Non siamo più vivi (2022)

So much wasted potential...

I've never written a review before, but this is the most frustrating kdramas I've ever watched. If it wasn't for sunk cost fallacy, I would've stopped watching it at ep 6, but I pushed on only to be rewarded with disappointment after disappointment.

My main issue is with the writing. So before I jump into that, I'll say that the drama LOOKED really good. It definitely had that Netflix budget. Some of the acting was top tier. The zombies themselves were convincingly terrifying. Love a surprise Lee Kyu Hyung appearance. A lot of their survival instincts and plans had believable merit.

Unfortunately, these details could not save the show's biggest flaw: the writing.

I think the reason I ended this show feeling so pissed off was because it had so much wasted potential. All the plot threads for a smart, compelling, satisfying drama were there, but they were mostly left hanging. At points, I felt like the writers were actually trolling us by purposely setting up an interesting character arc only to let it fizzle without a purpose. I'll detail the most egregious ones below:

‧ So Ju (On Jo's father) - Set up from the beginning as one of the main story lines, we saw So Ju fight against all odds to prove that a father's love could overcome anything. He was trapped, attacked multiple times, put under lockdown, shot (don't even get me started on how multiple trained soldiers couldn't shoot one man running without cover), gut-punched by a tree and yet he still made his way to the school. Just in time, he manages to randomly (the guy has been through so much, i'll overlook this incredibly unlikely luck) discover On Jo and her friends in a gym detached from the main school building. He somehow breaks a thick metal chain to free them and unites with his daughter. It's touching, it's a relief, it's satisfying. But not 10 minutes later, despite flares working to distract the zombies, he's sacrificing himself for no apparent reason and sending his daughter and crew off to face more unknown dangers on their own again. And that was that. A fleeting payoff followed by a nonsensical self-sacrifice that probably resulted in more characters dying than would've if he'd been there to guide them further.

‧ Gwi Nam (and the bullying storyline) - Yoo In Soo's acting as a villain was really well done. He was appropriately terrifying and fully psychotic. At some point it turned and became comical how many times he popped back up to be a threat, but I still think he was a good villain in theory. However, his hyper-fixation on Chung San and the forced conflict between them was frustrating when the obvious and much better story arc of Eun Ji getting her revenge was RIGHT THERE. Instead, the sympathy that was built up for the bullied duo was dashed by showing them both to be awful people at their core which sent a really weird message. Also, what was the point of Eun Ji going back to light the school on fire? My expectation was that our main group would find themselves trapped on the roof as the fire spread and needing to make an escape, but instead we got a few lit up pieces of paper and then... nothing. Let's also not forget that there's implication that Soo Hyeok used to run with Gwi Nam's crowd meaning he was probably a pretty awful bully himself up until recently and yet we're supposed to see him as one of the most likable and righteous members of the main group.

‧ The wasted potential of so many fleeting characters and pointless introductions - What was the point of the pregnant high school student? What did that story beat add to the drama? What was the significance? Just to eventually give the cops something to do? Same with the youtuber. He could've been used as a plot vehicle to show the outside world what was really going on but instead he existed just to take up screen time. Now, don't get me wrong. One of my favorite parts of the show was the cop duo. They had great chemistry and Lee Kyu Hyung just brings his A game to every supporting character he plays. Unfortunately, as soon as they left the police station, their purpose in the story disappeared. Better drama?: Following the two cops as they went around saving people. Better plot thread?: Letting them be the ones who retrieved the laptop. The writing robbed them of their one useful job in the story halfway through the drama. What about the assemblywoman? What was her purpose aside from delaying So Ju from saving his daughter? It was mentioned that she had kids so the least they could've done was reveal that one of the main students was her child. It would've made her a hundred times more compelling and it would've given her a deeper connection with So Ju. Wouldn't have been awesome if her child was Nam Ra? Or Na Yeon?! It was all right there and just never capitalized on. I'll just briefly mention the wasted potential of the caring teacher, the brother/sister connection (Woo Jin was given so little development/to do as a character that I didn't even realize he existed until the group was thinned out by zombies), the military commander...

