So, i finished watching COLONY 2026 today on my bday.
• Villain is inspired by ALL OF US ARE DEAD where he controls all the zombies and communicate with them.
• To be honest i was more excited about Ji Chang Wook's role (security guard)
• Good part: new "mucus" concept, star cast, villain's and female lead's character, Chang Wook's fight with zombies.
• Bad part: No story/weak plot, zombies are not scary, less suspense
I love kdramas but I binge watch and it's so hard to focus on other important things in life like work, home and family lol. As a solution to this, I have decided to only watch Kdramas when they are newly released in weekly episodes on these platforms. Currently watching My Royal Nemesis and Sold out on you. Any good suggestions for romcom K movies or dramas which are not fully released (episode or two dropping weekly)? Just finished watching Perfect Crown and loved it!
I’ve already watched most of the Korean movie starter-pack recommendations, and now I’m looking for more hidden gems or lesser-discussed masterpieces.
Some of my favorites so far:
Forgotten
Oldboy
Parasite
Memories of Murder
I’m especially into psychological thrillers, dark mysteries, and mind-bending plots like Oldboy/Forgotten. Would appreciate some recommendations.
This is from my letterboxd review:
The Koreans are innovative, bro. It is a much fresher take on zombie genre. The plot is cliche but not the adaptability (pun intended once you watched the movie). I like the movie.
The good: zombies, the set, the general suspense, it will grip your seat for sure. Some characters are truly embodied survivalist, social commentary, good actions sequences, great evolution sequences, whatever foreshadowed in the beginning, it will come back.
The bad: cliche plot, possibility for sequel is there although actually not needed, few moments shaky cams, some dumb decisions by some of the characters (per usual of horror movie).
Personally, I think the director didnt want to explore what made his Train to Busan famous, the zombies are iconic, sure; but the emotional parts carried the movie. l do think he did well thoroughly in Colony, though unable to reach the height of Train to Busan, but way way better than his second movie to Train to Busan, Peninsular. Revolving on two plots, both complement each other well.
Director Yeon Sang-ho, who has relentlessly explored the zombie apocalypse through *Train to Busan*, *Peninsula*, and the animated prequel *Seoul Station*, once again examines the ecological characteristics and evolutionary potential of "zombies" in his latest feature, *COLONY*. If zombies truly existed, what would they react to, what would be their power source (nutrients), and where would their survival end? While Danny Boyle’s recently released *28 Years Later* introduced a peculiar mutant strain, let us examine this new case presented by global zombie expert Yeon Sang-ho.
The film opens in a high-rise building in downtown Seoul. A man calls the police, announcing that he is about to launch a biological terror attack. He then injects himself with a vaccine and administers the virus to a professor with whom he shares a mysterious past. The transmission of the virus is faster than anyone could imagine. Instantaneously, bodies contort, eyes roll back, and the infected crawl and sprint through the building, viciously biting, tearing, and infecting others. Kwon Se-jung, a biotechnologist attending a conference in the building, witnesses the rapid spread of the outbreak. To survive and avoid being bitten, she begins to rely on scientific deduction.
The zombies we have encountered in cinema so far share a few common traits: the outbreak of a virus, infection through physical contact, and an explosive, sudden spread. This requires scientific remedies and horror-style elimination tactics completely different from traditional vampire hunting. Generally, to counter zombies whose primal instincts are maximized, humanity needs quick reflexes, scientific knowledge, and the ultimate sacrifice driven by humanism. Director Yeon Sang-ho adds scientific imagination to these conventional tropes. What if a swarming horde of zombies followed someone's orders—and what if those instructions were delivered systematically?
Yeon lays out the entire scientific blueprint for *COLONY* early in the film. During a presentation by Professor Kang Woo-chul (Kim Jong-tae) at the conference, the film introduces the ecology of ants, which possess a unique scientific method of communication. Citing entomologist William Morton Wheeler, the professor describes the ants' networking system as a form of "collective intelligence." The film’s villain, Seo Young-chul (Koo Kyo-hwan), has been researching this exact trait: the exchange of information through organic matter and the integration of multi-party connections. In nature, this is the pheromone, an ant's secretion.
