Worth the bingewatching
This drama surprised me with 2 things. The first one is how I could stick to the phone and finish it in half a day. The second is how I am excited to watch the second season. Why I gave it only 9 stars and not 10 is because sometimes I got annoyed with some decisions some of the characters made and I got bored out of nowhere. If you want to watch it you need to watch the second season as well because the first season will only give you an open ending. When I started watching Kingdom some of the things reminded me of Scholar who walks the night (those who know, those who don't, don't) and it brought me back memories so it felt nice. And right now excuse me, because I need to finish the second season as well.Was this review helpful to you?
Simply the Best
Zombie apocalypse in ancient Korea. Sounds absurd, right? Yet another, stupid zombie movie, right? No such thing! This drama has a well thought-out, smart plot - if not for the paranormal aspect, it would be totally plausible. Add to this great cast, interesting characters, who you really don't want to be eaten by the zombies, ;) power struggle, political schemes, and captivating cinematography... Well, I really cannot imagine a drama better than this one. Strongly recommended.Was this review helpful to you?
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.
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Re-watch and still like it
I just finished re-watch this series, I still find it interesting. I am not really a fans of zombie movies, so not sure about the standard of the sole zombie lover's movie. And I haven't read the original webtoon either. Overall the production done a good job. I like how they shoot some scenes, nice camera angle.My opinion
Story : Good story, there's story behind, not only solely a hunt and catch zombie type of movie, but also politics, power struggle and humanity. The story flow is well paced, able to catch audience attention.
Acting: Good acting from all the cast
Music : Suitable for this kind of genre, but not to my liking LOL
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Kingdom season 1 is a strong one. Of course, a bit of social commentary is there; poor people are most affected, rich guys are safe. Enter the Crown Prince, a friend to the people, trying his best to save them. He does know some very important lessons – you cannot save all, his decisions will bring peace or war, betrayal is at every step and do not hesitate to use your power.
Story is smooth, perfect pacing, a lot of action, people who you wouldn’t expect to die, do die, cause they’re only humans (alive or dead already). Depravity and evilness of humans is at every step – again a commentary regarding who is the real monster. I enjoyed the political fights – power is a great drug and it’s almost impossible to give it up when you’re high on it. So all kind of monsters appear.
Acting… wow. I don’t think there is an interpretation I don’t like. All characters are real people for me, nothing is forced. Awesome performances, perhaps the best I’ve ever seen. This is the kind of series in which all characters are powerful, thanks to more factors – script, directing, the actors. I cannot chose a favorite… maybe Bae Doo Na is a notch above the rest.
If you are a fan of zombie/horror genre…do not wait! Free yourself a day, watch these 2 seasons and your top of zombie movies will change.
I cannot quite compare it with The Walking Dead and Fear of the Walking Dead. I dropped The Walking Dead at season 2 initially. I tried a few years later again – nope. Watched season 1 of Fear of the Walking Dead… so boring… So if you liked these 2, be careful – Kingdom has a lot of action. Yeah, I know Kingdom is shorter. That doesn’t make it less good. I would rather rewatch Kingdom 100 times, than suffer through WD seasons.
Besides, Kingdom is the one that feels more real… Isolation worked, right ??
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This review may contain spoilers
This whole series is just mindblowing. The drama is very complex with a lot of plots intertwined with each other. It is complex but can be very subtle as well. I find myself having to repeat some of the episodes to figure out all the hints. But it worth to rewatch and you won't get bored.First, let's talk about the casts. I'm actually happy that Joo Ji Hoon is playing the crown prince. There was a talk about Song Jong Ki being cast for the role, but he rejected it. I'm not saying that Jong Ki is not a good actor, but Joo Ji Hoon has more experiences playing complex characters and I find his image is more suitable with the drama. Also, good job for the team to cast experienced actor and actresses like Bae Do Na and Ryu Seung Ryong.
Second the plots. It is based on a web manwha but it took a completely different setting and story but still keep the basic idea. The conflict started when the Cho clan was taking control of the power. The king was ill and it was still a mystery about how he became a monster. Was it because of the mysterious illness that he had or was it because he was resurrected with the resurrection plant? He definitely became an undead brainless monster who ate human. The prime minister Cho, who was also the Queen's father hid the fact and tried to keep the facade that the king was still alive and well until the Queen gave birth to the heir.
Meanwhile, the main character, our crown prince was also the king child but not from the Queen. The Queen was actually looked much younger than the crown prince but she had more power than him. The crown prince suspected that the king was actually already dead, but he had no proof and he was not able to visit his father due to the Queen's interferences. He was finally being framed for traitor and had to run away while also tried to pursue the truth. The crown prince followed the lead of one of his father physician to found out that the man had died and there was a zombie plague started to spread out.
Once a person was bitten by a zombie, he would turn into one. Apparently, these zombies became inactive during the day and became truly died when beheaded or burned. And they also enabled to swim.
The episodes were shorts with only 6 episodes. But the show has invested a lot of money into the production and each episode is very high quality like a blockbuster movie. Season 2 has been confirmed and I hope that it will continue to be amazing or more than the season 1. I had a lot of expectations and can't wait for it.
