Netflix’s newest unscripted series Zombieverse is a comedy-thriller reality TV show where a bunch of participants have to work together, save their lives and find a way to get to safety in the midst of a zombie outbreak. The show boasts of being an alternate reality taking place right after the COVID-19 pandemic and the participants must fulfil various quests in order to get food, transportation etc.
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Zombieverse Season 1 Cast
Lee Si-young (Sweet Home), comedian Park Na-rae, rapper and TV personality Lim Cheol (DinDin), entertainer Ro Hong-chul, Japanese singer Tsuki of Billlie, YouTuber DEX (Single’s Inferno), TV personalities Jonathan and his sister Patricia, urologist Hong Seong-woo and former baseball star Yoo Hee-kwan
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AKA
좀비버스
The show has 8 episodes, each with a runtime ranging between 40-66 minutes.
-No Spoilers-
Zombieverse Review
Boasting its star-studded ensemble cast, one wonders how Zombieverse can work as an “unscripted reality TV series”. Watching all 8 episodes do you no good because even when you’re done with the show, you’re still wondering about the same question. Picking up with the bare overdone theme of a zombie virus outbreak, the new Korean series transmits its concept into a novel approach by manufacturing it as a reality series instead of a fictional TV show like the Park Solomon starrer All of Us Are Dead K-drama.
Putting on the fake pretence of a dating show, the 8-part series introduces us to its first five contestants – Si-young, Hong-chul, Na-rae, Tsuki and DinDin – who assume the face of “Love Hunter” MCs. This context forms a breeding ground for the furthering of the original zombie-themed storyline, which rushes in and gives us no time to think for another moment. From the get-go, the whole set-up seems to be following a pre-planned and orchestrated fictional script, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they’re most likely lying. The spreading of the zombie virus is too rushed and doesn’t allow the characters to settle into the concept.
Even the previously released K-dramas or other televised titles related to the same plot line give you enough time to sink into the world wherein the scene of action is situated. But, this one doesn’t even take a breath. It picks up from a frivolous and shallow setting and then pushes us into the supposedly threatening visuals of bloodshed, deaths and zombie transformations for the sake of staying in tune with the show’s imagery.
If you’ve been watching the many original horror-themed variety show episodes released by K-pop groups then this concept and content won’t fairly be new to you. Several episodes following a similar imagination have already come out before, but they’ve mostly been treated in a more comical light, but at least done so overtly (Run BTS and Going SEVENTEEN being two such mainstream titles). With Zombieverse Netflix, the creators want us to believe that these threats are imminent and real as the cast members are immersed in the concept of the premise, pushing us to agree with the idea that even zombies are real.
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The high production value and the extent of effort put into creating this make-believe “reality” that is more believable than ever are tremendously incredible. However, the visual world-building imagery ends up doing all the heavy lifting in this show because most of the main cast members seem to be more interested in pulling jokes rather than investing their energies into pulling the concept off the ground.
In some scenes, you can even catch these people trivialising everything and performing innocuous cutesy dances that completely bring down the tension and make everything into a joke. The “reality show” boxes are never checked off and the cast barely does much to make it work either.
As an exception, Si-young’s Sweet Home creds come through at times as she seems to be the only person, along with Dex, fully pulling the threads in order to keep the show’s tone serious. Noh Hong-chul is especially one of the top troublemakers here and he emerges as the most exasperating cast member bent on ruining the sober gravity of the concept (Even Park Na-rae, being a renowned comedian is better at keeping things tense than he is).
The foundational premise is built up on the basic cliches borrowed from the pre-existing zombie-centric content catalogue. Nevertheless, it’s hard to root anyone in this show because we barely catch them making the most of the survival quests at hand (except Dex and Si-young as mentioned before, but even they get pulled into the discordant mood-ruining moments sometimes).
The widely huge real locations and other production values at the show’s disposal caught me off guard just imagining what wonders this show could’ve pulled only if its cast were to strike a harmonious balance. However, the nightmarish hilarity of it all isn’t able to keep anything in line, and ultimately you’re just left puzzled about what to make of this series. The first few episodes don’t build up an enthralling momentum and the next ones further plummet to the ground, sinking into a bewildering boredom.
When finally some heavy lifting happens later on (related to the quests they need to complete along the way) that’s also reduced to flippant moments of laughter, which ends up spoiling the mood. Certain dramatic representations of slipping into the afterlife only add on to the unneeded comical theatricality of the show which just can’t be taken seriously by anyone, not even the audience after a certain point.
Final Thoughts
With Netflix having released the live-action Zom 100 movie a few days back, this was my second binge session of a title related to the undead creatures that have for so long intrigued me. Unfortunately, this OTT platform has consistently ruined the genre for me. Zombieverse is a hilarious mess in the sense that it’s neither a thrilling watch, nor a comedy.