This Nobel Prize-caliber imagination is seamlessly fused with the zombie genre. The secretions scattered throughout the high-rise act like neurons or a 5G network, allowing the zombies to corner, capture, and convert humans into their own kind. This biological, ecological, and sociological setup is the driving force that keeps *COLONY* gripping until the final frame. The zombies learn, evolve, and form a social collective, threatening the existing human community. Of course, the culprit behind this is Seo Young-chul, driven by a twisted scientific conviction to "push humanity to the next level."
What enriches this zombie crisis is the "Dunguri Building," where the disaster unfolds, designed in a classic "Grand Hotel" narrative style. The academic tension between Koo Kyo-hwan and Kim Jong-tae, the deeply human bond between Gianna Jun (Jeon Ji-hyun) and Go Soo, and the unique sibling dynamics of Ji Chang-wook and Kim Shin-rok form the sturdy structural steel of this desperate battle for survival.
Gianna Jun’s performance as an "ecologist" delivers action sequences on par with Milla Jovovich in *Resident Evil*. Kim Shin-rok's role, executing tactical control via CCTV, is equally gripping. Furthermore, Ji Chang-wook’s action in the latter half of the film accelerates into full throttle, delivering pure excitement. It arguably marks a new milestone in bare-handed (plus a knife) one-on-one zombie combat.
Director Yeon Sang-ho does not forget to pepper this massive "virus-vaccine-zombie" war with a detailed, fascinating cross-section of humanity. Among the survivors moving in small groups of six or seven, extremely selfish individuals abound. They do not hesitate to push the very people who saved them into the jaws of death. Within this living hell, the presence of a high school bully is particularly striking. The female bully character stands out as the ultimate nuisance, triggering maximum frustration for the audience. Amidst this chaotic crowd, the film also portrays a highly inefficient emergency rescue system and bureaucratic madness. Fortunately, this hellish reality is spared from the usual nuisance of sensationalist media or villainous reporters shoving cameras into the chaos and obstructing rescue efforts.
Director Yeon Sang-ho’s latest work, *COLONY*, tells the story of humans fighting against a breed of zombies made far more dangerous through "ant-like collective intelligence" and "networking capabilities." Just like Director Yeon, we must keep studying—if only to survive the zombies. **Reviewed by Jae-hwan Park**
The body of a young woman thought to have run away four decades ago is discovered. This brings up unpleasantries for her blind husband and her young son now grown. A funeral is held for the woman without a picture. As old Neigbor’s gather to talk about the young woman, it is clear that the one outstanding trait of the young runaway was that she was very Ugly. This peaks strong curiosity in the son, as to the true appearance of his mother. The father, blind from birth, had never seen his wife.
The Ugly is a profound movie which says a lot about human nature. The Ugly is a simplistic complicated story. Just like a photo use to be developed from a negative, you have to see how the negative turns into a profound positive image in this movie. Only then is true light revealed. The Ugly actually is two movies running at the same time. The one you believe is the image that is captured for you. However, the truth of the story may only be revealed to you when you replay the movie and capture the other movie playing at the same time.
People say that something is deep. The Ugly is a deep movie.
The movie stars Park Jeong Min. I respect him as an actor. He seem to pick the “I don’t know about this one” type of script, as many said for the K-Drama Utopia. When you look at his choices, however, you see that his brain just operates faster than most people. Park Jeong Min sees it before we do. Park Jeong Min won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor for the Movie Category for his work in The Ugly. Park Jeong Min plays a double role, that of the son in the future and the father in the past. Please put this movie on your list to view and be prepared to see it twice.
Note: Since The Ugly is a rental on Prime Video, to replay just rewind or digest it and replay later. You have 24 hours for each rental.
I already watched this movies , need more like this
Hello!
I'm a last year student at a film school in the Netherlands and for my thesis I'm writing about queer representation in South-Korean films and tv shows. I'm queer myself and I really wanted to give queer Koreans the space to talk about their opinions and experiences when it comes to the representation they get.
