Surprised by A Zombie
I've never read the webtoon, but I was thrilled by the writing. The story seems lightweight from the start and it's executed insanely awesome. At first I thought this was going to be just zombies and some cheeky comedies, but they gave us a lot of heartwarming dad-daughter relationship moments instead. For this kind of story which could go wrong easily, this one is an impressive job. They successfully pour tears, joy and laugh into one package. Thanks to Jo Jung Suk for being a perfect father figure, he may be able to get another Baeksang for this. Also visual of the house in Eunbong-Ri is very calming,The pace of the story is somewhat unusual, not wrong though. The story escallated extremely fast in the beginning, looks like it's going to peak already on the first 30 minutes. This made me questioning, what are they going to do for the rest one and half hour. So they bring us into an enjoyable roller coaster of emotion, going up and down near the peakline but never touch it. However this may has been like this already all the time, it's just the fact that I've never read the webtoon.
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Warm Body Meet Fido in Korean Version
To be honest, I’m usually not into drama (unless it’s BL, lol), so when I walked into the cinema I was expecting something closer to Train to Busan with a mix of Warm Bodies and maybe a sprinkle of Fido. Basically, I was ready for chaos, action, and some comedy, not a tear-jerking family drama disguised as a zombie flick. And let me tell you, I was not emotionally prepared for what this movie threw at me 😂. It’s funny, absurd, and sweet at the same time, but it leans way more on the heartfelt side than the gory zombie side.I actually ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought. It’s quirky, heartwarming, and somehow manages to balance comedy with some really touching father-daughter moments. The whole “training your zombie kid” thing is both ridiculous and oddly moving, like, one minute I’m laughing at the absurdity, the next minute I’m holding back tears.
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This review may contain spoilers
Grandmeow, Churros, and Zombies
This is honestly the best zombie movie I’ve ever watched. To be fair, I’m not really into survival games or shows like Squid Game or All of Us Are Dead. But when I came across a few clips from this movie on reels, it genuinely caught my attention.Jung-suk has always been one of my favorite actors—especially in comedy. He’s truly an ace. This film, however, surprised me with how touching, heartfelt, and sincere it turned out to be. It dives straight into the simplest yet most unsettling questions that anyone who watches zombie movies has probably thought about at least once: how can people abandon their loved ones so easily? How can they kill them without even trying to save them?
The father’s dilemma is the emotional core of the film. Watching him struggle, hesitate, and fight his inner battle is heartbreaking. His journey makes the entire movie deeply moving and engaging. His backstory is also thought cliche and predictable, moving us to tears.
The grandmother was a total crack hahhaa
And Grandmeow hahahahahah she was the show stellar. Thank god i have a cat or i would be too jealous.
When Yeon-hwa showed up with her irritating urge to keep reporting zombies, I was honestly so annoyed—uff. I guess I really bonded with Soo-ah in the process.
I cried a lot towards the end!!
Overall, this is a genuinely funny, cute, lovely, and emotionally powerful watch.
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what a great movie
I just finished the movie, what a great movie, what perfect casting, and what a great performance by a girl who is only 16 years old (but with a resume of acting from the age of 6-7), a movie that combines laughter and sadness in one package (yes, I cried), a movie that touches on a wide range of emotions, great relationships and great communication (keyword) of a family, whether it is between a father (uncle) and a daughter or whether it is between a grandmother and a granddaughter or a son-in-law or between friends, it is hard not to compare it to the Corona pandemic, or to the series "Happiness" (Park Hyung-shik). I enjoyed the whole package and also the message "One person is enough to believe in you" .... Love, perseverance, support and communication..Was this review helpful to you?
The only zombie dancing to BOA's No. 1
I can’t say enough good things about My Daughter Is a Zombie. This movie made me laugh, cry, and nearly explode from the emotional roller coaster toward the end. Seriously, my heart was not ready (and my hands are tied, so you’ll have to watch it yourself to know what I mean 👀). It’s heartwarming, hilarious, and surprisingly deep, a perfect blend of hope, patience, and the reminder that family and friends are the greatest allies we have.Jo Jung Suk has officially become my go-to actor. His comedic timing, expressions, and ability to switch between funny and heartfelt moments are just unmatched. I genuinely couldn’t get enough of his antics here. And Ae-yeong the cat? Absolute cutie, a small but adorable bonus that somehow makes everything better.
