The production value is certainly high, the cinematography is great, and the fight scenes are amazing as always. I think the scenes with the zombies are still the highlights of the show, just because they are so well done. I was surprised about how much I enjoyed the political angle this season. That was one of my complaints about the last season, that I didn’t enjoy the politics as much, but I think it helped that in this season there was more payoff to the things set up in the previous season. The Crown Prince stepping up and inspiring people and looking out for them was great. The question this season was less “wtf are these things” but rather “wtf are we going to do about them,” and seeing our characters try to tackle that question was interesting, and that did involve the political side of the show. So while I felt like there was less zombie fighting this season I still really enjoyed it!
I think the show did a better job of developing the characters this season, though it still feels a little lacking. There was one major relationship focused on and it is good that they chose that one because they had (mildly) developed it in the previous season. It is a bit frustrating because I can see how these characters have potential, and the glimpses of their backstories are interesting, but they still get very little focus. This show is very plot-driven rather than character or relationship driven, which is fine, but perhaps I’m just used to getting a bit more depth about the characters. Perhaps in the third season (if there is one) they’ll be a bit less busy and can get around to exploring the characters a bit more.
The show is certainly well paced and I think the twists in the plot are very good. Nothing feels too predictable but it also doesn’t feel like they’re trying to trick you. There were moments where I was like, “oh no... oh noooo... *gasp* that’s so bad... I can’t believe they did that...” (if you’ve seen the show, you can likely think of several times when that happened). Some of the twists involved the choices that characters made, and that was really interesting (a benefit to not developing your characters means we have no idea what they’re going to do! (Sorry, that’s a joke, I swear)). The ends of each episode are great little cliffhangers, which is a nice little example of how good the editing and/or script is. The cliffhangers at the end of this season did have me rolling my eyes a little, like I frickin should’ve expected they would do that. Though if there isn’t a third season I think the way they ended this season would still be pretty satisfying. Tbh I don’t fully understand why the Crown Prince made the choice he did but oh well.
I pretty much have to give this show a 9/10 because the story is so good, it’s so well made and the zombie scenes are amazing. I would love to give this show a higher rating but the way it’s been rolled out (seemingly split in half, the cliffhangers at the end of each season that are genuinely a bit frustrating) in addition to the fact that the characters feel underdeveloped brings it down a bit.
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If you are a person who is fascinated to genres like historical,zombie, and suspense,what are you waiting for? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this web drama. Its not like those usual zombie dramas with just killings and creepiness. But this one is Zombie + Politics type of drama. When it comes to the story, the author has done an amazing job in creating the plot. After every episode it makes you anticipate for the next one. Nonetheless, the scenes are very well directed. Details are not too exaggerated but just perfect. There were scenes when I was too scared to see them, while there were times when I wanted to cry. This drama is not just a fictional zombie one. It tells you about the problems that one could face when the situations are worst and how can you overcome them with your loyalty, determination and selflessness.
Actors absolutely rocked it!! I fell in love with Bae Doona and Ji Hoon. ❤❤ How can someone be sooooo good? Not just these two but all those who stayed by their side and nailed their roles. Last but not the least, The Villains. Both the Father and Daughter (Queen) had the cunningness and cruelty on their faces. Truly, if the villains are not the best then even the antagonist are nothing.
Overall, I say that please just give it a try coz its worth.
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Plot wise, I liked how this was not only a zombie drama, but also teaches us the nature of people, of greed and selfishness. It also tackled politics and struggle for power, and the sacrifice for the love of ones country.
Character wise, I liked was how the characters here are not dumb or slow in putting this together unlike some of the historical dramas I have watched. Everyone is quick in terms of making their moves, calculating and analyzing, which kind of made this drama entertaining and fast-paced. I also appreciated it very much that the writer gave each and every character a justifiable ending before they die. All those good, indifferent and bad characters from this drama truly deserved whatever happened to them that I know I can sleep happily after watching the show! Thanks writer-nim!
Meanwhile, acting wise, Joo Ji Hoon, Bae Doo Na, Ryu Seung Ryeong and the rest of the cast did a wonderful job in portraying their characters! Joo Ji Hoon's expressions were on point! Even if this was a zombie drama he never failed to make me swoon with his serious and smart character. He is indeed the perfect prince for the role!
In my opinion, Kingdom season 2 was nicely wrapped up even if some may think that it was a cliff hanger. The main story from season 1 and 2 has already finished, it is just that there are still some little details left for us to solve, and this would be what we can look forward to for season 3. Its the same characters but new story, new zombies, and different adventure awaits!
