Are you an explosions kind of guy or a character kind of guy? Which is the same as asking, do you prefer Hollywood movies or indies? Even better, are you an Elvis person or a Beatles person? Is it hip-shakin’, rock-a-billy, honky-tonk, white diamond-studded leather coat with frills; or “Love, love, love”?

It’s a question of style over substance and though frivolous matters of taste don’t tend keep us up late at night, I have to ask because based on where you lean, you will either like “Volcano High” or hate it. I liked it, so that means I’m a Hollywood, Elvis, explosions guy. Which could then mean I’m a shallow, superficial, socially insensitive male who likes to see car chases and buildings explode. If I could only find a girl who liked the same, just to make those weekly video store runs more fun. Someone who would chose “Reservoir Dogs” over “The English Patient,” maybe?

Anyway, “Volcano High,” released 2001 and directed by Kim Tae-kyun, is a sort of fairytale set against the ambiguous backdrop of a fantastic high school that’s neither country nor modern, but a little of both. Here, all the students have super powers and/or super-skill sets, and identify according to sports clubs (weightlifting, la crosse, kendo) that essentially function as gangs. The center of action revolves around a struggle to find the Secret Manuscript that will end chaos in all school districts the world over. Thrown into the midst of this is mysterious transfer student Kim Kyung-soo, played by Jang Hyuck. He’s one of the more powerful super-kids who finds himself caught in the middle of an elaborate power struggle between the clubs vying for school control, and between students and the powerful dragoons for hire called the Kleaners, aka “the new teachers.”

The first thing any viewer will notice immediately is the movie’s look, which is taken straight from the stylebook of Sam Raimi (“Evil Dead II,” “Army of Darkness”): sharp angled shots, tilted camera, extreme close-ups and exaggerated expressions. Add to the salad, frenetic MTV editing and some snazzy use of split screens and what you have is a movie that looks like a caricature of Chinese martial arts films.

“Volcano High” has all the subtlety of a mallet crushing watermelons. You like it like that? Then there’s no problem. So add to the over-the-top, all-frills, all-thrills visual styling, the phenomenon of computer animated effects and you have just one more happy thing to look at. 

But if you’re looking for substance, Beatles kind of stuff, there is none.  This is not the kind of movie that encourages an emotional investment or actual caring about the characters. “Volcano High” has a plot at least, which provides forward progression to the story, but as far as being in anticipation of what happens next, this won’t happen. The plot is there just so the director can string together a series of very cool, rockin’ fight sequences, peppered by nominal CG effects. It’s all seamlessly done, but at the core, it’s pretty empty. (It should also be noted that this movie caters to those who can’t get enough of “Street Fighter” videogames.)