"All of Us Are Dead" opens hours before the outbreak starts.
Nam On-jo (Park Jihoo) and Lee Cheong-san (Yoon Chan-Young) are childhood friends studying at the same school in the same class. Despite knowing each for so long, the two bickers a lot. It turns out that Cheong-san is only teasing On-jo because he has a crush on her. Unfortunately, On-jo has already been drawn to the kindhearted Lee Soo-hyuk (Park Solomon).
Soo-hyuk was not known for his intellect and he was always involved in school brawls back in eighth grade. He currently tries to turn a new leaf by not getting into any more trouble anymore.
Soo-hyuk always has a crush on the quiet and smart Choi Nam-ra (Cho Yi-Hyun). Her classmates call her "prez" since she’s their class’s president, but none of them really respects her. She doesn't have any friends because her dismissive personality and strong demeanor intimidate the other students.
Anyway, their science teacher is the uncanny Lee Byeong-chan (Kim Byung-chul). Despite being a high school teacher, Byeong-chan is brilliant enough to create a virus that transmutes fear and aggression. The goal of the so-called "Jonas Virus" is to give his son the courage to stand up to bullies. However, after injecting it into him, he suddenly turned into a mindless and bloodthirsty monster.
Teacher Lee realized that the virus needed to be studied further, so he experimented with it on a few lab rats. Until one of his students accidentally got bitten by it. Soon after, the other students and faculty members got infected and began to transform into savage zombies. As the virus starts to spread and develop, Nam On-jo and her classmates find themselves trapped in school with nowhere to go.
People running, bodies flying, and blood everywhere. "All of Us Are Dead" wastes no time in teaching viewers a lesson: no one is ever safe.
In this Korean horror series, there are two narratives that simultaneously unfold.
First is inside the school. It follows On-Jo and her ragtag classmates, who are always putting themselves in danger for illogical reasons. The head-scratching character decisions make it difficult to root for them. But it sure keeps everything exciting. Since everyone in this series has the tendency to put themselves in a tight spot, it keeps the viewers on the edge of their seat.
After a few episodes, a second story starts to take shape.
Outside the school are politicians, scientists, and soldiers discussing different ways to mitigate the situation. Underneath the conversation, there are brilliant moral discussions. But the shift of focus feeds off the energy provided by the first narrative.
Of course, the purpose of this separate storyline is to provide the exposition and explanation behind the outbreak. It's just that the pace can be slow and meandering at times. Besides, there’s already a plethora of zombie movies out there, and it can be assumed that viewers already know what’s happening.
There is a level of awareness that exists in the series. But even though "All of Us Are Dead" is well aware of the other films that exist in its genre, it offers nothing new in terms of innovating it. Everything that transpired on-screen has already been done before. The problems are also repetitive. And it often resorts to easy solutions to close most storylines, like killing off a character upon making a huge decision without letting the consequence of it develop first. It feels like it was written by a teenager for teenagers to enjoy.
If there’s one thing that is truly enjoyable about this series, it’s none other than the monsters. South Korea’s version of zombies is outright terrifying with its bloodshot eyes and rotting skin. They’re also extremely fast and can contort their bodies in weird ways reminiscent of "28 Days Later," "Train to Busan," and "The Exorcist." At this point, it is hard to argue against the fact that SoKor has created the perfect zombie monster in cinema.
Another plus are the casts. The performances of the main players get better and better as the series progresses. The youthfulness of Park Jihoo, Yoon Chan-Young, Cho Yi-Hyun, and Park Solomon brings a consistent sense of tantalizing hope for survival. Not to mention that the school setup allowed the series to create compelling conflicts that were sustained by the characters’ naivety and emotion towards one another.
Compared to other movies or series of the same concept, "All of Us Are Dead" is pretty much in the middle. There are a lot of entertaining moments, and it’s all because of the high production value. The writing needs a little tightening though, as some aspects of it are all over the place. There’s a tone problem, and the commentaries on social and political issues are underserved.
In essence, "All of Us Are Dead" isn't exactly a breath of fresh air for the genre. However, it's a binge-worthy, high-octane, and hair-raising zombie series that was able to capitalize on its setting and young cast.
3.5/5