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I loved this season just as much as I loved season 1. The story develops so well, Lee Chang continues to prove himself as the most fitting person to lead the country, a true king who cares for his people more than for his own life, one who does not leave anyone behind. Just like I mentioned on my review on S1, I love how fitting this role is for Joo Ji Hoon and that along with Bae Doo Na's character, they're my favorite. Also, Kim Sung Gyu's is definitely one of a kind. I would like to see more of his personal story being developed, but I'm glad to know that we had some context on why he's the way he is. Cho Hak-joo is a horrible person but I can't not love his evilness and twisted mind, as well as the Queen's. I saw many people being disappointed with her actions later in the season but I think it was very understandable that she had to regard for the country or its people, that all she wanted was to have the throne for herself because of how much her father despised her, so all that she wanted was the recognition, and just like she said it, if she didn't have then no one else would. I think this attitude was something completely normal for a character like hers.
I also really liked the fact that Lee Chang gave the throne to the Prince even though he was not of Royal blood, simply because Chang never meant to have the throne for himself. He always made sure that he did not wish to be a King and that what he actually wanted was to bring order back to the country and destroy the Haewon Cho Clan.
I'm excited to see what will happen in Season 3, which I hope they announce soon because Chang being up North chasing for more zombies and finding so many possible places will be really fun to watch, especially now that they have more of a clearer idea about how to destroy them. Also, Jun Ji Hyun's character! I'm so thrilled to see what role she will have. I'm anticipating it so much.
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I think 2nd season is abit short I’m still wondering if there will be like another 6 ep coming out for this season in like a month or not? Or we are just going to go to season 3. The cliffhanger at the end is pretty good. I like how it ends .
Acting: is great. I really like all the cast.
Script: is also exciting ... it fits the style.
Production: the way it was shot and editing is like Hollywood style...
Anyways its not my cup of tea but I will wants to know how it will end so I will keep watching.
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Like the previous season, Kingdom continues to astonish me with its stunning cinematography, the superb acting from both lead and secondary characters (they truly did an outstanding job), the production, editing and sfx, and the writing of the story. Definitely a top tier show.
Even though I have mixed feelings about THAT thing the crown prince does near the end, that ending makes me want to see more, know more. Right now I've got so many questions that need answers!! I'm so looking forward to season 3. I've grown so fond of these characters that I don't know what I'll do while just waiting for thw next season. Might as well just re-watch the entire thing hehe
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I was waiting for season 2 since a long time. Though I finished the season 1 a week ago. Lol. I was putting off this drama and planned that I will watch season 1 and season 2 together and I don't have to wait for long as I will eventually die because of curiosity. But Netflix was like.. No,I will never let your plan work and the whole kingdom team came up with an another cliffhanger. I was really excited for the end that finally the plaque will be over and our crown prince will finally become the king. But I was totally totally wrong. It was a beautiful surprise for the audience. A leap of 7 years and audience thought that everthing is just okay.
But the mystery of resurrection plant is still on.
Even I am still feeling curious to know about resurrection plant.
Our hero is on his way to find out who started all this. A special suspence came up with the Jun Ji Hyun's entry and it's where the Netflix left me in another year of curiosity to wait for season 3.
Why they did this to me... My plan has totally flopped...
But the drama was totally awesome with fabulous acting and scenes creation. It's totally your time worthy. Give it a try. You will not regret it... ❤️
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Almost, but not yet.
I really like action, thriller, and moderate gore. This drama in season 1&2 managed to deliver all three. However, I always find that there's something amiss in Kingdom that stops me from loving it. I wished they had expanded on our main characters of the story... the characters are flat and focused on present-day survival, which limits the emotional impact of the whole series when you don't feel attached to any of our heroes. Kingdom feels like a very long slow-burn movie. There's nothing more to say about CG SFX, it was great. Fight scenes were good too. Again, characters need backstory and development. The most interesting moment of s2 are the last few mins of the finale.Was this review helpful to you?
Compared to the first season I felt this season lacked a bit of the action and thrilling aspect as they had to explain a bit about the political situation, but still enjoyable nonetheless. It was interesting watching the characters discover more secrets behind the zombies' behaviour, how they convert, and how to prevent conversion. I did want more epic scenes from the drama but given the limited number of episodes, the plot progression was good enough.
**I recommend this drama to those that like zombie-related plots especially since this drama goes more in depth into the nature of zombies which is unique and refreshing. Also those that enjoy action and suspense, some politics, and basically no romance. Definitely watch the first season before this one though.
|| DETAILS ||
= Story =
*Premise - As revealed by the ending of the previous season, this is more than just a typical zombie drama in which zombies are usually thought to only attack at a certain time during the day. The justification for the unique characteristics of the zombies are further explored this season, which is intriguing indeed.