‧ Na Yeon. Sigh. We were absolutely baited by the potential of a well rounded character arc. Like many of the characters, she was just a bad, cruel person for no real discernible reason. Lots of high school students are catty or dramatic or brats, but they don't have it in them to just murder fellow classmates in a survival situation because they feel left out and ignored. But in directly and purposely sending Gyeong Soo to his death isn't the worst thing about her character - it's what happens after that. We see her hiding in the closet, stocked up with food and drinks (let me say here that the lack of attention to the fact that the students haven't had food/real water in days is odd), and she seems truly and emotionally remorseful. Surely, she's going to provide them with sustenance and win a little of their forgiveness, right? No. She hears them talking bad about her and stays put. Fine. Surely they're just upping the drama to make her revealing herself more impactful, right? No. We finally see her snapping out of her pathetic pity party and packing things up to meet them. We get an odd flashback to the teacher (another person who dies unnecessarily because of Na Yeon's selfishness and stupidity) begging her to make amends and do something helpful for the group to redeem herself. If you squint, there's even a potentially possibility that maybe she WASN'T the one who infected Gyeong Soo after all. The set up is there. She'll save them by providing food and water and apologize. She'll explain her motivations further. Wrong. She dies. Maybe. We don't really see her turn for sure so maybe she's alive or turned into one of those hybrids. Okay, writers. Surely, SURELY this means we're going to see her pop up in the future, somehow saving the group or sacrificing herself to give her story some kind of satisfying closure? Wrong again. We get a pan shot of the zombies in a future episode and there she is. So. That's that then.

‧ The On Ju/Cheong San relationship - We know from the very beginning that he's into her. We assume that she's also hiding the fact that she's into him. But that doesn't ever really happen. She seems fully focused on her crush on Soo Hyeok up until Cheong San confesses to her. She responds with anger saying she's now lost him as a friend (which isn't necessarily unjustified) and doesn't reciprocate his feelings. After Cheong San gets bit we see a tiny spark of what maybe could've been, but does she actually have romantic feelings for him or is it just guilt? We never really see any indication that she loves him in any way other than just a best friend. She never learns what 'left' meant. It's all just kind of awkward and underdeveloped when a few small changes could've made it a much more interesting and emotional relationship dynamic.

This drama would've benefited from dropping about 10 characters, developing the ones left over better and pulling in the plot tighter. The potential was all there (which is what made the viewing experience so frustrating). The side plots were so much more interesting and compelling than the main group's most of the time (I've already praised the cop duo but I also thought the group headed by Ha Ri and Mi Jin was so much more interesting and defined and I wish we'd followed them instead). The pacing was off (how could things drag but also feel so glossed over? how much time exactly had even passed since the outbreak started?) and so much time was wasted on things that served no purpose to the story. And then, just when I'm finally on the last ten minutes of this struggle of a show, they introduce a new plot that is actually interesting and fresh (a congregation of a new breed of zombie hybrids with superhuman abilities! lead by the most likable character with the most significant growth and development!) and that's where it ends.

And this is where my review will also end. Because I could go on, but I've covered more than enough. I've never felt compelled to write a review like this and there's definitely been some terrible shows I've watched. But the thing that sets this one apart is that it had so many ingredients to be a GREAT show. It could've really been an amazing, fresh twist on the zombie genre but it just dropped the ball over and over again. One or two pointless plots or underdeveloped characters would've been forgivable, but we were given the bones of a zombie drama without any meat.

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Come Back To It

So I first started this show the minute that it aired on Netflix and I only got to half the second episode before I quit. I was bored and wasn't really feeling up for another zombie show when at the time, it seemed like it was all that was on TV. So I dumped it and moved on.