This movie hits all the right notes from funny, emotional, and meaningful without being heavy. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who needs a little laughter, a few tears, and a warm hug in movie form. 🧟♀️💖
📌 Watch this if you’re craving a heartfelt comedy that balances chaos, comfort, and unconditional love with a dash of zombie fun.
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A Soft Zombie Thriller with Emotions
My Daughter Is a Zombie is a light thriller mixed with comedy, but what truly stands out is the beautiful father–daughter relationship at its core. Beyond the zombies and chaos, the film focuses more on family emotions, making it surprisingly touching.The movie has emotional moments that work well without becoming overly dramatic. While it doesn’t reach the intensity or scale of classics like Train to Busan or All of Us Are Dead, it doesn’t try to compete with them either.
Instead, it offers a softer take on the zombie genre—blending thriller elements, humor, and heartfelt emotions. Because of this balance, the film feels more personal and family-oriented rather than purely horror-driven.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable watch—especially if you like zombie stories with emotional depth and light comedy. I genuinely enjoyed it.
⭐ Verdict: Not a genre-defining zombie film, but a warm and entertaining one.
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How to train a Zombie
At first glance, this movie makes no sense, but in the end it was worth watching. Since it is based on a webtoon, I can understand the flow of the story, which changes its story arc every ten minutes—just like episodes in a comic book. The story is therefore straightforward, with many different elements and characters appearing and disappearing, each adding a bit of flavor.I didn’t especially like the first 20 minutes, with the strange depiction of what we might call a zombie apocalypse, but then the real story begins: a father secretly raising his zombie daughter. Zombies are expected to behave in a certain way, and the young actress (Choi Yu-ri), who plays the teenage zombie, had a really challenging role. She did better than I expected, but I would still have preferred her to commit a bit more to the weirdness of zombie behavior.
It is also obvious that being a zombie here can be seen as a metaphor for puberty, but beyond that, it also symbolizes raising a child with some form of disability. When viewed this way, the movie raises awareness and conveys a very positive moral lesson about the importance of parenting and the value of every human life. I also appreciated the connection to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the social commentary on government rules that seek the common good, sometimes at the expense of personal rights. All in all, this is a well-made, funny, touching, and morally grounded movie.
PS. What's with the cat?
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heartwarming slice of life with a Zombie twist
I read this as a Webtoon as it originally was being published, so imagine my surprise when they announced it as a film. The film stays true to the source material and keeps the humour. I had initially thought that they wouldn't be able to keep some of the funny moments but surprisingly they gave the same energy and vibe. The show is a softer Zombie slice of life so the only hard things to get through was the end, luckily i was prepared. Its heartwarming but at the same time sad. Get ready for a stellar cast that makes the whole film be cute heartwarming and an overall enjoyable watch.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A funny family centered zombie movie
ReviewMy rating: 9/10
I am not a huge zombie movie fan, so for a zombie film to earn a 9/10 from me, it has to do something different. My Daughter Is a Zombie succeeds because it uses the zombie premise as the backdrop for a much more personal story. Rather than focusing on endless action, gore, or survival horror, the film explores what happens when a family refuses to give up on someone they love.
What makes the movie stand out is its approach to the infection. This isn't a typical "mindless monster" story. There is a sense that the person is still there beneath the virus, which gives the film an emotional weight many zombie movies lack. The heart of the story is the relationship between a father and his daughter, and that family bond remains the focus from beginning to end.
The movie also balances humor and emotion surprisingly well. There are plenty of amusing moments, but they never undermine the genuine warmth of the family relationships. The supporting cast adds personality and charm, while the rural setting gives the story a cozy, almost fairy-tale atmosphere despite the zombie theme.
