Yeon Sang-ho, the director of Train to Busan (2016) and Peninsula (2020), once again ventures into the zombie film genre he is well-versed in. In Colony, the zombie outbreak takes place in an enclosed high-rise in Seoul. The visceral horror of the film is enhanced by its choreography, sound design, as well as its claustrophobic setting. The surviving members are trapped with screeching zombies lurking everywhere, turning the building into a slimy and bloody escape room. The choreography, which is done by modern dancers, combined with the bone-cracking sound effects, makes this film an intense watch.

In this genre piece, Yeon presents zombies as more than just horrific undead that scare both the protagonists and the audience. Instead, they symbolise something far more unsettling. Borrowing the biological concept of a “colony,” the director explores the tension between collectivism and individualism, as well as the fragility of humanity in the face of rapidly evolving technology. A colony is a group of organisms living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, with bees and ants being obvious examples. Through the behaviour of ants, Yeon suggests that a hive mentality alone may not be enough to sustain humanity. Instead, he presents a chilling scenario in which individuality is gradually consumed by an overwhelming collective network.

The devil behind the biological attack, Seo Young-chul (Koo Kyo-hwan), believes that “imperfect communication is the source of all tragedy.” It prompts him to plot this disaster, to optimise humanity into a “collective intelligence.” Zombies synchronise like ants in the film. They learn from uninfected humans, instantly share information among the infected, evolve and upgrade through accumulated information, and develop an intelligence of their own. Zombies in this film are not merely brainless “disease carriers”; they are transformed into “data carriers.” When characters face a zombie, they are not confronting a single creature but an entire interconnected network.

The protagonist, Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun), an outcast professor in academia, is the film’s symbol of individuality. Unable to flatter others and unfit for a society governed by unspoken rules, she stands in direct opposition to the hive mind. Kwon fights the zombies by taking advantage of the flaws in their interconnected intelligence. She also fights against members of the surviving group in the building who are willing to sacrifice others to save themselves. Seo argues that Kwon’s individuality is both impractical and a disadvantage in a society dominated by self-serving people and unspoken rules. Yet the film suggests the opposite: it is often outsiders who have the greatest potential to save the world because of their non-conformity, strong moral compass, and critical thinking. After all, a biologically identical species is far more vulnerable to extinction when faced with a single widespread threat. 

The venomous attack, strengthened by its fast-learning ability, is not so different from the threat people face from fast-evolving AI. The zombies, as a “new civilisation” spreading their bloodthirsty “culture” to uninfected humans, act from a primal instinct, but this is not an innocent process. They are tools controlled by their creator, used to achieve his own vision, similar to the way AI tools are owned by tech giants. Seo spies on escaping people through his zombie counterparts, just as we are surveilled by tech companies and algorithms.

The film presents the message that collectivism, although it seems ideal, effective and powerful, is vulnerable to the manipulation of a dictator. Humanity is flawed, but maybe our flaw is our greatest strength: disagreement, inefficiency and individual thought. In the age of algorithmic optimization, to remain human is to be imperfect, disobedient, and individual.

Although Colony has an interesting central concept, it stumbles in its cinematic execution. As the survivors move from floor to floor, the set pieces gradually lose momentum through the repeated use of the same strategy, while the initial novelty slowly dissipates as the plot becomes increasingly predictable. The characters make baffling, unearned choices simply to push the story towards its intended destination. Incoherent storytelling and weak character development ultimately prevent Colony from surpassing Yeon’s Train to Busan. Nevertheless, it offers a refreshing take on the zombie genre and remains a worthwhile watch for audiences seeking chilling horror with substance during the midsummer season.

Rating:

Written by Jade Wong

Featured image courtesy of Showbox

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}