At this point, a fresh take is necessary for any movie with the undead to be compelling. The zombies in Yeon Sang-ho’s COLONY are athletic and they can share information, learn, and evolve thanks to a Pluribus-like hivemind.
Yeon and his writing partner Choi Gyu-seok have interesting ideas and the technical aspects are executed brilliantly. The first half could have benefited from tighter pacing, but the back end contains one fantastic set piece after another.
Gianna Jun and Koo Kyo-hwan make great adversaries. I wish some of the other characters left as much an impact as theirs. Colony does not quite reach the heights of Train to Busan, but it proves Yeon can still create plenty of entertaining zombie mayhem.
Colony just screened at the 2026 Fantasia Festival and will be in theaters on August 28.