But! Less than a year later, I browsing Lomon's page and trying to find out what else I'd seen him in, since I was watching Revenge of Others and guess what! He played the main role in All of Us Are Dead (and some other shows that I'd watched). But since I hadn't actually watched All of Us Are Dead, I decided to give it another try for him. And I am so so glad I did.

Now I'm not saying this because I'm currently stanning Lomon. ( I am stanning him but that's a whole different point.) I think this was genuinely an amazing show.

Acting -
These kids are doing amazing. I am genuinely so impressed by their portrayal of their characters and how genuinely they come across. They gave amazing performances with perfect chemistry. They felt like friends, they had their jokes and their drama and pettiness. They portrayed being teenagers perfectly.

The rest of the cast also did a phenomenal job. The detective was a massive DILF and I loved every one of his scenes. His heartbreak at the state of the world, and his hope that he can keep the kids safe. The general played cool and rational and coldhearted while subtly being able to convey that every decision he is making is taking a toll on him and he doesn't want to be making them. The soldiers who follow orders no matter what even if they don't want to and you are screaming with frustration at them for not disobeying and yet you know that no matter what they will follow orders to the letter because that is how they are conditioned. The parents who would run into danger for their kids, and the kids who are dealing with so much trauma that they don't know how to react to all of it so some of it hits them like a tidal wave and they are frozen, depressed, suicidal or they some they just compartmentalize until they can deal with it later.

Plot -
Believable. It has been three years since Covid started and I can still remember how chaotic that time was. Now take a zombie virus that is quick and deadly and put in human stupidity and drama and all the rest and you've got reality. I think the most unbelievable part is that the military actually does a pretty adequate job in containing the disease for how deadly it is. (Although I did think a lot about how birds would naturally become zombies by eating the decaying bodies and therefore it would be impossible to actually contain the zombie virus, but I guess i have to suspend my disbelief in some things because at the end of the day, this is a zombie show).

Even the love triangle/square was believable. Because in that scenario, you aren't just going to forget that you like someone, even if you are in a super chaotic environment. It's cute and it adds moments of softness to a very action packed drama.

I definitely recommend the show.
Go into it with an open mind and you will be pleasantly surprised.

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Ahhhh....Zombies! All of us are dead: Review

Ah. Zombies.

All Of Us Are Dead.

I mean….of course we are. Let’s face it, we all have a zombie apocalypse survival plan. Don’t we? Because if you don’t, you probably don’t have enough imagination to enjoy this show, much less survive an actual apocalypse. But even with a plan, would you make it?

Me? Nah. I had to stop and check my blood pressure too many times, just while watching. LOL. The action is almost non-stop through most episodes. The amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins as I watched could have powered a small city for a hot minute. It was hard to simply sit through these episodes quietly. You’re either cheering someone on or wanting to throw someone off the roof. I can’t imagine what it was like to film this because there was something going on constantly. The special effects were fabulous, the acting was on point, and….someone commented about plot holes. Are you stupid?? What plot holes?? If you listen to the dialogue (or in my case, read the subs) they explained everything at one point or another. Even the science of the virus itself is explained, and the parts that weren’t explained were stated as unknown or unknowable within the script itself. Maybe there are some plot holes that I missed, but I can’t think of any. I actually do have a couple of questions, but I hope for those to be answered in Season 2.

The plot of the show is pretty simple and as expected: Survive. It centers around a group of high-schoolers trying to help each other survive and get to safety. There are heroes and there are anti-heroes. There is bravery and cowardice. There is fear. Disappointment. And a lot of death. (Too much happening to get a kill-count.) But don’t worry. The government will make everything right. They will, won’t they? Won’t they?

It’s not all bad though. Well, actually it is, but there are some sweet moments that will endear you to the characters, as well as some truly heroic actions by some truly heroic people. There are even heroic actions by some who would prefer to be anything other than a hero. There is friendship and trust and love. But mostly death.

