Kingdom 📺

2.12.2019

This weekend I watched The Kingdom on Netflix. I had little to no expectations of the South Korean take on zombies.

As a Korean-American, I would say that I have seen a lot of South Korea’s takes on film and drama. From historical, to melodrama, to toe-curlingly cheesy, I would be able to recommend something in every genre to someone.

Except for horror.

What I mean by “I watched” The Kingdom, I really mean sat on the couch for six hours straight and binged through it. I am not leaving any spoilers here, but I would definitely recommend watching this to anyone!!!

The mini-drama is composed of six episodes, starring Ju Ji-Hoon as a Crown Prince, the protagonist (Goong, anyone?). Bae Doo-Na (Sense 8) is the female lead, playing the role of a female healer. The film is a saguek, or a historical film, set in the Joseon era. Other characters include the Queen, an evil court official (and the Queen’s father), the Prince’s trusty sidekick, and a mysterious mercenary. It’s addicting to see the story unfold of the Crown Prince losing his birthright over his kingdom, yet gaining a different kind of power—one that insinuates personal trust, family, and responsibility. Themes prevalent in the film include filial piety, power struggles, socio-economic class, figureheads, and of course, survival & humanism.

From my little-to-no knowledge of special effects makeup (thank you, Face Off), the zombie makeup in this movie was great. The blood and gore was definitely believable and not too overdone (no flying/broken/swinging/open appendages.) The zombies were made-up very well—enough for the special effects to contribute to the film, not take away from it.

The Kingdom is made up of the same stuff as other zombie stories —gross addiction, dry and random humor, and empathy for the characters holding on to survival. Apparently, in South Korea, the film is only available on Netflix. I had never heard of this before this movie and find it interesting. The movies and dramas that have the ‘Netflix Original’ stamp on Netflix are usually aired in Korean cable channels such as TVN or JTBC. (Equivalent to Lifetime or Bravo channels here in America. In other words, channels that are not ABC, MSNBC, FOX, etc.)

I don’t know if South Korea, being the busy country that it is, has room for Netflix. Most of the country’s viewer audience is made up of an older demographic, and there is an abundance of content available on TV. From music shows, to home shopping (Korea’s QVC), to news, comedy/variety shows, dramas, and even channels dedicated to broadcasting American shows with Korean subtitles, where would a monthly subscription service fit? Students go to school and then after-school all day, and adults have more of a 12 hour workday than a 6 hour one. The international audience is a different story.

2021 Update

Korea continues to air exclusive works on Netflix and Korean content thrives on the platform, evidenced by Netflix’s increasing budget in the Asian market year over year. A very exciting time for entertainment not just in Korea, but all over the 🌎!