[Review] '#Salaliveotda' Zombie Thriller Enjoyed Like a Game, Refreshingly Streamlined

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] It is clean and straightforward. Like a game, it faithfully delivers the thrill of the chase and genre fun. The zombie film '#Alive,' perfect for people in their teens and twenties, is coming.

'#Alive' (director Jo Il-hyung) is a survival thriller depicting the story of people isolated alone in an apartment, cut off from data, Wi-Fi, text messages, and phone calls, amid uncontrollable chaos caused by people exhibiting unknown symptoms and starting attacks. Yoo Ah-in plays Jun-woo, the sole survivor, and Park Shin-hye plays Yubin, another survivor.

'#Alive' was initially known under the title 'Alone.' Filming began last fall and wrapped up in winter. Jo Il-hyung, a rookie director from the American Film Institute (AFI), adapted Matt Naylor's screenplay into a film. Yoo Ah-in appears in a zombie movie for the first time since his debut. He collaborated again with the production company Zip Cinema, following his previous film 'Default.'

On the fourth floor of an apartment in Seoul, a young man named Jun-woo lives. One morning, while his parents are away on a trip, he sits down to play games as usual but is startled to see zombies rampaging in the parking lot through the window. After a brief moment of confusion, he witnesses a neighbor, Sang-cheol (played by Lee Hyun-wook), suddenly turning into a zombie and sets out to survive. Though he cannot believe what is happening before his eyes, seeing the floor quickly stained with blood brings him back to reality. He hurriedly grabs the refrigerator to barricade the door.

He cannot leave the house. If the horde of zombies outside detects his presence, he will soon be torn apart by the flesh-eating zombies. Jun-woo locks himself inside and rationing food. For those of us living in a digital world, losing Wi-Fi is another kind of disaster. Jun-woo is desperately isolated like this. As time passes and the fact that he cannot leave the house becomes a source of fear and hopelessness, he encounters Yubin (played by Park Shin-hye), a survivor from the neighboring building.

The first 30 minutes of the film are so impressive that they can be called the climax. There is no unnecessary content. Zombies appear immediately at the start, breaking, attacking, biting, and tearing. The film does not elaborate on Jun-woo’s backstory or drama but introduces zombies right away. In a typical Korean film, Jun-woo’s story might have been drawn out extensively. However, '#Alive' boldly omits unnecessary drama and focuses on the fun of the genre, helping viewers immerse themselves.

In zombie films, the stories of Jun-woo or Yubin before the disaster are not particularly important. The decision to omit these and focus on the genre aspect is impressive. Also, the angle that lets viewers experience the zombie situation like a game screen is intriguing. It makes the audience fight zombies from Jun-woo’s perspective and isolates him in the middle of the apartment.

The latter part of the film loses some momentum. The film, which was faithful to the genre fun in the beginning, almost like watching a foreign film, reminds viewers in the latter half that '#Alive' is a Korean production. Settings such as infection through blood and zombies covered with blankets among the living protagonists hinder immersion. There is a significant tonal difference between the beginning and the end. However, the thriller aspect compensates for these shortcomings.

Yoo Ah-in returns with a relaxed and natural expression in '#Alive.' For him, a zombie film reads as a challenge itself. Since he was not familiar with genre films, expectations were high. It is a new face. For a while, he had been repeating characters with intense energy. This may be because attractive roles were given to him. In this film, he relaxes and throws himself into the disaster situation. Yoo Ah-in’s variation is interesting.

'#Alive' is less stimulating for a zombie film, so the entry barrier seems low. Compared to foreign zombie films, it is easy to watch without burden. There are fewer direct depictions of bodily harm and it is relatively less brutal. The primal fear zombies evoke is cute compared to foreign works like 'The Walking Dead' and 'Fear the Walking Dead.' The focus seems to be more on the chase scenes where zombies pursue and flee from Jun-woo. Rated 15 and over. 98 minutes. Opens June 24.

Photo = Lotte Entertainment

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.