Sweet Home 3 Full Review: Song Kang, Lee Do Hyun, and Go Min Si starrer brings magnificent climax to monster chronicle with tear-jerking moments

Sweet Home 3, featuring Song Kang, Lee Do Hyun, and Go Min Si, has come to an end, marking the conclusion of an epic era. Check out the complete review of Sweet Home 3 here.

Updated on Jul 20, 2024  |  05:57 PM IST |  130.3K
Sweet Home 3; Image: Netflix
Sweet Home 3; Image: Netflix

Name: Sweet Home 3

Premiere date: July 19, 2024

Cast: Song Kang, Go Min Si, Lee Do Hyun, Lee Jin Wook

Director: Lee Eung Bok

Writer: Hong So Ri, Kim Hyung Min, Park So Jung

Number of episodes: 8

Genre: Apocalyptic, Horror, Action

Where to watch: Netflix

Plot of Sweet Home 3 

Sweet Home 3 is a thrilling apocalyptic horror K-drama based on the famous original Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young Chan. As revealed by director Lee Eung Bok and noticed by viewers themselves, Sweet Home series diverges from the webtoon in many points: Cha Hyun Su’s character development, Lee Eun Hyeok, and Lee Eun Yu’s fate, bringing new characters like Seo Yi Su (the mutant child) and her mother Seo Yi Kyung. 

Sweet Home 3 chronicles the story of Cha Hyun Su (Song Kang) who must accept his monster self and become the hero the story requires him to be and put an end to the heinous nemesis that stands before him.

Sweet Home 3 brings a commendable ending to the monster chronicle we have been following since 2020. The story kicked off where it left off, Cha Hyun Su (Song Kang) and his monster self are still in battle. However, as the series progresses, the monster self and the human self of Cha Hyun Su finally understand each other and become one. This union is the beginning of a new dawn.

Cha Hyun Su’s nemesis, Pyeon Sang Wook (Lee Jin Wook), who was revealed to be Seo Yi Kyung’s (Lee Si Young) dead fiancé, is the first monster human who now has a great plan to rule the world by transferring himself into a better body, that of his mutant daughter, Seo Yi Su.

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Lee Eun Yu (Go Min Si) becomes the only one who can connect with Cha Hyun Su, interestingly with his monster self as well. Meanwhile, her search for Lee Eun Hyuk (Lee Do Hyun) finally ends as her brother returns as a neohuman. 

The final season further pushes other characters like Sergeant Kim and Tak, Park Chan Young, Cha Jin Ok, and more to find their purpose in life admirably. 

Sweet Home 3 aims to become the herald of a new dawn where humans finally understand the meaning of humanity as do the monsters. 


Where Sweet Home 3 wins

Sweet Home 3 undoubtedly emerges triumphant in presenting the biblical conclusion to the monster thriller, which seemed hard to achieve. This end will make you feel satisfied—after all, isn't that what endings are supposed to do? In short, Sweet Home 3 stands admirably tall on all the expectations that were set for it and fulfills the grand quest it had undertaken.

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Cha Hyun Su’s (Song Kang) character development is one of the standout aspects of this season. His monster self’s action scenes, combined with his snarky yet charming aura, captivate the audience. His banter with Lee Eun Yu further endears him to viewers.

Spoiler Alert: Cha Hyun Su’s newfound powers—to turn monsters into humans once again by entering their unconscious and ridding them of their desires—finally come to light when his human and monster selves become one. This transformation is one of the biggest wins of the last season.

Lee Eun Hyuk’s (Lee Do Hyun) transformation into a neohuman and his return are other highlights of the season. His fight with Cha Hyun Su and his bittersweet reunion with Lee Eun Yu (Go Min Si) provide a great sense of relief. What stands out is that even as a neohuman, Lee Eun Hyuk remains the calculative leader figure who learns quickly and acts as though he feels nothing, yet does.

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A truly satisfying moment is the reunion of the iconic trio: Cha Hyun Su, Lee Eun Hyuk, and Lee Eun Yu. It's heartwarming to see them caring for each other and banding together to finally find their “sweet home,” where humans and monsters can coexist.

The last season also gives a deserved end to Lee Yi Kyung and her daughter, Lee Yi Su, as they finally reconcile. Lee Yi Kyung’s ending is heartbreaking yet just.

The series triumphs in delivering a deserved end to Nam Sang Won, the real monster who took control over Pyeon Sang Wook’s body. His demise is biblical, providing a justified end to a psycho monster like him. The connection between his end and his daughter Lee Yi Su’s existence deeply moves the audience.

Lastly, Sergeant Tak’s character arc deserves a special mention. His final fate, in which he fulfills his purpose and saves everyone, is particularly noteworthy.


Cast Performances

Let's give a bow to Song Kang, Lee Do Hyun, Go Min Si, and Lee Jin Wook for bringing their challenging characters to life.

Unsurprisingly, Song Kang as Cha Hyun Su charms as he battles with his monstrous side, cares for his loved ones, and fights to protect everyone. Song Kang especially stood out in his portrayal of the growth in his character and his final transformation into an exemplary protagonist—a hero. The actor fulfills the colossal feat of moving with the weight of the protagonist, Cha Hyun Su, in an applaud-worthy performance.

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Lee Do Hyun, to everyone’s relief, returns with his snarky charm and a calm yet slightly frightening demeanor as he takes on the quest to kill Nam Sang Won. Lee Do Hyun captivates with his sly smiles, calm intelligence, and snarky banter with Cha Hyun Su and Lee Eun Yu. He succeeds in portraying Lee Eun Hyuk as an unfeeling and calculative neohuman who, despite everything, still harbors human emotions.

Go Min Si’s portrayal of Lee Eun Yu catches the eye as she has grown into a sympathetic woman who refuses to give up on the only two people she can trust: Cha Hyun Su and Lee Eun Hyuk. Her resilience as a sister and better half of Cha Hyun Su is amazingly portrayed on screen by Go Min Si.

Finally, it goes without saying that Lee Jin Wook has done an applaudable job in portraying the main antagonist of Sweet Home 3, Nam Sang Won. He becomes the ideal villain in all respects by exuding the much-needed fear combined with the psychotic tendencies every supervillain has.

Additionally, stars like Jung Jin Young, Kim Mu Yeol, Lee Si Young, Kim Si A, Oh Jung Se, and Yu Oh Seong succeed in presenting moving performances that manage to forge connections with the viewers. They prevail in bringing emotions to the brim, whether it be pain, sacrifice, anger, love, or empathy.

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Where Sweet Home 3 loses

Sweet Home 3 misses only twice:

  1. In bringing Lee Do Hyun later than he should have arrived.
  2. The series’ pace slows down in the middle of the run, though not too much, which is a relief.

Here’s my final verdict of Sweet Home 3

Sweet Home 3 is victorious in presenting a grand conclusion that manages to scare, move, make you question humanity, jerk tears, and finally smile in the way it was meant to.

Final verdict: Sweet Home 3 becomes one of the best monster-genre, apocalyptic horror watches out there. Everyone needs to watch this monster tale of Cha Hyun Su and others and find the real meaning of humanity and survival. In conclusion, it’s time to binge Sweet Home 3!

ALSO READ: Sweet Home 3 Early Review: Song Kang, Go Min Si starrer serves intense monster platter, builds curiosity for Lee Do Hyun's return

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About The Author

Tanya, on this side of the screen, probably with a Bangtan Bomb and my K-pop playlist on the play.

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Credits: Netflix
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