#Alive
netflixReleasing a film revolving around a viral outbreak in 2020 is certainly a bold move, and while #Alive doesn’t offer much in way of separating itself from its zombie genre counterparts, there’s the right amount of suspense to distract from its cliché ridden script.
Based on a script by Matt Naylor with a screenplay by Il Cho, who also serves as the director here with this being a debut feature, #Alive wastes no time in getting into the action. Ah-In Yoo leads the film as Oh Joon-woo, a videogame streamer who mere minutes into the film finds himself isolated within his apartment complex as the typical zombie outbreak begins right in front of his eyes. With scarce supplies, no phone signal and the amount of infected rising, Oh Joon-woo holds on to the hope that he will find his family safe and he will ultimately survive.
The familiar beats of the often-tired genre are abundant, yet there is a decent amount of developments along the way to try keep the narrative from running out of steam quickly. The introduction of a neighbour from an opposite building with Shin-Hye Park as Kim Yoo-bin is a welcome one, with the two leads having great chemistry together despite not being in the same room for the vast majority of the run-time. Yet the addition of this character ultimately defuses the rampant tension delivered in the films first half, the half in which Ah-In Yoo holds his own being the only one on screen other than the gruesome infected. That is not to say the film greatly falters in the second half, yet the films clichés become increasingly apparent as the narrative unfolds, resulting in some genuine cringe inducing moments for those who are over familiar with the genre.
The isolation of Ah-In Yoo will strike a chord with many who have found themselves in a similar situation with lockdown throughout 2020, perhaps allowing the under-developed character of Oh Joon-woo to work in the film far better than if the situation was different. Other than displaying a good understanding of tech, which is clearly only done to allow some later scenes to have some believability, nothing else is presented with the character, even less so for his counterpart across the way.
Isolation and its relationship with social media are a topic of conversation raised by #Alive and it certainly bears thinking about. Our lead characters job relies on the power of being connected and quickly realises that one of his best chances to ensure survival can be achieved through online platforms. Sadly though, no engagement with the ideas are ever given outside of an ending that frustratingly results in an eye roll rather than a discussion starter. If more time was given to the online connection aspect outside of our leads' multiple attempts to get phone signal, which in itself is another tired and redundant cliché, #Alive could have stood on its own in a busy genre.
#Alive, while not offering enough to earn it a spot in the top class of the zombie genre, presents a familiar yet tense narrative that taps into an isolation felt by most in recent months, which only aids in some of the more horrific elements found throughout.