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This review may contain spoilers
In one sitting, I dove head-on in this drama, captured in its unique premise. With just 6 episodes, I was able to finish season 1 in a day. I enjoy historical dramas and zombie centred shows, which was a treat when I discovered Kingdom had both! The character development was great for the Crown Prince as well as the members in his group. Though they had purposely showed less character development of the “bad guys”, as there is a major plot twist at the end. The background story of the plague, was purposely slowly unraveled, to build up suspense and intrigue...Review up on my blog: purplecuriosity.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/kingdom-season-1/
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Joo Ji Hoon as Lee Chang is such a wonderful character that even his common lack of emotion in his other works (not saying that I think like that but I know many do) is completely fitting in this role. He's passionate, cold-headed, smart, loyal, capable. The perfect king, yet his loyalty is doubted and he's suspected of treason. The way Lee Chang gathers the people on his side to protect Sangju is simply amazing. I really loved this character.
Similarly, Bae Doo Na as Sae-bi was perfect. I know she's always an amazing actress and each and every one of her works is a masterpiece, her characters are always inspiring women, but I must say that I really loved Sae-bi particularly. She's so smart and independent, survived so many things and was summoned to serve the general because of her skills and character, despite her being a simply physician of the commoners. Most empowering character ever!
I'm not going into further detail because I finished Season 2 before writing this review, so I wouldn't like to accidentally spoil anything, so I just want to encourage everyone to watch Kingdom and assure you that you will not regret it!
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Now, I can't really say the same for the acting. The cast is one that I recognize and some of the actors I had enjoyed in other dramas. So, I assumed there would be some incredible acting and even though there were some great roles, others seemed a bit too over dramatic. It could be because this is a period drama, and overly authoritative personalities were the norm back then, but now, it just seems too much. Maybe that's the standard for acting in period dramas, since this isn't the first historical drama I've seen with dramatic acting, but I can't be sure. All I know is that some moments were a bit cringey for me personally, but I was quickly able to get over it and move on.
The music was... fine, I guess. I gave it 8 stars because I can't really remember the score, or what it even relatively sounded like. It was good enough that it didn't distract from the story, but it also wasn't amazing to the point where I was looking up the songs afterwards to add to my playlist. It was average music and that shouldn't drive you away from watching this drama.
The cinematography was alright. It's not a visual-focused drama, so nothing stood out, but the setting was appropriate and pretty, as in historically pretty. The monsters are also well done and look awfully creepy, which is a good thing in this case.
Overall, I'd say this was a pretty good start to a very interesting drama. I gave the rewatch value a ten because the drama is short, which is perfect for a quick fix, if you need one. It sucks for those who are waiting for a second season after binge watching the first one in a day, though. Nonetheless, this is a creepy, well-made drama that you should check out if you're looking for something spooky to watch.
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This period drama is not a typical one that we have seen most of the time, it covers with violence and some ruthless torture and execution. I think that makes the story draw to a good impression with extra glamor of customs, scenery, and faces of actors.
Join the ride and it will take you to the zombie apocalypse in ancient Korea.
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This review may contain spoilers
Just Another Standard Zombie Story...
A standard zombie story. Nothing special about it. Due to the huge success of The Walking Dead, we have seen a plethora of zombie films and TV shows which all tell the same story. Kingdom doesn't add anything new, just placing zombies in the past instead of the modern world. Zombies still eat human beings who turn into zombies themselves. Like what one of the top rated review of this series says on MDL, "the show isn't too concerned with character development and a deep storyline," just standard blockbuster drama with a ton of murder and gore, which quickly gets boring. None of the characters interest me either as I found them all flat or despicable. I watch K-drama for something different. Something that Western media doesn't have. Unfortunately, this series adheres too much to the vacuous zombie stories of the West. Better to spend my time watching quality K-dramas like Reply 1988 or Prison Playbook.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Overused theme but presented a different time and plot
Though Netflix’s Kingdom features an overused theme, they presented a different time and plot. (Yes, I said it and you know it!) Kingdom is set in the medieval Joseon dynasty (1392 to 1897) which was a politically troubling time for both citizens and royalty. Corruption and famine were rampant plus their nation is plagued with the infected and other types of carnivorous and liquor-drinking monsters in various parts of the kingdom.In a typical period drama or a typical zombie film, you will not see these problems right away. It takes time to build up. But Netflix’s Kingdom’s pacing is fast and more engaging. From the title sequence, we were already given so many clues or Easter eggs about what happened to the King.
That sequence gave chills to my body more than Netflix’s Stranger Things title sequence, to be honest. With the ominous music, dark colour and the incense smoke, the title sequence helped establish the setting and tone of the series.
And the first episode did not disappoint! It was enough for viewers to get hooked and finish all six episodes. Yes, there are only six episodes but each is 43 to 56-minute long. And though it was faced-paced, their execution did not fail to leave a great impression. It also did not fail to love and despise certain characters.
And as soon as I got to the last episode, I was amazed by the great plot twist. The zombies we know does not exist here. Moreover, the infected and the cause were revealed and explained well in this series all thanks to Seo-Bi who acquired Physician Lee Seung-Hui’s journal detailing the use of the legendary resurrection plant which helped her piece things together.
But season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger!
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