Concrete Utopia

Giving this 7 star really mainly because Lee Byung Hun delivered as he always did. Stellar performance and script but clearly unrealistic ending whatsoever in a hopeful manner but still a show worth watching .Not much depth to the show so it's not too draggy along the way and the duration explains it because other than the survival that's going on and on there isn't any other topic or drama revolving around the show or characters. The characters can be more developed and would be nice to see more background story of the few main characters but i suppose it's not really necessary judging from the entire movie.

It is kinda like "Lord of the Flies", meets "I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash", meets a disaster movie.

Firstly, the effects are pretty good, and it is hard to tell what is practical and what is CGI for most part. There's not many studios out side Hollywood who can pull off these types of effects movies, and South Korea is certainly competing and catching up with them.

It is a psychological study of people in a crisis situation, and how you would react and what depths they would stoop to to survive.

It is well crafted, but there are some areas which you could only describe as major loop holes. I mean South Korea is a technically advanced nation, so where is the government within all this and the rescue operation. Even if the whole country was affected by the quake, there would be international aid. There is no explanation to why they are still in exactly the same position 2 months later.

Still, if you can put that aside, its an enjoyable disaster movie with plenty psychological twists.

Best Korean film of the year (that I've seen so far).

It follows a group of residents in an apartment complex that's the only thing left standing after a devastating earthquake. Other survivors try to move in to escape the cold, but the residents won't have it. Thus begins an intense scenario where people have to try and maintain some sort of order while battling the elements and hostile invaders.

This is an impressive disaster drama that begins almost lightheartedly, but turns darker by the minute. There's a comedic flair to the film's first act, but it mostly dissipates by the second hour. However, no matter how any of the scenes are played, there's a bleakness to everything that unfolds. It's like your typical postapocalyptic premise as seen in modern western cinema, but slightly deeper and infused with existentialism. The characters are also more fleshed out than you'd expect. Far from being archetypal heroes or villains, these are flawed people who find themselves in a heavy situation and react to it accordingly.

The whole cast carries the film well (Lee Byung-hun being the standout), with impressive technical specs that make me wanna rewatch this on a bigger screen (if only). In any case, big, big recommendation for this one if you're into disaster thrillers.

P. S. The final scene is really cool and stylishly displays the inversion of common human values in times of crisis. You'll know when you see it.

Concrete Utopia is a decent disaster survival thriller with solid direction, strong performances and production designs. Disaster movies aren't movies I see as art but rather as an entertainment popcorn movie. This movie does approach the themes more serious and explores themes of human selfishness and fight for survival.

The narrative does get predictable but it does provide some strong themes of human selfishness that felt effective and purposeful to the setting. The production designs, special effects and costumes are all pretty good that helped create the feeling of the danger and roughness of the aftermath's of the disaster. All the performances are pretty good without any bad performances observed throughout.

As I mentioned, the narrative is interesting but could use some better works on the writing. The characters, unfortunately, weren't as interesting or connectable as they felt too thin to care much.

Overall, the movie remains ambitious because I never felt bored and I found the emotional and crucial moments to be effective. If only the movie worked on some moments, the movie would have been much better.

A super, super realistic movie portraying human psychology in society. If you judge it solely from the trailer, you might mistake it for a disaster film, but what I appreciate more is how the director, through the character played by Lee Byung-hun, perfectly illustrates the dynamics of human societal systems. Of course, the disaster in this film, within the context of this single refuge, highlights how scarcity forces people to reconsider their self-interest and survival. Lee Byung-hun's portrayal reflects the desperation of individuals in the face of limited choices, always hoping for a leader to establish a system aligned with their interests. However, it often happens that in the midst of conflicting interests, they forget their initial intentions and, in the process, destroy the bigger picture. It's really thought-provoking - in times of chaos, heroes emerge, but these heroes might also be the ones betrayed at any moment. Quite ironic, isn't it?