Having made as much of an impact on society as it did, there's little surprise that horror filmmakers have taken inspiration from the recent Covid-19 pandemic in their films. While most notable in indie films than mainstream studio blockbusters, the source is mainly found in American genre fare who have either directly or indirectly referenced the issue.. With the exception of the stellar Taiwanese The Sadness which only tangentially acknowledged the virus, it hasn't been as prominent in Asian cinema until now with direct influences in Lee Soo Sung's latest feature “Gangnam Zombie.”
Trying to make a living during the pandemic, Hyun-suk (Ji Il-joo) tries to balance living in the city with his parents continually on him for being away from home during that time. While spending time with his friends Dae-hyun (Tak Tu-in), Min Jung (Park Ji-yeon), and Wang-i (Jo Kyoung-hoon), he learns that a viral video of a crazed person running around the city has appeared at the mall where they work and attacked some locals inside the building where they've now become trapped as well. Realizing the zombies have overrun the building and turned the others there into creatures like them, they're forced to rely on Hyun-suk's martial arts skills to get away from the ravenous bloodthirsty creatures.
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Overall, “Gangnam Zombie” was a decent if somewhat underwhelming genre effort. Among the more likable aspects is a lighthearted tone throughout the first half that introduces the various stories in place from writer Choe Seung. Getting to see the exploits of Hyun-suk and his friends not just in the city but around their service creating videos for others on the internet results in a nice introduction to the central group of characters. As the scenes become more focused on their quest for more viewership, in light of the series of strange attacks being reported and filmed around the city featuring strange inhuman behavior, their switch from lighthearted jokesters to more heroic fighters trying to stop the zombies, makes for a fun time. With the plot shift in the second half to them trying to curtail the outbreak within the building, there's a fine starting point for this to occur that manages to have a lot to like.
Once this shift is in place, “Gangnam Zombie” starts really piling on the action as the second part is nearly relentless, offering up a slew of confrontations and encounters. The majority of these are designed to allow Hyun-suk to showcase some solid martial arts skills trying to save his friends and other survivors of the mall-like complex as he's allowed to kick, flip, and punch through the creatures who put up a decent fight before succumbing to his skillset. These do range from the goofy to the silly, as the successful confrontations show off his skills while the unsuccessful ones merely allow the victim to get overwhelmed and killed by the onrushing swarm. Still, the viciousness of the zombies and their overwhelming numbers provide some fun encounters in the security offices, throughout the hallways of the building, and a strong final battle in the parking garage. Offering up enough thrills in the setpieces and a couple of solid gore effects for the creatures, there are some decided positives to be had here.
However, “Gangnam Zombie” still has some issues with it. The biggest drawback is the series of zombie attacks within that are designed to move the film along at a fast pace than actually provide some thrilling elements. Only a few of the attacks toward the finale offer anything more than just rudimentary chills and scares of a swarm of zombies overwhelming and biting victims. This setup is the main focus of the majority of the attacks as it continually relies on this approach mixed together with some inherent stupidity on the characters to keep them in danger. Rather than try to get out of the building, Hyun-suk and his friends are forced to handle it themselves without any outside interference simply to save face in the situation. That all becomes obvious in an overall cheap presentation that's a big overall factor against it being enough combined to lower the quality of the film overall.
A decent enough zombie movie that does get bogged down by some big issues, “Gangnam Zombie” won't redefine the genre but serves as a watchable at best film. Those that are fine with these drawbacks or are just a hardcore zombie-genre fanatic will be the ones that enjoy this the most.
