Kingdom (2019)

Alt-History Joseon-Zombie Masterpiece

KINGDOM was brilliant and in my humble opinion, vastly superior to many of the other zombie series out there today. It's certainly one of a kind, a new breed. It was only enhanced by the Joseon historical setting and alternative history presented by the directors. It was excellently written, casted, directed and acted. Great production and cinematography. Beautiful settings, lifelike costumes and realistic storylines. Epic battle scenes and zombie costume/cosmetics. Dark, gritty and cutting edge series.

I really loved the cast, especially Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince, and Bae Doona as the nurse Seo Bi. I also really enjoyed the character of Kim Sang Ho, as the bodyguard Moo Young. His character was extremely likable and I loved the dynamic between he and the Crown Prince. Kim Sungkyu, as Young Shin (the Tiger Hunter) was a very compelling character as well, playing a mysterious warrior with a shadowy past.

Ju Ji-hoon is excellent in this series. His portrayal of the tragic Crown Prince character is really note-worthy and he plays the noble hero turned warrior very memorably. It's great to see his character grow and conquer new obstacles, and become a person worthy to inherit the throne.

One of my main critiques is this. As a big fan of actress Bae Doona (Stranger), I did feel like her true potential wasn't being utilized in this series, but that seems mostly due to the direction and writing of this series, rather than any issue on her part. I truly hope to see her character allowed grow and shine in future installments as she is a wonderful, diverse actress with a lot of acting range.

This series brought so much to the zombie table, so to speak. I found the "truth" behind the plague to be fascinating and unique. It was a truly intriguing twist. Also, this series does not shy away from highlighting both the good and evils of humanity, offering a glimpse at human nature and morality. It was a truly stunning show. I've now watched the complete Kingdom series and am hoping for further seasons in the future. This was a great new addition to the kdrama thriller and horror genres.

[This review is for seasons 1 & 2]

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Amazing

FYI: this review contains S1&2
First of all let me say that netflix deserved their TENS for releasing this. Like this was the start of the high budget kdramas. Everything about this was wonderful. It's only 6 episodes long and so doesn't overstay its welcome in the slightest. It has some of the best visuals I've seen in a kdrama. The story is original and of course I'm going to be excited about a high budget zombie kdrama on netflix??? The actors all did what needed to be done. The pacing is a bit on the slower side and there's a little too much talking going on. I would've liked to see a bit more action. Other than that I don't really have any complaints.
S2 was even better than the first in almost every aspect. It's bigger and more action-packed but somehow the emotional beats hit harder than S1!

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kingdom eh um sentimento oiiii ??

eh realmente algo odiar todo e qualquer filme/serie que é sobre zumbis ou mundos apocalípticos e mesmo assim assistir kingdom e considerar ele seu dorama favorito ?☝?
talvez eu seja muito emocionada e talvez eu considere o mínimo já como muito, mas kingdom é perfeito em todos os aspectos. primeiro que, a história/enredo é muito bem feita e muito bem seguida ao longo dos episódios, nunca deixando nada passar e continuando com a perfeição de sempre. e junto a história, é impossível também não citar a atuação dos personagens que, literalmente, deram vida para tudo, e mesmo o cgi marcando presença em todos os momentos, é quase imperceptível pela atuação e pela história. algo que me marcou durante todo o dorama, foi a atuação dos zumbis, que mesmo não sabendo quem são deram a vida para tornar tudo cada vez mais acreditável. kingdom é perfeito em cada detalhe e eu assistiria ele para todo sempre, sem me enjoar. espero de verdade que tenha uma terceira temporada para fechar todas as duvidas que tenho ??

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Worth the bingewatching

This drama surprised me with 2 things. The first one is how I could stick to the phone and finish it in half a day. The second is how I am excited to watch the second season. Why I gave it only 9 stars and not 10 is because sometimes I got annoyed with some decisions some of the characters made and I got bored out of nowhere. If you want to watch it you need to watch the second season as well because the first season will only give you an open ending. When I started watching Kingdom some of the things reminded me of Scholar who walks the night (those who know, those who don't, don't) and it brought me back memories so it felt nice. And right now excuse me, because I need to finish the second season as well.

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Simply the Best

Zombie apocalypse in ancient Korea. Sounds absurd, right? Yet another, stupid zombie movie, right? No such thing! This drama has a well thought-out, smart plot - if not for the paranormal aspect, it would be totally plausible. Add to this great cast, interesting characters, who you really don't want to be eaten by the zombies, ;) power struggle, political schemes, and captivating cinematography... Well, I really cannot imagine a drama better than this one. Strongly recommended.

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Woah. This drama was so good, I just had to write my first review on it.

The plot of a zombie outbreak is common amongst particularly Western film today. One could even say the genre is overdone. However, the way that 'Kingdom' handles the issue is a breath of fresh air. It would be enough that it happens to occur in old-time Korea, because that in itself already felt brand new.
But the twist of an infected King made it that much more interesting, with the addition of a power struggle between a pregnant queen and a crown prince.

The Crown Prince, Lee Chang, has interesting growth throughout the series. At first he is portrayed as a sheltered, somewhat arrogant character that is journeying for himself, to uncover the mystery surrounding his father. However, he grows quite quickly and the watcher no longer doubts him. He shows compassion and a strong sense of justice, and soon becomes quite the potential King. I enjoyed his actor of course, but there is one other than impressed me so much more.

Seo Bi is introduced as an assistant physician. Throughout the series, her empathy matches her profession, and she proves herself to be smarter than the average citizen, therefore surviving despite being put through some very scary situations. This was the first time I was introduced to her actress, Bae Doo Na, and honestly? For myself personally, her acting was almost flawless. I absolutely fell in love with her as an actress. Because of her work in Kingdom, I definitely plan to watch more of her roles.

