#Alive (2020)
Just when we thought we were international zombied out…
Derivative, more than a little chewed over, and predictable…but eh…it’s alright.
#Alive is the latest Korean zombie flick to shamble into an increasingly crowded herd including the wonderful Train to Busan, the fairly fun Seoul Station (a prequel to Train to Busan), and the (often deathly slow) historical horror romp that is Kingdom.
The premise is pretty straightforward. Some sort of virus hits Seoul, people start eating one another, an unlikely hero plays last man on earth in his apartment, he meets a girl, they climb ropes, and bad zombies munch on good people.
Sound familiar?
Truth be told, there isn’t a lot that’s new in #Alive. The zombies are relatively standard runners ala 28 Days Later, the challenges (and how me meets them) of the main character are nearly identical to The Night Eats the World…and a lot of other flicks…and the most interesting part of the story - a character whose pre-zombie internet/phone/gadget-based life both limits and helps him cope with his new circumstance was done previously (and at least as well) in the book version of Max Brook’s World War Z.
But…it ain’t bad.
While the story is only slightly fresher than post-apocalypse sardines, the two main living actors (Yoo An In as the male techno-nerd lead and Park Shin Hye as a fairly badass young lady who is kind to plants) are attractive and charming. They are fun to watch and have pretty good on-screen chemistry.
The effects are also zombie suitable, shuffling into a personal soft spot: spooky and off-putting enough to be compelling without turning into a distracting and disturbing splatter fest.
And of course, who doesn’t enjoy seeing Seoul overrun by meat eating maniacs…which, come to think of it, describes most nights in that city even without the undead.
Not the best, but a perfectly respectable zomb-romp.
You can catch the #Alive virus HERE.
Two out of Five Zombie-killing Putters.
🏌🏿♀️🏌🏿♀️
Post Credit Bonus:
A quick sneak peak of the film -
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