Operation Undead

I saw this one in the cinema because the story and trailer intrigued me. A made-in-Japan zombie virus lands on Thai shores during World War II, so the Japanese and Thai army have to contain the threat and keep it under cover at any cost. There is enough war action and some interesting set pieces (tropical beach, jungle, cave etc.), plus good portions of blood and gore, which was a nice surprise. However, as usual with Thai movies, a lot of unnecessary melodrama kicks in and it's made worse from the fact that the zombie ghouls...speak and weep for their families and loved ones... As a result, it's not as good as the previous Thai zombie film I'd seen (The Black Death from 2015), but it still has some interesting zombie mayhem moments to offer. As an extra note, the director started as part of the 'Ronin Team', responsible for the black magic horror classics Art Of The Devil 2&3, so he shows a taste for blood and gore in this offering as well. And it's not a zomedy, which is a good thing.

The idea of humanizing the undead or giving them intelligence and emotional complexity is nothing new.

George A. Romero did it in Day Of The Dead and his following sequels. Return Of The Living Dead (the entire series) did it. And many, many others have tried as well. Some were successful. Most were not.

This film attempts to make one see the undead as intelligent, complex, emotional beings while at the same time show them as the brutal flesh eaters they really are.

And? It kinda falls flat.

There are logic holes and confusing convoluted plot points that take you out of the film and leave you saying, "why?"

The gore effects are somewhat impressive and creative but the CGI is less than stellar and in some scenes it is so obviously bad you think they switched over to a 10 year old video game suddenly.

Don't think however, that this makes it a bad film.

It's actually quite good. Entertaining. Exciting. Intelligent. Fun.

It's just flawed and can feel somewhat unfinished at times.

It is well worth watching one time but I don't see this as being a repeated watch experience.

With the backdrop of World War II, the plot explores the historical fiction of Thailand's involvement in the war conflict and how the Japanese-engineered chemical weapon outbreaks, as well as how the Japanese military experiments on Thai soldiers.

The pace is rather uneven at times, where intense actions are suddenly interchanged with slow moments.

Unlike any typical mindless zombies, in this movie, the zombies retain a degree of consciousness and emotional depth, where they can communicate among themselves. This could be unacceptable to some audiences!

In terms of character development, only Mek and Mok (the two brothers) are well-developed, while the other supporting characters lack depth and growth, making it less impactful even though they are killed.

In general, this movie critiques the brutality of war that tears families apart. It also focuses very much on family bonds and the relationship between the two brothers, Mek and Mok. For instance, even in their zombie state, they strive to protect their family and loved ones. In short, the movie's emotional weight mainly comes from the strong family ties.

In summary, the movie offers a new and daring perspective on the zombie genre, infusing with humanity, social commentary, and emotional complexity. Oh ya, there is an end-credit, so remember to stay back for it!

We have to keep in mind that this is an Asian zombie film, never really designed for a Western audience. It explores topics, beliefs, and practices that may feel unfamiliar - even confusing - to many viewers. One of the reasons I enjoy Asian zombie films is that nothing is sacred; they don't shy away from showing women or children being attacked, sometimes to a level of extreme gore that Western films rarely touch. Western zombie movies tend to romanticize the horror, but here, everyone is truly equal prey. And speaking of gore, this film delivers it in spades - blood, guts, torn limbs, and rotting flesh. You might want to choose your movie snacks carefully.

The zombies themselves are also different from what we're used to. I've always liked the way Asian horror films handle "the wake-up moment" of the undead, and this film uses a similar approach. But these zombies go further - they regain consciousness, fragments of memory, and even the ability to communicate, at least sporadically. Other times, they're just mindless creatures growling and munching on entrails. Interestingly, their intelligence is reflected in their eyes: the more intelligent ones have solid-colored eyes (where both color and iris size seem to matter), while the less intelligent have one red and one blue eye, making them look more comical than frightening. The idea of a "conscious zombie" may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's an intriguing twist.

The runtime isn't very long, but honestly, a shorter cut might have worked better. The pacing swings wildly - some scenes are packed with action, while others drag to the point of being boring, far more than I expected after seeing the trailer. When the zombies spoke, it felt reminiscent of the apes in Planet of the Apes - though far less compelling. There's also a fair amount of filler content - scenes that seem there only to pad the runtime. And while the moment with one of the soldiers covering himself in mud felt like a fun nod to Schwarzenegger in Predator, it also felt a bit out of place. And what about the extreme flammability of zombies?

All that said, Operation Undead is still a fairly watchable movie, and if you're a devoted zombie-horror fan, I'd recommend giving it a try. Just remember: don't compare it too directly to Western zombie films. Asian horror has always leaned more heavily on spiritual and paranormal elements, even in creature features. Some Korean films, like Train to Busan, are more Western-oriented exceptions, but this Thai film takes a distinctly different approach - and that's part of what makes it unique.

Initially I was thrilled to watch the 2024 Thai zombie movie "Operation Undead" from writer and director Kome Kongkiat Komesiri. Sure, I had never heard about it, but a movie that combines two of my favorite things, Asian movies and zombie movies, of course I needed no persuasion to check out the movie.

But my excitement was short-lived. While the concept behind the movie is interesting, the execution from script to screen just didn't work out all that well. This wasn't your average zombie movie, by any means, for better or worse. Writer and director Kome Kongkiat Komesiri took a gamble and opted to have zombies with memories and limited speech functions, and it just didn't tickle my interest. And it became a struggle to sit through the movie.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, which was something that spoke in favor of the movie. But the storyline just stood no chance, despite the fact that the acting performances in the movie were fair enough.

The special effects in the movie were also good, but again hardly mattered much as the storyline just brutally cut it short. Why would the eyes of the infected Thai people turn two different colors? That I just simply couldn't understand. It made zero sense.

"Operation Undead" was a disappointment to say the least, and it is not a movie that I was entertained by. Nor is it a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time. If you are a zombie fan, check out writer and director Kome Kongkiat Komesiri's movie, you might just find some enjoyment here, despite me not doing so.

My rating of "Operation Undead" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.