I know it might be a long shot and this post may not get any interactions, but if you come across this as a Korean who's part of the LGBTQ+ community, please consider helping me with my thesis and expressing your experiences. Whether you're still in the closet or not does not matter, and the survey will be fully anonymous. On top of that, the results and answers will not be released publicly and will instead only be seen by me (and maybe my examinator). I will post the link to the survey below and I already wish to thank those who take the time to answer it for me!
May 19th: Yim Siwan’s and Yoo Hae Jin’s agencies confirmed that both actors are positively reviewing the offer to star in Modup - The film is described as an occult story centered around a mysterious knot.
According to reports on May 20th, Kim So Hyun has officially joined the cast as the female lead of the film. Modup marks her first major leading role in a feature film since becoming an adult actress.
The film is set in Jeolla Province, so the majority of the dialogue will be in Jeolla dialect.
The film is being co-developed by Showbox, the distributor behind Exhuma - which became the highest-grossing occult film in Korea.
Director Kang Yun Sung - known for The Outlaws as well as Disney+ series Big Bet and Low Life - is also attached to the production.
The project marks Yoo Hae Jin’s return to the occult genre following Exhuma and comes on the heels of his massive box office success with The King’s Warden, which recently surpassed 16.85 million admissions.
Meanwhile, Yim Si Wan is expected to return to the big screen for the first time in three years since Road to Boston. The actor has remained active through projects including Boyhood and Squid Game Seasons 2 and 3
With Yoo Hae Jin known for his emotional chemistry with Park Ji Hoon in The King’s Warden, anticipation is already building over the darker and more intense dynamic he could bring alongside Yim Si Wan in Modup.
The film is currently in pre-production and the filming is reportedly scheduled to begin in late august through late December 2026.
https://asianmoviepulse.com/2020/02/film-review-the-closet-2020-by-kim-kwang-bin/
Focusing on the idea of something in the house with the scurrying footsteps, child-like laughing or strange noises off in the distance that are both inhuman and impossible to have been made by Ina once Seung-won arrives to investigate, the gradual build-up of the haunted house they live in is quite nice. The subtle hints of something happening with the famed closet, with the inability to keep it closed, her refusal to let him near it or the strange dream of it the ghostly woman emerging and cutting her throat in front of him cause even more enjoyable supernatural work within here that leads into the second half where it brings the ghoulish ghost-children into the picture to provide far more action than expected. These scenes benefit greatly from the creepy and chilling make-up used on the ghost children which is genuinely terrifying and creepy which certainly goes a long way to helping this one feature some fantastic positives.
Have you seen “The Closet”? Please leave a comment if you want to tell us what you think of it.
Click on the link to read our full review.
Do you guys think the sequel will get made? Will it take another decade? Will have the same style of action as the first film or will it be something total different? I just hope its not to space heavy scifiy IDK what it will be about I just hope it stays on earth, maybe a new location but still keep just as much of a thrill action ride, it will be hard to top the cool horse chase that the trailer slowed but I'm sure Na Hong-jin could come up with something just as different and exciting.
Dans ce film de Kim Jee-Woon (A Bittersweet Life, I Saw the Devil...), Song Kang-Ho nous fait une fois de plus découvrir l'histoire de son pays.
Ce film est un bijou pour les cinéphiles. Il montre l'envers du décor, les problèmes classiques de production, mais aussi le contexte de la censure de l'époque. La séquence tournée avec du vrai feu est un moment fort.
Le film est également très drôle.
L'histoire : Après avoir terminé son nouveau film, un réalisateur fait des rêves saisissants d'une fin alternative. Convaincu que ces scènes donneront naissance à un chef-d'œuvre, il tente de programmer deux jours de tournage supplémentaires, mais la production sombre dans le chaos.
Hope (2026) has received a six-seven minutes standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. It is directed by The Wailing's director Na Hong-jin and has an interesting plot. Any idea when will this release on theatres???
Context: https://www.soapcentral.com/entertainment/hope-cast-characters-here-s-brought-thriller-film-life
