Running Time: 122 Minutes
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-been, Go Soo
It has been a decade since director Yeon Sang-ho gave audiences the incredible Train to Busan, a South Korean masterpiece set on a train during a zombie virus outbreak. The creative has kept busy since then, with other films including expansions of Train to Busan, such as the animated prequel Seoul Station, and the standalone sequel Peninsula. While the director's latest film is not part of that same series, it will shock few that Colony is another zombie feature.
The film opens with scientist Seo Young-chul (Koo Kyo-hwan) on the phone to the police, as he warns them that he will commit a bio-terrorist attack at the Dongwoo-ri Building. He also has injected himself with the vaccine, ensuring that his body is the sole hope of stopping this. The scientist's target in the building is the Chains Bio conference, where the CEO showcases the possibilities of the cell regeneration that the company is trying to achieve.
Attending the conference is professor Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun), who is attending at the suggestion of her ex-husband to try and land a new job. But any thoughts towards the future are severely interrupted, as Young-chul unleashes a rapidly mutating virus which quickly infects the conference attendees. As authorities seal off the building, the infected undergo disturbing evolutions which leaves the survivors struggling to find a way out.
It may be his fourth take on zombies, but director/co-writer Sang-ho manages to set this iteration apart decently from his previous works. The ooze and gunk infesting the zombies makes for a more icky version, while their collective intelligence ensures these foes are formidable. It's not just a simple blow to the head to take out these hordes, as their evolution by sharing information leaves wits and intelligence absolutely required. The reasoning is to create a new humanity without the worse elements that causes conflict, but one does wonder how effective the message can be when these "higher beings" are caused by brutality and violence in the first place.
No matter what the threat is, people cannot help but be each other's biggest obstacles. Take a key moment, when it is decided to use a group chat to prevent their plans from being overheard. Yet, even with such a clear plan in mind, the clashing egos cannot help themselves to openly talk and scupper their chances. Some may find this to be infuriating, but if living through a pandemic has shown anything, it's that infuriating decisions which go against decent ideas are more common than we hope for. This feels at home with the government response, which includes a willingness to sacrifice many people for their perceived ideas of what is right.
Central to this situation is Professor Se-jeong, a whip-smart and determined character who is here because her ex cares. Even as their personalities contrast and their paths diverge, there is a noticeable love and respect shared between the characters. As they become trapped in the building, they are left to fend for themselves while outside forces determine how infectious the virus is. In the same situation are a wheelchair-bound sister and her security guard brother, and a police officer who puts everybody's lives below the vaccine. These dynamics works because they are easy to believe in, with enough personality left to differentiate the characters. Rounding off the characters is Seo Young-chul, the smug antagonist who confidently believes to constantly have the upper hand. The effective performance by Koo Kyo-hwan ensures that you are ready to boo and hiss whenever his character appears.
There are thrilling set-pieces to bring alive the story, with a third-act becoming a high point as it indulges in car related thrills. Alongside this are exciting fight scenes which convey the desperation in such horrifying circumstances, including a moment where the security guard brutally fights back. At 122 minutes, it does feel a bit longer than necessary, and particularly indulges in showing the antagonist's foresight. Yet this does not detract from the zombified thrills of Colony.
Colony made its UK Premiere at FrightFest 2026
Comments