‘Alive’ is a zombie horror film that follows a survivor, Oh Joon-woo, a gamer ill adapted for surviving the sudden spread of a virus that turns its victims into mindless flesh-eating monsters.
Set in present day, we are introduced to Joon-woo as he starts his day in an orderly fashion – waking up and setting out to commence gaming with a group of his online peers. Without undue delay, news reaches him of a viral outbreak, and together with him we witness the chaos that ensues around him.
Joon-woo sees the people outside his building panicking and being devoured by infected individuals, and is soon faced with an intruder attempting to escape the chaos outside. Warding him off, Joon-woo barricades within his abode and is shown dealing with isolation over the period of a few weeks, cutting to him as he attempts to contact the outside world, but to no avail.
As his food and water supplies run out, he attempts to hang himself, but is distracted by a neighbour from the building opposite his. The individual is revealed as Yoo-bin, a young woman shown to also have barricaded herself in her apartment and set up traps in case of a zombie intrusion. The two communicate and find joy in having someone to communicate with.
Soon after, as Yoo-bin’s building is breached, the two decide to make a break for it, meeting in the zombie infested street, and seeking shelter on the block. They encounter a masked man that saves them from the hoard and invites them in to his home. The stranger offers them food and water, but is revealed to have ulterior motives as he plans to feed the two to his infected wife. Escaping the stranger the two must now run as they have attracted the surrounding zombies to their presence. Making their way to the roof of the building, they are trapped by the onslaught of the hoard, but at the last minute, a rescue helicopter sweeps the two up and they are whisked away as the film concludes on numerous social media excerpts of others reporting their whereabouts.
‘Alive’ is an interesting presentation of the zombie flick in the modern era. As most people own smartphones and other high-tech gadgets, the use of these tools are shown to facilitate the attempts for survivors in an outbreak situation to make contact with others. As Joon-woo makes use of his drones, they are both shown as a useful and at times unreliable tool, as on one occasion a drone runs out of battery and on another is shown to effectively help distract a zombie.
‘Alive’ presents technology in a somewhat mixed manner however, as it is shown to be a great way to communicate, yet at other times falls flat on its face due to either misuse by the user or its restriction in capacity to facilitate the situation. The film therefore does not send a strong message one way or the other regarding tech as either a constructive or impeding force for good in an outbreak situation.
The film touches on the themes of isolation and loneliness and the desperation that stems from the two issues. Joon-woo is shown to refer to and in certain circumstances consult with the image of his family. Later in the film, as Joon-woo manages to receive a voice message from his family members and learns of their death, he is shown to dive deeper into the darkness of an already dire situation. Shortly thereafter he attempts suicide, but is saved by Yoo-bin. The film does not shy away from showing the despair Joon-woo is feeling as he slowly looses grip on reality after running out of food and water and as he starts to make use of the alcohol in his apartment. A very relatable situation for anyone having to isolate in their home, Joon-woo is saved by the fact that another person is going through the same thing. Perhaps the most poignant message of the film, Joon-woo and Yoo-bin’s connection is what makes the two heroes of the story sympathetic and relatable.
Visually the film is striking in that the creators have made good use of a limited number of locations and manage to create a claustrophobic and isolated feeling that the two main characters must face. As they are barricaded in their homes and surrounded by infected individuals, the though of leaving their homes is fear-inducing even although remaining indoors becomes at times unbearable.
In terms of the twists, scares and the conclusion of the film, ‘Alive’ makes great use of the tropes that an audience that has seen a zombie film before may be familiar with. The scenes darker in tone, including Joon-woo scavenging at night, Yoo-bin’s apartment being surrounded by zombies and the pair encountering the stranger with sinister motives feel predictable, and therefore do not leave a lasting impact, leaving the film to be enjoyed while it lasts, and to be forgotten soon there after.
Yoo Ah-in portrays Oh Joon-woo, a gamer shown to be ill prepared to take care of himself during a pandemic. Yoo Ah-in shows Joon-woo’s journey through coping with being isolated, feeling helpless and succumbing to depression. Yoo Ah-in delivers a range of emotion through his character as the gamer is portrayed to slip down a path to despair and is then lifted out again by being able to connect with someone.
Park Shin-hye portrays Kim Yoo-bin, a woman shown to have some idea about what to do in a dire situation, as she is shown to have set up booby traps and makes the use of a hatchet against the zombies. Park Shin-hye delivers a capable and strong character in Yoo-bin, whilst also revealing her insecurities, sadness and fear about what is going on around her, thereby presenting a multifaceted and intriguing individual.
The film is directed by Cho Il-hyung, and the screenplay is co-written by Cho and Matt Naylor, based on a 2019 script, ‘Alone’, by Naylor. ‘Alive’ delivers a novel approach to survivors dealing with a zombie apocalypse, yet the creators have made too much use of tired tropes, making the film bland, predictable and unable to maintain a sufficient level of intrigue and suspense through its runtime. The film has moments that help the audience relate to the fear the main characters are experiencing, yet they are too few and far in-between to create a lasting impact.
Score: 2/4
Comments