If you don’t like blood and gore, then this is not for you. If you get attached to characters, assume they will die. If you’re looking for a happy ending….well, there is an ending. I don’t know that I would call it happy.

Enjoy!

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Why would I re-watch 'All of us are dead'?

Hello! This is my first ever review so please bear with me if it goes here and there at times. I have finished this drama within 2 days of its' release. Honestly, enjoyed watching it so much. There are a few obvious plot holes (come on writers ain't super humas to not have any) but while we watch the series they go unnoticed. I absolutely loved the emotions carried by the cast. The series had me sitting on the edge. The series COULD have been concluded in lesser episodes, at times it kinda feels dragged or maybe slowed down. But again, while watching it won't feel tiring at all.

So, the main question as why I would re-watch it? The BG score was so subtle, at times you just get into the scene and the score won't feel like an extra addition that was forced. This kind of stands out. I watched the trailer after finishing the series and then noticed how well they have composed it. Especially the whistle version of Auld Lang Syne which was by Cheong-San in the series was nicely put towards the outro of the trailer making it extra heavy. That song means farewell indeed. The series had my most favourite characters dying from episode to episode, and I really have complaints against it. My heart sank so much I would re watch it just to see those characters live and laugh on screen once more.

With zombies coming from everywhere right from the first minute, this series kept me hanging on to it even after 5 days of finishing it. I would definitely recommend you to watch it, at least to appreciate the production.

I understand I just had too many thoughts and no proper structure in my review. I promise to get better while I review further. Thanks if you read me till here.

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All of Us Are Dead? More like All of Us Are Crying!

Just don't watch while eating! Not recommended!

I wasn't going to watch a zombie drama given how gory I heard this drama was. But the thriller surprisingly got me hooked! I was gasping, wincing, and sobbing pretty much every ep. What an emotional rollercoaster!

It's only the start of 2022, but already this show is too good to be able to top. Some thoughts I have though: I thought we would get a redemption arc for this girl student just for her to get eaten in a horrendous death. What an evil writer-nim! Cheongsan literally carried the show the way he dashed like Sonic everywhere. He's easily my fave and deserves better. It's a shame he had to like his childhood friend. Please, can we just get rid of the flour sack he kept dragging around? She needed more support than a grandma the way she kept needing assistance for everything!! Does she think she's a princess?? I have never met a more pathetic, useless, and irritating looking female "lead". What is she leading?? She has literally done nothing in this show except cry and give cringe lines.

Done with rant. Other than that girl, this show was amazing!! Props to all the zombie actors!!!! You have my respect.

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Falou mal desse aqui, falou mal de mim!

"Nem todo dorama que é muito falado é bom" é uma frase que eu concordo... porém o inverso dela também se faz verdade pra mim - "só porque ele é muito falado não quer dizer que é clichê e não presta"... deixe de preconceito e dê uma chance!

Eu tinha visto All of Us Are Dead como lançamento na Netflix e desde a "primeira vista" eu senti que ele seria muito bom. Porém, como eu tava seguindo à risca a minha lista, eu não me interessei em assistir de imediato. Mas, alguém mudou todos os meus planos e eu agradeço por isso rsrs.

Drama maravilindo... Elenco perfeito mesmo sendo a minha primeira vez com todos praticamente. Amei a maioria dos personagens principais, e odiei profundamente o antagonista (deixando claro que pro ator eu passo pano). A história é muito envolvente e faz você chorar em cada cena de esperança para aquelas crianças. As cenas das gravações e do acampamento me tocam até hoje. E vamos agora para a "morte" dele... É CLARO QUE É BRINCADEIRA NÉ PRODUÇÃO?? SÓ TIRANDO ONDA NÃO É MESMO??? Olha, dou um murrão em quem disser que tem certeza que ele tá morto..

