A sudden zombie outbreak will find two youngsters trapped in their flats opposite each other, making an escape plan.
I’m a sucker for build-up. You know, character and story development. Think of Train to Busan (2016) in this instance; patiently and suspensefully builds the narrative up before everything goes sideways. So, for horror fans who have watched countless zombie films, the opening sequence does not feel original or anything at all. I believe, the most impressive scene throughout the first thirty minutes is the police officer scene.
Things start getting interesting after the hero’s breakdown and big exodus. The action and thrill for the battle of survival pick up the pace and gradually get your attention. The pace is about to die out soon after though but is saved by the presence of Park Shin-hye’s character (Kim Yoo-bin). If you haven’t seen her in anything else, you should definitely try the same year’s and also Netflix’s production, The Call (2020) https://atomic-temporary-153424946.wpcomstaging.com/2020/12/06/the-call-2020-horror-mystery-thriller/
But then, pace, rhythm, suspense, and action all die out together faster than the film’s outbreak. It manages to pick up again, but the effort was nothing new. Shame really, I wish the filmmakers had decided what kind of film they wanted to make. It seems like the genres are cancelling one another. If it’s any consolation, the film was a shockingly huge commercial success!
RIP Kim Ki-duk (20.12.1960 – 11.12.2020)
Stay safe… and alive!
P.S. Challenge: Try to count how many times the word ‘alive’ is said.
I do like a Zombie film but so many of them are very much same old same old. Have you watched The Cured totally different way of making a Zombie film.
Ah, The Cured! Excellent example of an indie horror that no one really knows but had great impact on me but also horror fans. You are right. Thanks for bringing it up.