If you enjoy unique takes on the zombie genre, family-centered stories, and a little humor mixed with your monsters, this is an easy recommendation. It's not a horror masterpiece, but it is a heartfelt, entertaining film with far more emotional depth than its premise might suggest. Even as someone who doesn't actively seek out zombie movies, I would happily watch it again if someone put it on.
Spoilers
While I enjoyed the movie tremendously, there were a few aspects that didn't completely work for me.
The character I liked least was Shin Yeon-hwa. I understood what the movie was trying to do with her character, but I found her enthusiasm for hunting zombies unsettling. Even if she genuinely believed infected people were no longer human, there was an intensity and enjoyment in her actions that made it difficult for me to support the romantic storyline involving her. For me, she never fully crossed back into sympathetic territory.
On the other hand, Kim Bam-sun, the grandmother, was fantastic. She was practical, tough, and completely unflappable. Every scene she appeared in was better because of her presence. She brought both humor and emotional grounding to the story.
I also had mixed feelings about the fate of Jung-hwan's biological father. He was selfish and willing to betray his own family, but I still found the decision to infect him and ultimately dispose of him morally uncomfortable. The film presents it in a way that makes narrative sense, yet it remains one of the story's grayest moments.
One of my favorite unexpected elements was the cat. The cat almost felt magical at times, constantly appearing at the right moments and quietly influencing events. Whether intentional or not, the cat became one of the movie's most memorable supporting characters.
I thought it was interesting that the government gradually became one of the primary antagonistic forces. Disaster stories often include institutions that value control over compassion, and this film continued that tradition. The contrast between bureaucratic solutions and a family's determination to protect one another worked well.
The revelation that Jung-hwan had developed antibodies through his prolonged exposure to Soo-ah was both surprising and satisfying. It fit the emotional themes of the movie while providing a clever story development.
My biggest disappointment was the ending. After everything that happened, I wanted a stronger emotional payoff. Seeing Jung-hwan move his finger suggested hope, but I wanted more. I wanted to see him fully awaken and realize that his sacrifices had succeeded. The movie earned that emotional reunion, and I felt slightly cheated by not getting to experience it alongside the characters.
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More than expected
I went into this for two reasons: 1) stellar cast; 2) short time commitment.The poster is somewhat misleading. I expected it to be a full-on, silly comedy. But I was surprised by the varying emotions they were able to wring out of me. I laughed, I cried, I got the t-shirt.
I thought it was creepy at the beginning, as it was meant to be, but I loved when we got to see the interactions between the daughter and the family. Unconditional love.
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Deserving premise that is surprisingly touching
Despite getting started with a slapstick comedy treatment that came out of nowhere, eventually it gains enough traction as the story progresses and lands a pretty deserving premise that is surprisingly touching. Seriously this kind of deliberately mixed genre is very risky to handle, it can either fail miserably or work seamlessly, almost like a high risk high return thing, though it's safe to say that this movie had worked really well all thanks to its solid family drama core that somehow overturns a devastating situation into an unbelievably hopeful vision. That said you will need to ignore some of its tenuous logical reasoning throughout the plot and it will be good to go, The acting performance is definitely the strongest suit that gave this movie an incredible amount of support to flourish into a box office success right now.Was this review helpful to you?
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The Real Zombies Are the Korean-Drama Fans
The movie that was supposed to “shake Hollywood”… but only made it sleepy.It starts as a zombie apocalypse and ends as My Pet Learns to Say ‘Dad.’
The tone swings awkwardly between cheesy comedy and family drama. Zombies make random “aghh aghh” noises, the makeup looks straight out of a kids’ party, and the only thing the movie takes seriously is its moral: the adoptive father who literally trains his zombie daughter with a whistle so she won’t bite.
The story has zero tension, no real humor, and no idea what it wants to be. In the end, everything is solved by the classic Korean miracle: the girl has an antigen, becomes human again, and her father, bitten and dying, magically survives—because love.
Korea has made powerful films about adoptive parenthood —Broker, Miracle in Cell No.7, Hope— but this one is just emotional caricature.
Because in the end, the real zombies aren’t on screen… they’re the Korean-drama fans.
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