KINGDOM SEASON 1 REVIEW: A South Korean undead…

All zombie stories start from somewhere…

And in a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious rumor of the king’s death spreads, as does a strange plague that renders the infected immune to death and hungry for flesh. The crown prince, fallen victim to a conspiracy, sets out on a journey to unveil the evil scheme and save his people.

That’s what makes the South Korean series Kingdom, currently airing on Netflix, so remarkable. It’s a zombie epic that feels like a kingdom, always stretching, conquering and dazzling you with the intricacy of its cause-and-effect mechanics until the very end. Directed by Kim Seong-hun (Tunnel) and written by Kim Eun-hee, Kingdom was inspired by a historical plague that swept through Korea during the Joseon dynasty, killing thousands in days. But in this telling, the disease is metaphorical as well as medical. This is a story about the effects of corruption and official incompetence and how the powerful trample the powerless in times of crisis.

Set amid political struggles and famine after a string of military defeats, Kingdom starts by literalizing one of the oldest metaphors for societal decay: The country is rotting from the top down because its king has become a demented monster.

Everyone in the royal court is keeping the tragedy a secret, denying the obvious, or trying to leverage the situation for personal gain (think Littlefoot in GOT) by acting in naked selfishness while claiming to implement the king’s orders. The show is almost on par with all the scheming as Game of Thrones and Black Sails (well, nearly as much!).

Lee Chang himself starts out like this as he shows the kind of petulance that comes from having so much power before growing into the mould of a hero, though one that is deeply imperfect.

Aided by his comic relief personal guard, he sets out to find the truth and also avoid the clutches of a minister with bad intentions by the name of Cho Hak-ju.

The story then splits somewhat, following physician Seo-Bi in Jiyulheon while jumping back to Lee Chang before they come together. It’s here where the story kicks into gear as they make a horrific discovery together, learning the dead are coming back to life and mercilessly hunting the living.

Chaos inevitably breaks out and what follows are several episodes of thrilling chases, fighting and generally well-shot action sequences placed between the characterization of our dysfunctional group fighting to survive.

That’s the theme throughout the whole of Kingdom as it builds and builds tension until it’s almost unbearable. The zombies are barely seen until they are absolutely everywhere, scurrying around like the plague they are and wiping out everything in their path.

Like vampires and cockroaches, Kingdom’s zombies do their business under cover of darkness, then scuttle into hiding when the sun comes up.

FINAL VERDICT:

You know a show must be something special when its ending causes you to screech into the night sky and immediately demand more episodes. Yeah, sure, the first episode is the worse, but stick with it, and the story just grows with every episode after and that’s the theme throughout the whole of Kingdom as it builds and builds tension.

Beautifully presented and dripping in Asian culture, zombie action-thriller Kingdom is quite the thrill ride. Split across six hour-long episodes, Kingdom effortlessly blends political drama with a thrilling action plot, full of beautifully shot set pieces.

Don’t look behind too soon, season two starts soon!

4/5 STARS