Tudo foi maravilhoso e se não assistiu, cuida! Se não gostou, só te desejo uma coisa: que o Gwi-nam esteja no seu pé querendo arrancar seu olho!

Concluído por mim: 12/02/22

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"Si eres un buen amigo, la ayudaras."

Increíble que a la persona que le dijeron esa frase termino siendo el que más ayudo a los demás en toda la serie... Su fin era protejer a On-jo pero termino dando su vida por todos.

Me gusto más de lo que esperaba y la verdad a mi parecer supieron cómo hacerte encariñar con cada personaje haciendo que la perdida de algunos fuera dura. Pero sin duda la muerte de algunos causo menos sentimiento que otras.

El final nos dejó todos a la espera de que realicen una segunda temporada en la que podamos ver que sucede con las personas que son medio zombis...

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ZOMBIES, MUERTES, SANGRE Y UN CAST JOVEN TALENTOSO

Primera advertencia: No te encariñes con nadie, cualquiera puede morir.
Segunda advertencia: El drama no tiene censura en mostrar violencia, abusos, sangre e intestinos.

Es una de las producciones (no solamente asiáticas) más gráficas que he visto. Me sorprendió cómo vemos muchas escenas de zombies de manera masiva, sin limitarse con la cantidad de muertos vivientes que hay tanto en la escuela como en la ciudad. La personificación, el maquillaje, los efectos especiales y las escenas de acciones están muy bien creadas. Cumple muy bien con ser un drama de supervivencia.

Desde el comienzo entramos a la historia y logra atrapar rápidamente, durante los 12 capítulos está lleno de acción y emoción, la historia avanza rápidamente y aunque tiene sus fallos y huecos en el guión sin explicación, me mantuvo entretenida todo el tiempo sin aburrirme. Me gustó cómo seguimos a distintos personajes enfrentando el apocalipsis zombie y antes de que me llegaran a cansar se cerraron sus historias para enfocarnos solo en los protagonistas.

El cast es joven y muy talentoso, los antagonistas se lucieron y lograron hacerme enojar y sentirlos verdaderamente como una amenaza. Los personajes principales son muy buenos en general, aunque admito que algunos secundarios que llegaron muy lejos fueron irrelevantes, mientras On Jo me pareció poco memorable para ser protagonista (lo cual no me ocurrió con Cheong San), sin duda Nam Ra y Su Hyeok fueron mis favoritos aportaron mucho al drama.

Es un drama ideal para un maratón, para no profundizar mucho en la trama y que recomiendo cuando busques algo que te atrape desde el inicio.

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what the hell is this romance ass garbo

ait so i thought it was going to be an alright show by the first two episodes.. there was some unecessary romance but I was like whatever I hope they don't drag this out.
Well, they did!
Not only did they drag the romance out, but they also dragged out ALL THE OTHER SCENES IN THE SERIES! seriously, why are they trying to redeem EVERY single character?? Oh the girl who killed an innocent guy feels bad? let's give her 30 minutes of an episode where she sobs and has a breakdown with BAD soundtrack playing. Don't even get me started on the ass soundtrack, it was SO. SO SO BAD. I know kdramas struggle with soundtracks but jesus christ this shit made me laugh at every death scene. The ending sucks absolute balls. what was that. ?????????????why were everybody shocked???what???what was that suspenful music?

Some people are complaining about plot holes but honestly there was no plot. Literally what was the plot. It didn't make sense. You kill off the most important character in the most anti-climatic way, but still keep showing videos of him.................. what
Btw the scientist could've been AN AMAZING VILLAIN, BUT INSTEAD THEY KEPT GOING WITH THE ANNOYING AS MF BULLY. WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT HIM. "but a villain is made to be hated" stfu he was the most boring villain ever, i was sleeping through all his scenes. Watching this series was a whole ass chore and I can't believe I wasted 12+ hours watching it. why. why.?`?!?!??!!?!?

the cast was ait but like, i aint gonna give it a higher rating because of it?????? and some of them were so mehhh on god.

