As good as the genre gets (and that's a compliment)

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2017)

I just finished a second viewing of this film (the first was at an art house cinema) and during this second viewing, the qualities of this picture became very clear (more so than during the first one). Yes, it does contain the zombie tropes and the characters nicely fall into the stereotypes: the jock, his girlfriend, the bad-ass, the evil businessman, Jordan Gekko, the little girl, the survivor, the old ladies,...
But this is where the movie's strongest asset works: like TWD, it manages to make you care about the characters. The story leaves you just enough time to connect with them. Sometimes with a slice of comic relief, although to the movie's credit, that is not overdone either. It never becomes a jokey joke-thing and that's a quality as well.
Once the zombies come into play, all the right buttons are pushed at the right moment. Timing is a quality not to underestimate.
The moments that are meant to be tension filled succeed in doing so (the actors do a great job at making the characters look determined in their quest to survive) and when it wants to tug at your heart strings... well, it simply does. Some moments (like with Jin Hee and her boyfriend) are touching, but there is a moment near the end between Jordan Gekko and the little girl that is simply gut-wrenching. In terms of emotional impact, it's right up there with Sophia walking out of the barn, if you will. But in a different way.
So, in short, it's a success all across the board. Highly recommended for horror fans.