This review may contain spoilers
I zoomed through 'Zomvivor' (in a good way)
I found “Zomvivor” by chance, and luckily, right when it aired. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good zombie series. As a big zombie fan, I try to find the best, and this one was one of them. Mandee and Domundi weren’t afraid to get real and dirty, and I appreciated that. I’m glad this series is on Netflix and more accessible to many others.
Let’s talk about the pros.
- Everyone needs to check this one out, whether you’re a fan of the zombie genre or not.
- Large casts usually scare away viewers, but for a zombie series/film, it’s a must, and this one worked. Whether I liked, disliked, agreed, or didn’t agree with the characters, I was able to understand them on a deeper level, absent their back stories. Although I enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces, I enjoyed the actors’ characters more. They all shone and stood out in their own ways. I honestly understood why Pao went crazy. He was the only one who struggled with a zombie to get it off of his friend. Then Fah looked at him and, in that moment, was ready to run to him for help, but he was pulled away. Pao never got to really help anyone, and when zombie Fah didn’t attack, it changed his perspective (and of course, him getting off his meds probably did some things). Gus didn’t deserve what Pao did to him, and I’m glad it was Ake who was able to avenge Gus. Pao was a good character in the beginning, but he needed to go once he started applying his ideas and put everyone in danger. Pao’s exit was warranted, quick, jaw-dropping, and satisfactory. It was nice that Ake did it after putting up with Pao’s sinister laughs for a while. Really showed Ake probably would have let it go had Pao just come to his senses. I really like Phu (Boss), Ake (Mark), Korn (Boun), Night (Nat), Sun (Intanont), Thi (Yim), and Earth (Net). Earth wasn’t with the group at the end, so I’m assuming he either got bit by Gus or was killed off, since he gave Night a real cold look and had also locked out Phu’s group before. Plus Night was also standing in the middle like he was their leader or something. It was cute.
- The acting was superb for the most part. There were some hiccups here and there, like overreaction or not enough reaction.
- The music, audio, and sound effects were spot on. No complaints.
- The visual effect, atmosphere, and camera angles were consistent. I did want some close-up shots and more zooming in and out, but that’s just a preference. The weather was also consistent; the ground was wet after it rained. There are puddles, etc.
- The storyline. It was quite easy to follow, yet refreshing. Zombies regenerating and being infected by parasites aren’t a brand new concept, but still well executed.
- The action. I was worried the action was going to be cringey or slow, but it’s quick, good, and nicely supported by sounds and camera angles. I wished this much action from Boun (Korn) had shown up in “Revamp,” but I digress.
- The ending. Major YES! Big W! It was implied in the janitor’s room that Non (Nunew) would take the syringe with ‘mother’s’ blood, but it didn’t happen. And when it did on the rooftop…Boy I jumped up with joy. Granted, I didn’t like that Non didn’t necessarily get to choose to inject himself, but I wanted him to become ‘mother’. I knew he would be the one to carry the janitor’s blood.
Now the cons aren’t necessarily cons like ‘hey, you shouldn’t watch this series because blah blah blah and because I said so’. It’s the little errors and things I noticed. Towards the end of ep1, they clearly said the power and water would be turned off at 8:30 pm. In ep3, they were able to shower. Then, in the scene where they went to record the leader of the pack, Korn specifically said they needed one person to record and three to watch the recorder’s back. But in the scene, no one was watching their back and they were all watching the zombies.
- A real con/dislike about this series was the insertion of flashbacks. It’s done randomly, sometimes a little too draggy, thus ruining the flow of the present with zombies. Ning and Non’s mother’s back story was necessary to the plot, but the character/actress wasn’t particularly enjoyable and brought down the mood and energy of the series whenever she was on screen. I wish flashbacks of her were more creative. I don’t like the aspect that she managed to avoid jail time and punishment by fleeing the country for 3 years. That part added to her immoral and selfish character, but it didn’t need as much screentime as it got.
- I know we’re supposed to root for Ning, Jean, San, and Non, but they weren’t at all lovable characters. Cheating was also a running theme here: Viroj cheated on his wife with Ning and Non’s mother, Ning liked Jean and used San for support, San supposedly cheated on Ning with Prao and Non. Non can, somehow, feel San’s energy, which was misled BL. I have to admit, Ning became annoying halfway through the show. Yes, she treasured her brother, but only when it was convenient for her. I don’t know why or what led her to believe that Non was incapable or weak without her, but she understated him often. I find it insane that she got really mad at the group and called them crazy for drawing the logical conclusion that the janitor was the leader and mother of the zombies. She also told Jean that everyone needed to know about what Viroj had done, but when they pressed her, she dismissed them until Jean stepped in and gave them the details. Ning was wishy washy with taking accountability; sometimes it’s her fault, sometimes it’s Jean’s fault for not recognizing that it’s her fault, sometimes it’s everyone’s but her fault. Like girl…I was ready to snatch her collar. There’s a problem if I like Prao more than Ning.
- Why didn't Jean and Ning grab the gun from Ake's body after he died..? He even gave Jean all the ammunition? Jean also threw the gun away because it was out of ammo at the moment... Next time, don't give Jean a gun.
- The thing that had me scratching my head the hardest was "Does a gun to the head work or not..?" After Gus became a zombie, he took a bullet to the forehead, but we saw him walking around in the final episode. Janitor Jit seems to be dead dead after bullets to the head. Zombie Fah didn't die after she took an axe to the head. But zombies can drown? Or is it just Lily because she couldn't swim when she was human? Or maybe zombie Lily was not drowning but super calm because of the cold temperature? How come no one's tried to attack the thing growing on the zombies' backs?
