Review: Kingdom (Netflix 2019)

If you are tired of The Walking Dead but still hunger for a show with shambling corpses that offers all the classic plot beats of a zombie show and yet is somehow completely different, then 17th* century Korea has a treat for you!

It is Joseon period of Korean history and while the costumes may be unfamiliar to a Western audience, the court machinations are not. The country is in trouble after a succession of wars with Japan, famine in the countryside and rumours of King’s death in the towns. At the royal palace the crown-prince Yi-Chang is frustrated that he cannot visit his ailing father who has been laid low by smallpox. Between him and the king is the Queen, a young woman who only recently married the King. She herself is the daughter of the powerful minister Cho Hak-jo, whose powerful family clan aims for complete control of the country. To add to the crown-prince’s woes, the Queen is pregnant and his status as heir to the throne is in jeopardy.

All of which are going to be the least of the prince’s problems very soon…

Under suspicion of fomenting rebellion among the scholars, Prince Y-Chang flees to the south to seek answers about his father’s illness. In the process events unfold that lead to a classic zombie-outbreak.

Medieval court drama with zombies, could sound like a precis of Game of Thrones but Kingdom offers a simple plot. The prince is a good man trying to become a better man amid the corruption and class divisions of his society. The zombie outbreak offers a few twists but is essentially a familiar story of people unwilling to believe the dead have come back to life, mixed with unwitting errors and greedy or self-centered decisions that help the infection spread.

The good guys are likeable and the bad guys are either stupid and corrupt or off-the-charts with their Machiavellian plotting. The zombies are fast and greedy but prone to sleeping as if dead at certain times. The filming is cinematic with gorgeous shots of the Korean countryside and some cleverly filmed set-piece battles (the fight in the tall grasses in episode 5 is a great example).

Only six episodes in season 1 but another season is being filmed. I should note that it ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, so if you like complete stories you will be disappointed.

Exciting sword fights, scary scenes of running-away from zombie hordes, nefarious royal plots within plots, stunning scenery and some excellent hats.

*[I’m guessing that it is 17th century as some of the troops have conventional muskets but it is mainly swords, spears and bows and arrows.]