#ÎnViață (2020)

Uninspired and Uneventful: '#Alive' Strains to Stay Interesting

"#Alive" presents a modern twist on the zombie genre, weaving in themes of isolation and survival with a subtle nod to current societal challenges. However, while the film has an introspective approach and traces protagonist Oh Joon-woo's evolution from a disconnected gamer to a resilient fighter, it often succumbs to a tedious and monotonous pace, making it difficult to stay engaged.

The addition of lead characters injects a brief spark of energy, emphasizing the importance of human connection during adversity. Their evolving partnership enriches the narrative, but even this can't completely salvage the film from its dull stretches.

The film's innovative use of technology in survival tactics is a commendable attempt at refreshing familiar tropes, but it isn't enough to overcome the overall sense of predictability and lack of excitement. Despite occasional moments of thought-provoking exploration of personal growth amidst chaos, "#Alive" struggles to maintain a compelling narrative, resulting in a rather lackluster experience.

Overall, while "#Alive" offers some interesting ideas, its slow pacing and predictable plot points make it a boring watch for those seeking a thrilling or innovative addition to the zombie genre.

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Quick watch

What I liked:

Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye were both good in this. I especially liked Yoo Ah In in his solitude at the beginning. Here is a young man that appears to live vicariously through the games on his computer. When everything goes south, he has no idea what to do. The scenes between the two of them were good, especially when they were talking to each other on the walkie talkies.

What I didn't care for:

I don't think this needed to be a series, but I didn't feel we got enough back story of the two main characters, especially her. What's her story?
I really have difficulty with the idea of zombies being smart and fast. Maybe it's from my days of watching The Walking Dead, but this movie gave so much credit to the zombies, like they were smarter than those that weren't infected (maybe that was their intent?).
She made a big deal out of being afraid of heights, but then that went out the window, literally.
What was with the other survivor who helped them? That whole, brief storyline was useless.

If you have a couple of free hours and you like zombie shows, give this one a try. It has more questions than answers, but it's an easy watch.

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Too short to give me a good scare.. too short to get attached to the characters..

Cast were great. Zombies looks good too. Story wise, there's not much to it. An unknown outbreak swept through the nation. Our ML and FL were residents of neighboring complex, both were just trying to survive the zombie outbreak.

And that's all there is. No explanation on how, why or what caused the outbreak. After their action/fight sequence w/ the zombies, they were lucky enough to be saved.

I felt like the story was too short. It didn't gave me a heart pumping sensation. Unlike other zombie flicks. Anyway, it's still entertaining enough to watch. Would I rewatch this? Maybe not intentionally..

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Good enough to watch

Based on the 2019 script by Matt Naylor, this Korean live-action version was a good adaptation. There were some scenes which were far too similar with another Western apocalyptic film released a few years ago (I can not recall the title) in this version that is not in the American version.

If you want to watch the American version based on the same 2019 script by Matt Naylor, look for the movie entitled "Alone" (2020).

* American version based on the same script: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alone_(2020_horror_film)
* Korean version based on the same script: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alive_(2020_film)

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Not much plot but still fun to watch

Since this movie has been really popular I also came here with high expectations but in a way that I'd enjoy the film. The story isn't that deep, rather it focused on the interactions and chemistry between the main characters, which was what kept me amused throughout the whole movie tbh. The zombies were like a subplot. It wasn't mentioned how they started or how they're planning to end it, it just happened and it's there. We get a realistic viewpoint of a survivor in the middle of a zombie crisis. How he loses and finds hope throughout the seemingly hopeless scene and basically a POV of how it would be to be put in that disaster. For that, I didn't really find it boring since I think I would've reacted in a similar way. Overall, it was pretty simple and still fun to watch.

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A great zombie movie!

First of all, I will start to say that '#alive' is easily one of my favourite movies of 2020. (My high rating probably implies that already, huh?)

While this movie might not be as thrilling (or creepy) as other zombie movies but that is what makes it way more enjoyable for me. Despite the topic being a zombie outbreak, the overall atmosphere is pretty calm since the viewer follows the daily life of the protagonist who's locked up in his own apartment because of... well, the zombies. In my opinion, the soundtrack is just great and a great fit for the movie (but I guess, that shouldn't be the most important part of a movie, right?).

If you expect a thrilling story with a lot of action, this movie will probably dissappoint you. If you want a story focusing on the feelings and thoughts of someone while trying to survive this living hell, then you should absolutely watch it!

