Colony: Movie Review

Cast: Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, and Shin Hyun-been
Director: Yeon Sang-ho

The zombie genre is one that's been severely overdone.

And while the market's saturated, there's always scope for more - particularly the likes of the 28 Years Later franchise which has (ironically) breathed new life into the undead.

Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho's latest cleverly twists some of the genre's tropes and also one of the most prolific settings of a zombie film in this film which offers a propulsive and exciting first half but suffers a little from pacing and lack of endgame clarity.

When a biotech conference in a building in the centre of downtown is attacked by a vengeful employee, a virus is unleashed that turns its victims into rabid monsters. But the monsters aren't thoughtless, displaying a capability to adapt to a hive mind and to changing situations.

As a desperate group of survivors try to escape and track down a cure within the building - but time and options are running out.

Colony has a fast-paced smart opening, even if it does drop a lot of domestic-related information about its disparate cast in an attempt to get audiences to care about them. From a brother and disabled sister who've never been camping to a pair of ex-lovers who are about to part ways, there's a distinct feeling of one-dimensional emotional arcs being put on screen - something which is amplified by a cowardly patron and a bully cop.

However, with its use of practical effects and a claustrophobic setting of a multi-floored building, Sang-ho subverts the tropes into something a little more original as the story plays out. 

Action sequences are taut, capturing the twisting, convulsing horror of the creatures and there are some shocking deaths early on, demonstrating nobody is safe. But the film slightly loses its way in the second half, slowing things down and seeming uncertain of how to conclude matters.

Colony is a zombie film with some bite early on, but a perhaps overlong run-time of 2 hours contributes to some of the sag, meaning it's not quite as perfect as it could be. And certainly a last-minute jolt seems nothing more than sequel-bait, revealing holes in the narrative.