21.

The movie drew strong interest before its release as it applied artificial intelligence (AI) tools across the entire production process instead of relying on the technology for just a few specific scenes.

“Steelay” follows Yoon Kang, a young man who steps into a combat suit left by his father and teams up with the AI Ara to fight a virus and a rogue autonomous robot named AIRA.

As AIRA begins to treat humans as threats, the film mirrors contemporary real world discussions surrounding agentic AI and autonomous decision making systems where machines act without human command.

Running for 90 minutes, "Steelay" stands out as the longest Korean AI feature film to date, outpacing recent 60-minute AI movies like "I'm Popo" and "Man in Hanbok."

Produced by Laon Company Plus on a modest budget of under around 1 billion won ($750,000) within a compact six-month production period, the movie demonstrates how independent imagination can materialize on screen.

The movie still has noticeable AI visual elements and occasional awkward action movements compared to big budget films that remind audiences of the AI used. However, the production team kept the visual quality steady by picking the best scenes from roughly 13,000 discarded options, relying entirely on human decisions for the final cuts.

Although early AI video clips were treated mostly as internet memes, rapid technological advances now allow creators to deliver consistent visuals and natural facial expressions. "Steelay" reflects this rapid evolution, pushing the boundary of full time AI production by turning a technology experiment into a complete narrative film intended for commercial theaters.

Seeing a high-tech superhero suit against a distinctly Korean backdrop offers a fresh contrast, even though the visual language draws inspiration from Hollywood action blockbusters. The production company also brought in human voice actors for dubbing to eliminate the uncanny audio friction typically found in AI generated speech, proving that human intervention remains crucial in refining artificial creativity.

To bridge the gap, the filmmakers integrated precise lip syncing with professional dubbing, sound mixing and digital intermediate processes. Thanks to this detailed finishing work, the movie looks and sounds just as good as standard commercial movies.

Director Seol Woo-in, an actor who started using AI to direct films with "Code G," a collection of five short AI movies last year, emphasized that technology remains merely a tool. Speaking after the premiere of the movie in Seoul last month, she said telling a good story and moving people's hearts are still the most important elements in making a movie.

"While we made bold technical attempts, what ultimately matters to the audience is the characters, the story, the action and the emotion," Seol said.

科幻动作片《钢铁侠》（Steelay）于10月21日在韩国上映，该片全程运用人工智能技术，讲述了一个年轻人、一位人工智能盟友和一个失控的自主机器人之间的故事。片长90分钟，被誉为迄今为止韩国最长的人工智能电影。影评指出影片中可见人工智能生成的元素，但同时也表示，人工的筛选和后期制作最终成就了一部完整的商业电影。导演薛宇仁表示，故事、人物、动作和情感对观众而言最为重要。

Laon Company Plus 用不到 10 亿韩元（约合 75 万美元）的预算，历时六个月制作完成了这部电影。

制作团队从大约 13,000 个被弃用的场景中选出了最终的镜头，最终的剪辑工作由人工完成。

这部电影讲述了尹康穿上父亲留下的战斗服，加入AI Ara，对抗病毒和失控的自主机器人AIRA的故事。

真人配音演员进行了配音，团队将其与唇形同步、声音混合和数字中间片处理相结合。

薛宇仁开始执导人工智能电影，他执导的《Code G》是一部由五部人工智能短片组成的合集，于去年上映。

发布于2026年10月29日晚上8:39（韩国标准时间）

电影《斯蒂利》剧照 / 由 Laon Company Plus 提供

10月21日，科幻动作电影《钢铁侠》在韩国上映，标志着韩国电影进入了一个新的领域。

这部电影在上映前就引起了人们的极大兴趣，因为它在整个制作过程中应用了人工智能（AI）工具，而不是仅仅在几个特定场景中使用该技术。

《钢铁侠》讲述了尹康（Yoon Kang）的故事，他穿上父亲留下的战斗服，与人工智能阿拉（Ara）联手对抗病毒和名为艾拉（AIRA）的失控自主机器人。

随着 AIRA 开始将人类视为威胁，这部电影反映了当今现实世界中关于智能人工智能和自主决策系统的讨论，在这些系统中，机器无需人类指令即可行动。

《钢铁侠》片长 90 分钟，是迄今为止韩国最长的 AI 电影，超过了最近时长 60 分钟的 AI 电影，如《我是波波》和《穿韩服的男人》。

该片由 Laon Company Plus 制作，预算不到 10 亿韩元（约合 75 万美元），制作周期仅为六个月，展现了独立想象力如何在银幕上得以实现。

与那些会让人联想到人工智能的大制作电影相比，这部电影仍然保留了一些明显的AI视觉元素，偶尔也会出现一些略显生硬的动作场面。然而，制作团队通过从大约13000个被舍弃的镜头中挑选出最佳场景，并完全依靠人工决策完成最终剪辑，从而保证了影片视觉质量的稳定。

尽管早期的AI视频片段大多被视为网络迷因，但技术的飞速发展如今已使创作者能够呈现一致的视觉效果和自然的面部表情。《斯蒂利》正是这种快速发展趋势的体现，它将一项技术实验转化为一部面向商业影院的完整叙事电影，从而突破了全职AI制作的界限。

高科技超级英雄战衣与极具韩国特色的背景形成鲜明对比，即使其视觉语言借鉴了好莱坞动作大片，也依然令人耳目一新。制作公司还特意邀请真人配音演员进行配音，以消除人工智能语音中常见的生硬音效，这证明人类的参与对于提升人工智能的创造力仍然至关重要。

为了弥补这一差距，电影制作团队将精准的唇形同步与专业的配音、混音和数字中间片制作流程相结合。得益于这些精细的后期制作，这部电影的视听效果与普通商业电影不相上下。

去年，身为演员的导演薛宇仁开始尝试运用人工智能技术执导电影，推出了包含五部人工智能短片的合集《Code G》。她强调，技术终究只是一种工具。上个月在首尔举行的首映式后，她表示，讲述一个好故事、打动人心，仍然是电影制作中最重要的元素。

“虽然我们进行了大胆的技术尝试，但最终对观众来说重要​​的是角色、故事、动作和情感，”薛说。