A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush ...
"Kingdom" Review - Netflix's Bloody Carnage Knows No Majesty
When the king was struck by a mysterious disease, the crown prince had to investigate and along the way, he unearthed a ghoulish pandemic that sinks its teeth at night.
Kingdom of the Gods Beginning from 1932's White Zombie by Victor Halperin and was popularized by George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead in 1968, tales about the undead who walked among us had come along way. From then on, it was followed by a slew of films of the same ilk and swiftly etched its mainstream appeal on Hollywood and international audiences.
For the longest time, these infamous genre was dominated by the Western culture, and despite a number of Asian productions over the years, it was not until 2016's Korean hit Train to Busan that really ignited a true Eastern flavor to an already oversaturated genre.
In 2019, Netfix had premiered its own entry, Kingdom, based on an online periodic comic named The Kingdom of the Gods, written by renowned screenwriter Kim Eun-Hee and talented director Kim Seong-Hun. Set on a lavish but vicious Joseon Era, Kingdom is a six-episode thriller about an apocalyptic disease that's slowly mauling its population.
The Undead Bows to No One
When the king was contracted with a sinister illness, the head minister Cho Hak-Jo (Ryu Seung-Ryong), together with his daughter who was the current queen and mother of the land, conspired to cover up the scandal by swerving the controversy to the crown prince, Lee Chang (Ju Ji-Hoon).
The crown prince, who by law was the rightful heir to the throne, was charged with high treason due to the belief that he was rallying a treacherous movement against the kingdom with the support of the confucian scholars and noblemen of Sungkyungkwan and take advantage of His Majesty's condition to oust and replace his reign.
Prohibited by the queen to visit his father, the crown prince fled to the countryside to seek a physician, who recently aided the king, to investigate about his father's mysterious condition.
Desperate for an answer, the crown prince, with the protection of his right-hand guard Mu-Yeong, affiliated themselves with the lowborns and found their way to Jiyulheon, a clinic where the physician they were looking for resides. With the assistance of nurse Seol-Bi (Bae Doona), the crown prince was welcomed with a bloody truth — a plague that re-energizes the dead and craves for human flesh.
Dead Rising from the East
Kingdom's discernible difference in comparison to the other bigger zombie franchises such as AMC's The Walking Dead among others was that it perfectly mixes its historical richness to the story and creatively attunes the unnerving saga of the undead, elevating the overall narrative of the series. Its cinematography exploits the vast and beautiful wilderness of Korean provinces and the verily regal and fanciful palaces of Hanyang (now known as Seoul).
While conflicts about a towering faction controlling the government was not an original prose, with epics such as Jumong, Queen Seon Deok, Dong Yi and Jewel in the Palace leading the pack, Kingdom does use this arc effectively without posing as a mere copycat of others.
The ingenious and talented Ryu Seung-Ryong, famous for his outstanding performance in Miracle in Cell No. 7 and Netflix's Psychokinesis, has lend his acting prowess and showed another side of him as an intimidating minister and conniving leader of the Cho clan.
Ju Ji-Hoon dents a remarkable performance as well. The way his character was written was interesting as it can be and Kim Eun-Hee's screenplay aptitude knows how to make the audiences root for him and understand his cause. Bae Doona, who also stars in Netflix's Sense8 as Sun, gave a memorable performance as a lowly servant with a brave and dutiful personality, who also serves an important role to the story and was a welcome addition to the already male-dominant epic. It is also important to note that while this takes place on a post Taejon of Joseon period, where early accounts of gunnery was recorded and only a handful of skilled warriors were trained to use gunfire as a main weapon, the series doesn't confine itself with its own limitations. Rather, it perfectly exercises its own skills in swordsmanship, emulating a better looking fight scenes with finely choreographed action sequences that doesn't restrain itself with blood.
Personally, the practical designs for the zombies were more believable, frightening and fiendish than their caucasian brothers. Unlike in Walking Dead, the zombies in this series were runners, giving a much better exhilirating chase scenes, amping up the thrill and the stakes the main heroes had to surpass.
Overall, for a first season, Kingdom successfully established a compelling world and as a series, it knows how to end on a good cliffhanger, and I am ecstatic to tune in for the sequel.
Let's Be Reel
Kingdom is a dominating royalty with a gnarly thirst for blood. Its gripping story and well made production elevates the zombie genre and arguably the best of its kind.
If you love a good series, then this Netflix original is exactly for your taste.
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