Concrete Utopia

A film that tells the story of humanity's survival from a terrible disaster. But the disaster that really threatens them is actually human nature itself. This film depicts humanity at its worst.

I love how the film opens with a documentary about the development of apartments and their importance in upgrading modern lifestyle and providing convenience. Throughout the film, the apartment becomes a symbol of protection and not just a place for them to live.

Right after that, we get to see the terrible disaster that seemed funny and absurd to me. They said it was an earthquake, but what I saw feels like Godzilla is coming out from surface of the earth. No reason prior to it, no news from the government, no presence of military powers.

There is a scene that discusses whether to accept the outsiders (non-resident) or to evict them. Since food resources have become scarce with the increase of people, they need to make an important decision which will be voted according to the majority of the original residents.

I felt like this scene should've been more intense and more dramatic because it questions the moral of humanity. Accepting and helping them will result in reducing food resources while casting them out means letting them to die with no protection. Doesn't this count as a 'Collective Act of Murder'?

But the scene felt light and less serious and the decision they chose also seemed easy to make without any strong objections from others. Maybe it's the director's vision to show the selfish nature of human greed when they feel threatened.

To be honest, there is not a single character in this movie that I like. The lack of character development makes it difficult for me to connect with them.

Overall, this movie is quite good and fun to watch especially for fans of disaster movies and survival movies.

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.

Concrete Utopia doesn't do anything particularly new for the dystopian thriller sub-genre, but it's consistently engaging and well-executed. Is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise.

Concrete Utopia presents a disturbing picture of humanity that dribbles into the absolute worst when the social structure is dismembered and survival becomes the only need of the hour. Talking about the direction, Uhm Tae Hwa did a good job in capturing raw human nature in every possible way. The cinematography and acting, especially by Lee Byung Hun, were also enthralling.

Concrete Utopia is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation.

My Rating : 8.5/10.

Seoul is reduced to rubble when a powerful earthquake strikes in the winter. One concrete apartment tower remains standing in the ruins. Violence breaks out as people realize that resources and shelters are extremely limited. The residents of the sole standing apartment tower divide into camps of those with empathy for other survivors and outsiders, and those who feel they are separate from everyone else and must beat others into submission to survive. A man and woman living in one of the apartments each picks a different side.

"I can look at a person and recognize if they are cheating me," says the man chosen as the apartment complex leader. In Korea each such complex has its own culture and rules, and this man - a former soldier - quickly assumes command. However, this chosen leader is hiding a dark side. Sparks fly between the couple as well as the complex as a whole as people line up behind the leader, or choose to disobey.

Director Um Tae-hwa said he is interested in how people are transformed during a crisis. The film is based on a Cheerful Neighbor web-comic story about a similar disaster where people become selfish bullies, or not. "There is no absolute evil or good," he said. The complex characters of the film reveal this truth. They are not black and white, and that is a good thing. Um Tae-hwa appeared at the North American premier at the Toronto International Film Festival. "If you post comments about the film on social media," he said "I will read them."

I loved the theme of the film; people choosing to bully others or to be kind to them, when a crisis hits. There are people who choose rules, violence, and other forms of separation, and those who choose kindness, love, and sharing. The characters are intriguing as well, the acting is solid, and commentary interesting. The film isn't using computer generated imagery as a crutch and pleasantly relies on more traditional forms of film making. Thought is given to each situation as well as human warmth and humor.

So, see what prevails, love or the fist.

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.