#Alive – Review/ Summary (with Spoilers)

[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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#Alive, with its small speaking cast, but high stakes, makes for an awesome, albeit simple, zombie movie.

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Director(s)	Il Cho
Screenplay By	Matt Naylor, Il Cho
Date Released (Netflix)	9/8/2020
Genre(s)	Action, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Young Adult, Non-English
Duration	1 Hour 38 Minutes
Rating	TV-MA
Noted Cast
Jun-u	Ah-In Yoo
Kim Yu-bin	Shin-Hye Park

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Plot Summary

In South Korea, in modern times, things started normal for Jun-u. He got up, cleaned up a bit, and then started to play video games. But when directed to turn on the TV and discovering something was happening outside, that’s when his world changed. Leading to, over the next month, him struggling from lack of food, eventually lack of water and isolation. At least until his across the tenet neighbor, Kim Yu-bin comes into his life.

However, whether she simply prolongs his life or saves it, you’ll have to watch to find out.

Trailer

Character Guide

Jun-u (Ah-in Yoo)

A gamer of minor fame, Jun-u isn’t necessarily the shining star of his family, but with it being him and his sister, there is some hope that he’ll get his life together and become something. However, he’ll have to grow up quickly and survive first.

Kim Yu-bin (Shin-Hye Park)

While she shares many of Jun-u’s culinary habits, Kim is his opposite in every other way imaginable. She was well prepared for the apocalypse, and with some climbing experience under her belt, Kim finds herself being the spark that might just keep Jun alive.

Review

Highlights

You Get Invested In Jun-u and Kim Yu-Bin

While a zombie movie, it’s one of the smarter ones which focuses on the people you should want to live versus those already dead. Jun-u, while he may possibly not be the exalted son of his family, isn’t made to be this annoying deadbeat of a child. He’s just young and, luckily for viewers, isn’t made out to be this whiny or annoying guy. Rather, he is average, in the best way, in terms of his response to the zombie epidemic, even when he decides to do something drastic.

Then with Kim, while she is more prepared, she doesn’t come off pretentious in her dealings with Jun-u. Rather, as much as she tries to play it cool, you can see a joy in human connection. Which doesn’t necessarily lead to love, but trauma bonding that makes you root for them equally.

A Real Sense That Just Because We’ve Known Them Since The Beginning, It Doesn’t Mean They’ll Survive

Jun-u watches and hears a lot of people die, and, on more than one occasion, Kim is put in positions where she may die. So, with that in mind, and no radio or television to give them hope, it leaves you wondering if the film may end in a bittersweet manner. Especially as a third character comes into play towards the end.

Overall

Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

If you’re someone who enjoys zombie movies that focus on average people and don’t mind it being about two people bonding and crafting a relationship, #Alive is for you.

Ending Explained (Spoilers)

After nearly being fed to someone’s starving zombie wife, and then shooting the man who tried to feed Kim to him – with a f***ing bullet – Jun-u and Kim run to the roof. The reason being, the man who tried to kill them, was right, and there are rescue teams out there. The problem is, how do you get their attention?

Well, that was the struggle for our dynamic duo, but as Jun-u unleased what bullets he had left on the zombie horde surrounding him and Kim, they show up. We see the military fly up, last minute, and with machine guns, mow down enough zombies so that Jun-u and Kim can focus on safely getting into a helicopter. Thus they are saved, and we learn, for those who have gotten a signal, the government is saving civilians through them noting their status on social media.

Sequel Potential

There is more prequel potential, or even focusing on other stories over the 20+ days that passed in this film, than an actual sequel. For one, we don’t know who patient zero is and what caused the infection. Also, it could be interesting to see what happened to Kim’s family or witness Jun-u’s family in their final moments. Never mind, considering the dude who tried to feed Kim to his wife, what he went through to break into that apartment, and set up his wife in a kid’s bedroom.

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