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#Alive Commentary

The film is composed of high caliber casts (though I only know Park Shin Hye hehe) and I believe they did their roles very well, but I would like to say that the story line itself could be original at some parts, like the survival of newfound neighbors finding their way into another, but it is highly predictable and clicheist. So many deus ex machina, and some actions of the characters were quite illogical, like the guy who hid his zombified wife in his house and that scene in itself is lackluster. But I highly praise the production team for all the satisfying visual effects and design, and the opening theme is quite good and appropriate in showing the grim reality and highly detailed transformation of a human into an infected.

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STORY.
Although the story/plot is simple, basic, it managed to be entertaining in some way. The plot focus on the survival aspect, not the zombie aspect. To tell you, I am not into zoombie movies at all, in fact I avoid them. This movie was trending number 6 in my country so I ended up watching it without any expectation. As a result I was surprised by its quality. There were no meaningless and useless extended scenes of melodrama (with people crying thinking about their past for long time). There was a 'dramatic' scene where the main leads were started taking this path but they have stopped just right in the perfect moment. I was relieved you cannot even imagine it. That made the pace perfect, not too slow no too fast. Everything was well calculated which is such a pleasure!
The production, the paced & the acting are the strongest points of "#Alive", by far and it is worth watching for that.

ACTING/CAST.
As just stated above, the acting is among the best asset of the movie. The male lead more particularly did a flawless job. The female lead was also very great. Thus, there is no need to worry about the acting.

MUSIC.
Quite simple & kind of 'strange', the musics did not grabbed my attention. The OSTs sounds like "Extracurricular" OSTs, which really tend to annoy me. It sounds like it does not fit the show at all. But I guess they wanted to innovate and be unique which is a good intention.

REWATCH VALUE.
I will not rewatch it.

OVERALL.
I did not have expectation and I was surprised, I am myself not into Zoombies Movies/Dramas but I ended up watching the entire movie without skipping! Worth watching!

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Felt like it was lacking something.

The movie was mediocre for me and I couldn't help but feel that it was missing something.

I enjoy the concept of zombies and the apocalypse, and it was ironic that it came out the same year we're all stuck in this COVID-19 pandemic. The movie itself focuses mainly on the characters and is overall fast-paced. It felt a bit empty watching this and it wasn't really that rememberable and had no takeaway value from it. The story definitely could have used more work and that was my main issue with it. I still watched it, but I got bored in some scenes.

I did however like the music used (for the short time it did show) in the movie and the slight showing of friendship between the two main characters. (which I wish had a bit more development.) The acting was also really good, the actors portrayed their characters well and I liked the acting a lot.

The CGI was phenomenal and looked incredibly realistic, and the fast-paced zombies instead of the usual slow paces zombies brought a huge thrill and horror to the zombies! Well done on the CGI!

It's an okay zombie movie to watch if you're really into zombie movies, but it wasn't the best.

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It's okay!

It's not a bad movie! If you feel like watching it, go ahead, it's totally fine.

The acting's good, the characters are engaging, the zombies are freaky, over all, I enjoyed it.

There were some pacing issues, I was particularly confused about a part of the movie towards the end which I'm pretty sure the movie was trying to make a point with but didn't really? It seemed an odd addition. But the over all point of the movie, staying alive, surviving even when it's hard, I think was definitely followed through on.

Yeah, it's fine! Nothing to think about too much afterward, not a great movie, but fine!

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This was an interesting watch for someone who has also watched the movie Train to Busan. Contrary to what many are saying, I found this movie very enjoyable and quite funny, even. I absolutely adored the male and female leads, and the quirkiness of Jun Wu. He’s very different from the typical zombie apocalypse protagonist, and the way he related his situation to video games was amusing. I thought the two characters had awesome chemistry, and their interactions were greatly executed, even with how short this movie ended up being. This is a great lazy weekend watch because it perfectly blends humor and angst to deliver a very interesting take on a popular horror genre.

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Didn't have huuuge expectations, but surprisingly I quite enjoyed it. I liked it cuz it felt like a slice of life-ish zombie story, which I prefer rather than the 100% action ones (those aren't really my type). I feel like they portrayed how actual real life people would act if there was a sudden zombie apocalypse. I would be scared, not knowing what to do, 24/7 home alone, bored, even contemplating suicide, all of which these characters went through at some point.
I also liked the relationship between the two, it feels really sweet and sincere teamwork. Park Shin Hye really got better as an actress in this one. Yoo Ah In did a great job as always.
The ending was quite predictable (I already knew they were going to be rescued; it always happens in zombie films) but it was okay. I cared about them so I wanted them to survive.
So, if you want to watch a zombie film but are scared of too much blood, violence, etc. then this one may be for you.
8.5/10

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