Just got done watching this Korean movie. It is pretty excellent and a great movie for when you are having that Zombie craving but don’t want to sit through season after season of your favorite show (in my case, the Walking Dead).

The thing I like about this movie is that it’s so reserved in a way. It’s not that it isn’t exciting. It definitely is, but there’s something about a movie that is primarily told from the perspective of a single survivor. You kind of just deal with this one kid and how he handles things which makes it feel intimate. Think like the first couple episodes of Walking Dead.

Now, speaking of the kid. When I first saw the film, both times (once when it came out and then again now years later), the boy almost feels disappointing. Like, this CANNOT be the hero of this film. He’s a gamer with bleached hair (a Korean thing, sort of like the American version of a mohawk), kind of slow initially. But I think that’s kind of the point. He’s not some Rick Grimes, or even some responsible adult with life-experience; he’s a young guy like any other kid his age.

The premise is simple: a young man (High School or just early 20s) wakes up in his family’s apartment and has the world quite literally turned on its head. His family was out at the time and he finds himself trapped inside with limited food and rightfully terrified.

This film is on Netflix. I believe it does have an English dub of it, but it’s not the same. Koreans are fairly subtle in how they talk, the tone and all that, and it’s kind of jarring in English in my opinion. I get subtitles aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there really isn’t THAT much talking in this film and in my opinion comes across a lot better in its original language.

Possible Spoilers ahead (depending on how much information you want):

The thing I really like about this film is the way the kid reacts. It’s visceral and realistic. He goes through all the stages of disbelief, fear and shock that would accompany such a horrifying event.

Now, with these zombies, they are pretty typical Korean fare. If you don’t know what I mean, they’re more World War Z. Runners, a bit smart with reminiscent memories, like an absolutely horrifying firefighter zombie that deftly starts climbing a rope, because, you know, training.

Now, it’s not just this kid. There is also a young woman that he discovers half-way through the film. For me, it’s always kind of shocking to see her, because in my K-Drama days she was an all-star from some of my favorite shows. Ironically, she was in one (YEARS AGO, Koreans just unfairly don’t age) where she was a recluse trapped in her apartment. It’s just funny considering the movie.

I also really appreciate the ending. I won’t go into it, because that’s just a step too far, but it really is impactful and I appreciate seeing something that isn’t the normal American eye-roll ending that I’ve come to expect.