blessedmakerCurator
Overall7.6Fear4Atmos.7Gore5
At this point we've seen it all when it comes to zombies: fast zombies, slow zombies, smart zombies, dumb zombies, a wall of zombies, naked zombies, big, small, explodey zombies, etc. So it's a feat that Colony manages to introduce a unique concept on the big screen (no doubt it's been explored in literature), one that feels fresh and unexpected. That is not what you go into a zombie horror film expecting. No spoilers here for the twists; watch for yourself.
On casting, the roles were held well by the leads. Gianna Jun carries the film as Professor Kwon Se-jeong, and Koo Kyo-hwan makes a memorable villain, with the side-arc characters holding their own around them. I didn't recognize any of the actors from Train to Busan (same director, Yeon Sang-ho) or from any other Korean films, so Colony may not feel as star-studded as Busan did. The performances never suffer for it, though.
The pacing of the film was so good and balanced. It never felt like the film lost any momentum or started dragging. The proper amount of context was laid down, with action set pieces hitting early on and punctuated by brief quiet moments that built character development and world building. Walking that line between kinetic zombie action and exposition was executed with skill and confidence by Yeon Sang-ho.
As far as the action itself, the zombie attacks were very punchy and visceral. The zombie movements and choreography were properly unsettling and freakish, and certain elements of their behavior managed to elevate zombie horror to new heights.
The creativity and deft direction by Yeon truly impress; this is one you have to see on the big screen.