Initially pushing for visual effects on our screens as if these “contestants” were part of a video game, this show is suffering from a major identity crisis. It can’t even fit into the K-drama list, and it’s obviously not a “reality show” because by the end of it we also get to watch a misplaced and face-palming worthy “1 year later” montage.
In an uninspiring take, the show isn’t able to pick a side, nor can we call it a parody. Lastly, it’s just made me question further if this particular theme can ever fit into the reality show format, because if it can, then Zombieverse clearly doesn’t know how to sell that idea to us. Ps. All those people playing zombies deserve heavy applause for putting on a realistic show because they were the true heroes in the end.
All 8 episodes of the Korean show are now streaming on Netflix.
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS??? I HATE DATING SHOWS AND COMBINED WITH ZOMBIES IN THIS CASE NOT A GOOD THING,
WHAT CRAPY CAMERA ARE THESE IDIOTS USING?!? ITS NOT ORDINARY CAMERA LIKE IN NORMAL ACTION OR HORROR MOVIES,
THEY SHOULD USE A CAMERA THAT WAS DARKER LENSE, THIS IS WAAAAAAAAYYYY TOOOO LIGHT, AND MAJE THIS SHIT SHOW USELESS TOO WATCH,
FUCK YOU NETFLIX YOU HAVE DONE IT (WRONG AGAIN), THIS IS HORRIBLE/UNBERABLE TO WATCH,
MY SCORE: 0.5 OF 5, IM HALF IN THE FIRST EPISODE AND I HATE IT.
I agree with this review. For me, I’m still confused how can I take this series seriously as I’m still not able to absorb why the casts can’t see the whole thing is “fake” (or maybe they do and just playing along).
You can see the cast wearing body microphone at their back, I mean if i’m one of the cast, i’d be questioning all these. Also, if i’m a “survivor” I won’t be putting risk of other survivors that are incapable to perform task ..I mean in reality none of us in a group would want the weak to do anything that can compromise the survival of the entire “team”
I just don’t see this as what sort of “objective” of this series. Is it the casts knows this is just a “reality survival game”, what is the goal of this series?
And I don’t see any of them getting “creative” to hold a weapon or even using it for real, so means they know this is all “fake” and just acting along?
That one guy with the hat just keeps laughing and wanting candy kinda dumb let that guy fake die…if they were going for realistic the zombies are doing a great job but the survivors suck
Well im at episode 3 beginning, their still in the mall, and the zombies just growing, because the survivors just keeps on dies one by one, no attemp too acttuly get rid of the zombies, hit them in the head and its over, but nooooo they are doing it on purpose (the dieing part), if i watch more now i will become a zombie myself and start biting people for real,
Stay away dont lose anymore brain cells on this
ANOTHER SEASSON OF THIS??!??!?!?……well thats its im out of here….????????….????…….????…………..
ANOTHER SEESSON OF THIS?!??…….????????……????……????……
In episode 5 in the end, a car came and someone crashed trough the wall,
But well get see nothing what happening next, and those fucking villiagers should get eaten by zonbies, but we see none,
Now in episode 6, the group are getting too a shoothing range, ITS A WALL FULL OF WEAPONS BUT DO THEY PRACTIE OR SHOOTHING WITH THEM NOOOOOO, they only practic how to avoid getting bitten and thats its, and roll in a barrel….
Grabs some sticks and brooms instead, whuuut the fuuckk……
Im at episode 7 (did fastforward alot), they are in a team park after they wasting tooo much disscussing things in the last one,
Theyturened on the light and wake up the zombies, why not in off or some of light,
There was a stand where you use soft guns, if they shoot metal bullets it could be more usefull than a potato cannon,
Now the rescue a kid from a bumper car ride, now the floor are filled with electric, if they wake up zombiez they will likely die or knocked out, buuut nooooo the survivors are gonna jump in the cars and drive over there, okies but WHY THE FUCKS NAME COULD’N THE KID DRIVE TO THEM OR CLOSER!?????
I do not know what drug these makers have sniffed while they was doing this show (i would like some to please sheer)
It had been better as a movie,
Please stop noot a sesson 2 god lord forbid, if that happend il wil shove this rusty fork in my eyes
I have nothing too say, the other above me have said it all, but just be drunk as fuck then you watching this, its alot funnier that way, and turn off your brain while you at it.
Im at episode 8, MY EARS ARE BLEEDING…..i recommend to turn down volume… its like a whole houer with screaming, where they screaming at aechother…
But now the boat thing… WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH FATTIES FUCK ON THE BOAT?! ARE THEY DRUNK?!?
THEY CUTTING THE ROPE…..THEY SHOULD THROW THEM OVERBOARD… im shacking my head in shock i cannot belive after all that shit with the ferris wheel and now this?!??????
For fuck sake just hit that guy in the head, take over the boat, and now if they are on the other boat the right one could they not go after the other boat?!? The left less than 5 minutes ago?!??