All of Us Are Dead

When I heard of this Korean high school zombie series I was interested, despite the subject matter being done to death over the years. Then I saw the trailer and thought it looked amazing. Having just finished up the show, I can confirm that this is one of the most entertaining shows out there, and far surpasses the likes of THE WALKING DEAD. The small scale works a treat and somehow they manage to eke out the momentum over the whole 12-episode arc. It never feels too small and it never feels dull, packed as it is with expertly directed action and tense mayhem. The Koreans excel in this one and I loved every minute of it.

There is a lot to say about this zombie teenage drama.

The zombie portion is done very well, the only reason I bumped it up to 7 stars instead of 6 is how all of the constituent parts come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts, but this series is not without its flaws.

If you can appreciate good acting, a nice score, great cinematography, and a decent story (and love zombies) then this is for you.

However, if you're a logically minded person then this will be a trial of frustration in which characters will continually make the worst decisions possible.

Whatever you imagine you would do in the character's situation you can almost bet that they will go about things in the worst way imaginable. This is a compounding problem. There is no salvation from idiocy here, only bad decision after bad decision. This can be tolerated to an extent but the frustration only continues to rise.

Despite this glaring problem, everything else balances it out. It's worth watching if only because the dumb decisions benefit from the suspension of disbelief. You will find yourself rooting for the cast and get caught up in their emotional drama. You will find both high points and low points worth celebrating and mourning, all of the braindead decision-making be damned, you'll still be forced to feel something.

It's not the best zombie flick, but it's a damn good addition and a worthy addition to the Z-roster. Don't let this one escape you, just be prepared for the frustration that will inevitably rise.

There's a lot to unpack here, but the core problem is that there are maybe 6 great episodes worth of content in this 12 episode series.

When it gets it right, it gets it very right. Love, loss, longing, poignancy, savagery and pathos, it's all there. The writing, acting and production are strong enough to get you engaged, so as the cast get chowed on, you'll feel it.

However, it suffers from uneven tone, with too many cliched tropes and characters. Big-awkward guy, punky-girl, straight-laced nerd hottie, alpha and beta heroes, coward, and generic thug villain. You've seen them all before, many times.

Some scenes eschew peril for jarring slapstick, which breaks you right out of immersion. There's far, far too much shrieking, repetition, indecision, repetition, pointless sacrifice, and repetition.

Still, the effects, both practical, makeup and subtle CGI are top notch, the overall story arc is well conceived, and there are a few touching character developments.

It's not amazing, but it's solid, and it ends strongly and credibly without pushing the To Be Continued too hard. Just about worth your time.

South Korea can make damn good zombie shows.

Overall, this was a fun, intense, and emotional watch. I binged it and couldn't stop, which I normally get bored of doing with most shows.

The characters were greatly developed and the story was compelling. You'll find yourself shocked with grief, laughing at well executed jokes, or intensely watching the screen wondering what will happen. Literally anyone can die in this, which adds to the anticipation. If you aren't into reading subtitles the English dubbing was also well done.

A couple quirks here and there, like the constant replaying of old scenes during "aha" or reminiscing moments. It's a bit overdone but not a problem really.

I don't want to give it a 10 because it's not like it's the best show ever made, but I would give it a 10/10 for entertainment alone. Definitely worth the watch.

All of Us Are Dead is South Korea's latest entry into its esscalating body of undead mayhem (Train to Busan, #Alive, Happiness).

All of Us Are Dead pulls no punches and unleashes a savage and seemingly never-ending assault of fast-running zombies on an unfortunate squad of students who've managed to survive the first wave of a zombiecalypse. With 12 episodes running 1 hr long each, it gets a bit exhausting at times due to continuous gore and violence, yet it sticks to the basics and delivers a positive outcome, although there's nothing new.

All of Us Are Dead's zombie action is never not impressive. Whether it's giant chaotic crowd shots, massive ensemble brawls, or tricky "oners," this is massively kinetic storytelling that will drain you as emotionally as it drains our heroes physically. Likewise, there are dozens of instances involving astounding body acting.

All of Us Are Dead may not offer up anything exactly new in the realm of zombie carnage other than its somewhat cruel and unrelenting nature, but sometimes that's enough to pull off some damn effective survival horror.

My Rating : 7.5/10.