Zombie thrillers that are packed with one gripping action scene after another are always fascinating. Owing to this, most zombie-centric TV shows and movies thrive purely on slam-bang action sequences and extreme violence. A few others also add a dash of comedy to the otherwise disturbing survival themes of the genre.
Only a handful of zombie thrillers manage to make a whole narrative device out of their central action scenes while walking through an enthralling tale of survival. Ranking among these, Netflix's All of Us Are Dead is a brilliant zombie series that perfectly paces its zombie-driven action.
Apart from merely giving viewers an adrenaline rush with its zombie action, the Netflix thriller series is also packed with subtle social commentary.
Perhaps this is the reason why many are still looking forward to its second season even though it has been over four years since its first installment premiered on Netflix. As reports confirm, All Of Us Are Dead season 2 is set to land on Netflix in 2027. Till then, it is hard not to look back and appreciate how the Netflix Korean drama's first season delivers peak undead action.
In its early episodes, All of Us Are Dead steadily builds pace by establishing everything from "ground zero" for its drama to the origins of the central outbreak. Viewers get to immerse themselves in the show's high-school setting and understand how its zombies truly function. Once this is out of the way, the show cleverly picks up its pace by episode 4 to reveal how some zombies are not conventional.
The "Hambies" in All of Us Are Dead are portrayed as hybrids, establishing the existence of a third form of species in the central survival battle. While at it, the series also establishes how desperation prompts the central high-school students to get creative with their choice of weapons. Confined to their setting, they use anything and everything to save themselves from the spreading infection.
Around the show's 7th episode, stakes reach sky-high when the military intervenes and time-bound rescue missions are carried out. This is when the show features some of its best action scenes, including a Gymnasium siege where the survivors use sports equipment to cross a swarm of hundreds of zombies.
Finally, as the show's final arc begins, it expands its scope beyond the walls of a high school. In its final episodes, the Netflix zombie series navigates more urban surroundings where the military deploys strategies to wage a war against the undead. This not only portrays how the fight against the zombies has escalated but also how the survivors have quickly learned and evolved.
All of Us Are Dead refuses to be another survival thriller that treats zombie combat as disposable action fodder. It ensures that its characters get little to no plot armor while every action scene carries immense emotional heft. Even the weapons used by characters to protect themselves and their loved ones carry narrative significance.
For instance, a female lead leverages her archery skills to be able to protect her younger brother. In other sequences, characters work in large groups, realizing that one lapse or error could get all of them killed. There are other action scenes where even humanity's darkest tendencies are put on full display. The human characters become their own enemies when they put others in harm's way to protect themselves.
The more the Netflix zombie thriller progresses, the more it becomes hard not to believe that no character is guaranteed safety in its world. Anyone can die or get infected at any point, which ensures the stakes never dwindle. Hopefully, All of Us Are Dead will be equally compelling in season 2, if not more.
All of Us Are Dead is a South Korean series that centers on a high school overrun by a zombie virus outbreak. The students, facing an unprecedented crisis, must navigate survival while combating the threat of becoming part of the undead horde.
