Director: Joe Chien
Year: 2014
Country: Taiwan
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Zombie
Plot:
During a massive zombie plague, a group of residents in an apartment in Taipei finds themselves stuck inside the building with the bloodthirsty hordes and must find a way to get out alive, only to see years later a far more deadly society to rise up from the aftermath and must band together to save themselves.
Review:
For the most part, this one wasn't all too bad. One of the strongest aspects to be had here is the absolutely breakneck pace of this one which really gets this going immediately. The opening of the film drops us into the zombie outbreak quite rapidly with the party guests succumbing unknowingly to the creatures while they attempt to have sex with the girls or invite them into their room unaware they're not acting like zombies but really are, providing this one with some solid splatter. Likewise, the unauthorized raid on the drug hideout not only features some dazzling gunplay and brutal hand-to-hand combat but also has the stellar encounters in the hallways as they try to escape featuring plenty of carnage and over-the-top action. That this all comes about before the half-hour mark is all the more impressive and makes for a lot to like.
This early action helps to make for a really thrilling scenario here. The relentless attacks shown on the other residents of the building, ranging from from the officers getting overrun by the zombies from the party to the drug raid fueling various monster attacks on the guests still alive and the detour into the family's apartment where they soon discover a shocking secret about them, all gives this a non-stop, action-packed story. That this allows for a chance at storytelling within here, not only by detailing the zombie outbreak through the drug but also that they're capable of learning by sniffing out victims or shifting focus during attacks. This still drops back into all-out action in the finale due to the wholly enjoyable escape and the setup underground that emerges here.
As well, the film scores massively for its technical presentation. The overall look of the film is far more grand and epic than it really should be, as there's always several zombies on-screen to make this one look more massive in scale, especially during the close-quarter fights in the apartments. The stunt-work is top-notch which allows for some impressive action here including the chainsaw-wielding old guy or the scene of them driving a car down the hallway littered with zombies. Also impressive on this budget is the set design, not only giving us an incredibly look to the apartment but the gladiator coliseum where they fight each other amid a sea of zombies. The other plus here is all the fine practical make-up not only on the zombies who are suitably wet and messy but also the stellar gore featured for the graphic dismemberments and zombie kills. These here are the film's pluses.
That said, there are some problems here. The biggest issue is the absolutely confusing setup of the film to appear as two separate films at once. For the first hour, we have this stellar film about various characters in a zombie-filled apartment complex trying to stay alive and escape which was thrilling, intense and enjoyable. However, nearly an hour in this switches gears and turns into a futuristic society adorned with leather-clad, post-apocalyptic attire and gladiatorial pits filled zombies. This change is lazy, explained away in a brief scrolling text and really could've been its own movie. Likewise, the other big issue is the use of appallingly obvious CGI not only being used for explosion sequences but backgrounds, gore enhancement and various other tactics that try to make it look more expensive than it is but fails miserably. These here are what hold this one down.
Overview: *** 1/2/5
While there are plenty of positives throughout here, this one does have a few minor issues that hold it down which are somewhat detrimental but not enough to overcome the enjoyable aspects. Give this one a chance if you're a hardcore zombie aficionado or interested in this one due to the concept, while those burnt out by the genre overall or feel the negatives are too glaring should heed caution here.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
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