Here is my review of the new Netflix South Korean zombie series All of Us Are Dead (2022). This is a quick rundown of the first three episodes of All of Us Are Dead.
All of Us Are Dead (2022) Series Review
So there’s a new zombie series that has arrived on Netflix and it is a long one, so I wanted to give you a quick review for the first three episodes just to let you know if it’s even worth investing in.
All of US Are Dead is from South Korea and it’s twelve episodes in total, with each of them being an hour long. So buckle in.
A group of students trapped in a high school find themselves in dire situations as they seek to be rescued from a zombie invasion of their school.
All right, so we have seen scenarios like this before, I mean, even in zombie movies, and my main fear of watching this was whether or not it was just going to be a rehashing of films like Cooties Hashtag Alive or even Trained to Busan.
And there are similarities to those stories, but the thing that this does so well is how it invests me in the characters and their survival.
It’s also fun watching teenagers work through this problem because they’re better equipped by being quick thinkers and being aware of zombie movies, but they can also fall into the same trap as everybody else by being rash and out for only themselves.
So far, I’ve really been enjoying the incredible tension and the great sense of peril that I feel for the characters.
I don’t like all of them, which is exactly how I’m supposed to feel, but I became invested in so many of them and then I was surprised and then saddened when some just don’t survive.
The Gore is impressive and it’s fairly grotesque but in a good way. So far the zombies seem more like they’re from the universe of World War II rather than Night of Living Dead. People don’t seem to be a source of food, but more of a host for a virus or some kind of disease.
Now this being a horror series, there is a creep factor to a degree. It’s terribly tense, but it’s not too scary and there are some jump scenes, but I think they’re pretty effective and they didn’t feel cheap.
I really love the movements and the actions of the zombies. It’s impressive at how disturbing they are with these jerky and just quick reflexes and they skip frames and it’s unsettling.
As tensions and anxiety raise, there’s the sentiment of The Lord of the Flies that takes over and then it influences actions, which I think works to raise even more dread.
There are also storylines going on in several different locations with different characters, but I really hope that these stories are going to converge because all of the characters are connected in one way or another.
The cinematography is done extremely well. There are a number of continuous shot sequences that put us right into the middle of the chaos.
I loved watching this play out and while there is a lot of claustrophobic sequences that just are there to make us squirm, there are also some wonderful aerial shots to show what’s going on in context so that it allows us to watch the events play out in full scale across the campus and then the city.
Surprisingly, there’s some comedy in this and it’s quirky and subtle, but I found it to be pretty funny. It would come in unexpected moments to break the tension, but somehow it fits perfectly within the scenes.
Now, this isn’t a perfect show. I mean, sometimes the music feels a bit out of place, like it’s more light hearted than the scene demands, which then creates this odd feeling.
And then there are some ridiculous scenes. I mean at one point these police line up to block the street to prevent the zombies from getting past, but the police are only lined up in the street and even though there’s a wide opening on both sides of the asphalt, I guess just zombies can only go in straight lines and they don’t know how to walk around a blockade.
The special effects are mainly really goodness, but there are some sequences that look like they are video game cutscenes.
These are forgivable, but they’re also noticeable and the story is evolving and becoming more dramatic, but not in a soap opera type of way.
I’m invested in the characters and I really like how there are complexities within the players, and even as the zombies are the main villains, other villains begin to emerge because of prejudices, and then that’s all creates just incredible tense exchanges.
Now I want the characters to make smart decisions as the show goes along, but I can already see that some actions are certainly going to lead to disaster for individuals and then groups.
And the pace of the storytelling is pretty driving. There’s this constant pressure to the momentum as more and more just goes to crap, and this doesn’t feel rushed yet, but it’s not dragging either.
And I’m curious at how the story is going to sustain this over 12 hours. And I know that The Walking Dead sustained itself over multiple seasons, but come on, that’s not a great show and the writing for a lot of it is poo, even though there are some really good seasons and characters.
The point is that that show has way more than 12 hours worth of content and for the most part it’s engaging and compelling, which keeps everybody watching.
So far, I’m really enjoying all of US Are Dead. I will be following up with a full series review once I’m done, but I just wanted to give you at least an idea if you should begin the bench.
Buckle in though, because you may find yourself sucked in and eating up your day. There’s no sex or nudity, but there is a lot of profanity and of course a crap ton of violence.
I preliminarily give All of Us Are Dead (2022) Netflix Series four out of five.
So are you watching this? What do you think of the show so far let me know in the comments below.
Guys thank you so much as always for reading my review of the new 2022 Netflix Series, All of Us Are Dead.
All of Us Are Dead (2022) Series Trailer
Check out the trailer of the new Netflix South Korean zombie series, All of Us Are Dead 2022.
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