Who's idea was it to make a kdrama off this shitty webtoon anyways? the webtoon's artstyle is ass and I wont bother reading it because the characters and plot suck ass. At least the shitty soundtrack isn't in the webtoon...

this series could've been saved if the villain had ANY personality, if the cringe ass mf romance was removed (omfg that shit made me so mad like idc if yall want to kiss and fuck omfg istg these straights be making me insane), if THE PLOT MADE ANY SENSE AND IF THE SERIES STOPPED GIVING ALL CHARACTERS REDEMPTION ARCS. thank you. dont watch this shit. watch kingdom instead (an actual good zombie kdrama).

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Un monde où l'espoir n'est pas permis....

Étant dans une période de drama « Survival » (voir « Death Game » lorsqu’il y en a de disponible x’D), je me suis lancée dans cette nouvelle histoire. Cependant, j’ai assez vite déchanté lors de mon visionnage ^^’ ! Bien qu’ayant lu pas mal de critiques positives, je ne l’ai pas trouvé si bon que ça…

Pourquoi me direz-vous ? Voici quelques points qui répondront à votre question :
► Le casting principal est ciblé sur des adolescents : Ce qui peut être intéressant dû au fait que l’on change de public (Souvent dans les derniers dramas traitant du sujet, il s’agit d’adultes ^^) Cependant, on nous montre sans doute le reflet de notre perception de l’adolescence… Ce qui les rend irréfléchis, violents, naïfs, égoïstes… (Vous me direz, il y en a & cela peut faire avancer l’histoire mais à mon sens, ils étaient TROP caricaturaux…)
► La gestion de crise : On nous montre une gestion assez inhumaine mais si on y réfléchit… On se dit que beaucoup feraient ce choix afin de sauver le plus grand nombre. (Au final, c’est tout de même la peur qui dirige la plupart des décisions…)
► Beaucoup de scènes sanglantes qui se suivent & se ressemblent… : J’ai lu un avis sur ce drama qui disait que les Coréens ne faisaient pas de gore pour du gore… Je dois dire que je suis assez peu d’accord avec cette affirmation pour ce drama (Après, il est produit par les américains, cela explique donc pas mal de choses ^^’).
► Un monde sans espoir : Dans les histoires du genre, on nous laisse souvent une porte de sortie… Une façon de pouvoir respirer dans notre visionnage en sachant que finalement malgré les morts, une solution sera trouvée & les habitants sauvés… Cependant, ce drama a plutôt misé sur l’autre versant… Celui où rien n’est possible à part l’extermination… C’est un point de vue différent mais à mon sens, il est défendable. Je reprocherai tout de même le fait qu’après autant de décisions difficiles & de morts, je ne comprends pas pourquoi on ne voit pas plus l’après… On ne nous permet pas de nous faire une idée de la « psychologie » des survivants… (Je suis d’ailleurs étonnée qu’il n’y ait pas eu plus de suicides après les évènements…)

Vous l’aurez compris, ce drama ne m’a pas réellement convaincu… Les réactions sont trop « naïves » & dirigées par des sautes « d’humeurs ». J’entend par là, qu’il n’y a pas de vrai réflexion derrière les différentes actions… Au final, les héros finissent toujours coincés… Et des gens doivent se sacrifier pour continuer à avancer…

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Us All are Dead

Simply there is no plot development, for some unknown reason director choose to make same scenarios over and over through the series. The Sub plot of bullying or teen pregnancy or sexual harassment didn't make any impact on the story line. With nothing much in story, 12 episodes is very long, 8 episodes should have done good. My Big Complain is Writer and Director failed to imagine possibilities of story development. There where so many opportunities where story could have thickened but they choose not to.

My recommendation to people who want to watch, watch only if you have nothing else to watch, even so it in installments, do not worth the binge watch.

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