*Genre - Not as action packed and thrilling as the first season, but enough to be classified under these genres. This time there was also more of a focus on the political aspect which I felt was important but did inevitably take away from the zombie action.
*Plot - What I enjoyed most this season were the action scenes and scenes that allowed us to gain more insight into how zombies convert and how to prevent bitten people from converting. The justification is really what sets this zombie story apart from all the others as it definitely adds depth to the general premise of the drama. Compared to the first season, though, I found this season a bit slow initially. Some earlier events were underwhelming in that I felt some characters should have a bigger contribution to the plot. There was an overall decrease in overall intensity this season as I wished there were more action and thrilling scenes, but I suppose this was necessary to explain a bit about the political situation. Otherwise, given the limited number of episodes, the plot was still good.
*Ending - An interesting ending that implied there is still more to the story. I wouldn't go as far as saying the ending was such a cliffhanger that I can't wait for the next season to know what other secrets will be revealed, but I'm definitely intrigued.
= Cast =
Given the limited episodes, other than the main characters, I must say I didn't recognize a handful of the actors / actresses that played minor roles. As a whole the acting was good.
= Music ==
There isn't much of a OST, mainly just suspenseful music so there's not much to comment on it. I do recall one moment (less than 10 seconds) when I thought the music didn't match and sounded a bit too modern but otherwise no complaints.
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They executed their material well in six episodes.
Like all viewers, I too was left hanging for a long time but I was patient because season 2 was announced early. Fast forward to March 13, Netflix dropped the second season of Kingdom. And let me tell you the moment that happed, my feed was filled with well, COVID-19 updates as well as a disappointment as to why there are only six episodes and the ending.First, let me answer the number of episodes. I did study film in college but even without that knowledge, there’s only one reason I can think of and others might have thought of, too. Budget. So I did a little research to back this up and stumbled on Variety’s 2018 article.
***
“Netflix gave me more freedom than any Korean company I have worked with. Netflix gave me minimal feedback on the script, and did not oblige me to incorporate their notes,” Kim said. The only condition was that the director could not control the budget.
“Initially, ‘Kingdom’ was intended as an eight-episode series and production was supposed to be completed in four months. In the end, however, we took about six months on production and overspent the budget, for which we had to pay a penalty.” Kim said that each episode cost more than $1.78 million (KRW2 billion).
***
There you go! But honestly, they executed their material well in those six episodes. And though season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger, I can say that I am very much satisfied with how season 2 progressed and ended.
If Kingdom season 1 takes and makes you feel part of the journey, season 2 gives you the justice you’ve been wanting to claim with an action-packed add-on. Moreover, the latest season revealed all the secrets from Haewon Cho Clan’s ruthlessness to Queen Cho’s schemes. It also shared important flashbacks which were used as short backstories and resolutions of the characters we adore and despise. This includes Chief State Councilor Cho Hak-Ju and Lord Ahn Hyeon’s past, Moo-young’s story which is vital to the ending.
With a faced-paced series like this, they did not waste any time and gave all characters the screentime – sacrifice and death – they deserve. And though all is somewhat well, season 2 did leave some stories to tell.
Honestly, it wasn’t a huge cliffhanger but rather a door that leads to a bigger plot. I am again eager to see what they have in store in the third season.
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Gory and gimmicky to the point of comedy.
Sadly, I’m disappointed. While it still was a fun and entertaining watch, season 2 lost the unique and eerie atmosphere season 1 was able to create. Too much blood, ripping of the skin and flesh - they even shot an arrow with an eye being attached on top of it. None of the scenes were shocking, unique, memorable - it was all about giving more action and more blood.I’m not gonna lie, I do not watch Kingdom for the plot. It’s not new, fresh, complex nor groundbreaking. It's the same old court politics and struggle for power we have seen thousands of times. The court plot was literally the weakest part of the series, and yet it was the focus.
The characters also lost some brain cells in this season. Too many stupid decisions and actions for the sake of creating visually appealing shots. How many characters can just stand there watching the horde of zombies running straight to kill them, just so we can have that 3 seconds beautiful shot?
Queen’s arc and conclusion? Anticlimactic at best. We got to the end of it and all I could think about was: that’s it?
That said, it was not all bad. The action scenes were great. They found just the right balance between the dimmed light and enough visibility so we can actually witness the fights without losing the atmosphere. Throughout the whole show the lighting was just a masterpiece of its own. The way they worked with light and shadows was just beautiful.
The acting was exactly what we could expect from the cast - brilliant in most cases. Kim Hye Joon felt flat in some scenes, and I wished to see a bit more expression from her character.
Overall, it lost the impact season 1 created, but was still a fun and entertaining watch. It got quite a few laughs out of me.
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