The final character I want to discuss is the Queen. She does an excellent job as an antagonist, and her actions frustrated and irritated me (which is what I expect from a good antagonist). One thing I appreciated about her was that, whilst you were furious at her, and you knew that she would make a cruel ruler, you understood her thinking at the very least. Her motives were clear, and human, although they were somewhat evil.

As for the rewatch value; although it was incredibly stressful to watch and therefore not something I would rewatch for a little while (at least until I recover), due to how short but sweet the first season has been it would not be at all difficult to rewatch when the time comes.

Overall, despite being new to Drama, I could tell that this drama was very well done. It was so realistic, every frame was done well and it was clearly a high budget series. I was quickly immersed in a world of night-monsters and political balances, and I definitely can't wait for a second season.

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Re-watch and still like it

I just finished re-watch this series, I still find it interesting. I am not really a fans of zombie movies, so not sure about the standard of the sole zombie lover's movie. And I haven't read the original webtoon either. Overall the production done a good job. I like how they shoot some scenes, nice camera angle.

My opinion
Story : Good story, there's story behind, not only solely a hunt and catch zombie type of movie, but also politics, power struggle and humanity. The story flow is well paced, able to catch audience attention.

Acting: Good acting from all the cast

Music : Suitable for this kind of genre, but not to my liking LOL

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OMG, do South Koreans know how to do zombie movies !! Be prepared, cause the only fault I find with this series is the fact that it’s Netflix’s style, so split into seasons. I like very much about Asian dramas the fact that they don’t drag in seasons.

Kingdom season 1 is a strong one. Of course, a bit of social commentary is there; poor people are most affected, rich guys are safe. Enter the Crown Prince, a friend to the people, trying his best to save them. He does know some very important lessons – you cannot save all, his decisions will bring peace or war, betrayal is at every step and do not hesitate to use your power.

Story is smooth, perfect pacing, a lot of action, people who you wouldn’t expect to die, do die, cause they’re only humans (alive or dead already). Depravity and evilness of humans is at every step – again a commentary regarding who is the real monster. I enjoyed the political fights – power is a great drug and it’s almost impossible to give it up when you’re high on it. So all kind of monsters appear.

Acting… wow. I don’t think there is an interpretation I don’t like. All characters are real people for me, nothing is forced. Awesome performances, perhaps the best I’ve ever seen. This is the kind of series in which all characters are powerful, thanks to more factors – script, directing, the actors. I cannot chose a favorite… maybe Bae Doo Na is a notch above the rest.

If you are a fan of zombie/horror genre…do not wait! Free yourself a day, watch these 2 seasons and your top of zombie movies will change.

I cannot quite compare it with The Walking Dead and Fear of the Walking Dead. I dropped The Walking Dead at season 2 initially. I tried a few years later again – nope. Watched season 1 of Fear of the Walking Dead… so boring… So if you liked these 2, be careful – Kingdom has a lot of action. Yeah, I know Kingdom is shorter. That doesn’t make it less good. I would rather rewatch Kingdom 100 times, than suffer through WD seasons.

Besides, Kingdom is the one that feels more real… Isolation worked, right ??

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This whole series is just mindblowing. The drama is very complex with a lot of plots intertwined with each other. It is complex but can be very subtle as well. I find myself having to repeat some of the episodes to figure out all the hints. But it worth to rewatch and you won't get bored.

First, let's talk about the casts. I'm actually happy that Joo Ji Hoon is playing the crown prince. There was a talk about Song Jong Ki being cast for the role, but he rejected it. I'm not saying that Jong Ki is not a good actor, but Joo Ji Hoon has more experiences playing complex characters and I find his image is more suitable with the drama. Also, good job for the team to cast experienced actor and actresses like Bae Do Na and Ryu Seung Ryong.

Second the plots. It is based on a web manwha but it took a completely different setting and story but still keep the basic idea. The conflict started when the Cho clan was taking control of the power. The king was ill and it was still a mystery about how he became a monster. Was it because of the mysterious illness that he had or was it because he was resurrected with the resurrection plant? He definitely became an undead brainless monster who ate human. The prime minister Cho, who was also the Queen's father hid the fact and tried to keep the facade that the king was still alive and well until the Queen gave birth to the heir.

Meanwhile, the main character, our crown prince was also the king child but not from the Queen. The Queen was actually looked much younger than the crown prince but she had more power than him. The crown prince suspected that the king was actually already dead, but he had no proof and he was not able to visit his father due to the Queen's interferences. He was finally being framed for traitor and had to run away while also tried to pursue the truth. The crown prince followed the lead of one of his father physician to found out that the man had died and there was a zombie plague started to spread out.

Once a person was bitten by a zombie, he would turn into one. Apparently, these zombies became inactive during the day and became truly died when beheaded or burned. And they also enabled to swim.

The episodes were shorts with only 6 episodes. But the show has invested a lot of money into the production and each episode is very high quality like a blockbuster movie. Season 2 has been confirmed and I hope that it will continue to be amazing or more than the season 1. I had a lot of expectations and can't wait for it.

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In one sitting, I dove head-on in this drama, captured in its unique premise. With just 6 episodes, I was able to finish season 1 in a day. I enjoy historical dramas and zombie centred shows, which was a treat when I discovered Kingdom had both! The character development was great for the Crown Prince as well as the members in his group. Though they had purposely showed less character development of the “bad guys”, as there is a major plot twist at the end. The background story of the plague, was purposely slowly unraveled, to build up suspense and intrigue...

Review up on my blog: purplecuriosity.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/kingdom-season-1/

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