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.
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.
Was this review helpful to you?