- I have two bones to pick with ‘Zomvivor’. 1. When Lily became a zombie, I thought that was it, that her role was over. I’m mad that there was no callback from when Lily acted like a zombie to when she actually became a zombie, other than foreshadowing. Like the close-up of before and after would have been a powerful transition and really showcase how different real zombies were from Thi’s vision. 2. I don’t understand why and how Janitor Jit was able to become the leader of all the zombies just because she was given the serum first and is older, dot dot dot? The infected jellyfish attacking the uninfected was a nice touch, but why couldn’t another reason why zombies attacked each other be because they had different ‘parents’ or ‘makers’? There was mention of fighting for territory, so why not? There were also 10 volunteers, right? 10 parents/leaders would have been more interesting. Sure, they can make Janitor Jit’s line stronger, but I don’t buy the whole infected vs uninfected because aren’t they all infected anyway…? Maybe I should write my own zombie story.
Overall, I enjoy this one and am glad I found it early. Will definitely be back for a rewatch or two.
Let’s talk about the pros.
- Everyone needs to check this one out, whether you’re a fan of the zombie genre or not.
- Large casts usually scare away viewers, but for a zombie series/film, it’s a must, and this one worked. Whether I liked, disliked, agreed, or didn’t agree with the characters, I was able to understand them on a deeper level, absent their back stories. Although I enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces, I enjoyed the actors’ characters more. They all shone and stood out in their own ways. I honestly understood why Pao went crazy. He was the only one who struggled with a zombie to get it off of his friend. Then Fah looked at him and, in that moment, was ready to run to him for help, but he was pulled away. Pao never got to really help anyone, and when zombie Fah didn’t attack, it changed his perspective (and of course, him getting off his meds probably did some things). Gus didn’t deserve what Pao did to him, and I’m glad it was Ake who was able to avenge Gus. Pao was a good character in the beginning, but he needed to go once he started applying his ideas and put everyone in danger. Pao’s exit was warranted, quick, jaw-dropping, and satisfactory. It was nice that Ake did it after putting up with Pao’s sinister laughs for a while. Really showed Ake probably would have let it go had Pao just come to his senses. I really like Phu (Boss), Ake (Mark), Korn (Boun), Night (Nat), Sun (Intanont), Thi (Yim), and Earth (Net). Earth wasn’t with the group at the end, so I’m assuming he either got bit by Gus or was killed off, since he gave Night a real cold look and had also locked out Phu’s group before. Plus Night was also standing in the middle like he was their leader or something. It was cute.
- The acting was superb for the most part. There were some hiccups here and there, like overreaction or not enough reaction.
- The music, audio, and sound effects were spot on. No complaints.
- The visual effect, atmosphere, and camera angles were consistent. I did want some close-up shots and more zooming in and out, but that’s just a preference. The weather was also consistent; the ground was wet after it rained. There are puddles, etc.
- The storyline. It was quite easy to follow, yet refreshing. Zombies regenerating and being infected by parasites aren’t a brand new concept, but still well executed.
- The action. I was worried the action was going to be cringey or slow, but it’s quick, good, and nicely supported by sounds and camera angles. I wished this much action from Boun (Korn) had shown up in “Revamp,” but I digress.
- The ending. Major YES! Big W! It was implied in the janitor’s room that Non (Nunew) would take the syringe with ‘mother’s’ blood, but it didn’t happen. And when it did on the rooftop…Boy I jumped up with joy. Granted, I didn’t like that Non didn’t necessarily get to choose to inject himself, but I wanted him to become ‘mother’. I knew he would be the one to carry the janitor’s blood.
Now the cons aren’t necessarily cons like ‘hey, you shouldn’t watch this series because blah blah blah and because I said so’. It’s the little errors and things I noticed. Towards the end of ep1, they clearly said the power and water would be turned off at 8:30 pm. In ep3, they were able to shower. Then, in the scene where they went to record the leader of the pack, Korn specifically said they needed one person to record and three to watch the recorder’s back. But in the scene, no one was watching their back and they were all watching the zombies.
- A real con/dislike about this series was the insertion of flashbacks. It’s done randomly, sometimes a little too draggy, thus ruining the flow of the present with zombies. Ning and Non’s mother’s back story was necessary to the plot, but the character/actress wasn’t particularly enjoyable and brought down the mood and energy of the series whenever she was on screen. I wish flashbacks of her were more creative. I don’t like the aspect that she managed to avoid jail time and punishment by fleeing the country for 3 years. That part added to her immoral and selfish character, but it didn’t need as much screentime as it got.
- I know we’re supposed to root for Ning, Jean, San, and Non, but they weren’t at all lovable characters. Cheating was also a running theme here: Viroj cheated on his wife with Ning and Non’s mother, Ning liked Jean and used San for support, San supposedly cheated on Ning with Prao and Non. Non can, somehow, feel San’s energy, which was misled BL. I have to admit, Ning became annoying halfway through the show. Yes, she treasured her brother, but only when it was convenient for her. I don’t know why or what led her to believe that Non was incapable or weak without her, but she understated him often. I find it insane that she got really mad at the group and called them crazy for drawing the logical conclusion that the janitor was the leader and mother of the zombies. She also told Jean that everyone needed to know about what Viroj had done, but when they pressed her, she dismissed them until Jean stepped in and gave them the details. Ning was wishy washy with taking accountability; sometimes it’s her fault, sometimes it’s Jean’s fault for not recognizing that it’s her fault, sometimes it’s everyone’s but her fault. Like girl…I was ready to snatch her collar. There’s a problem if I like Prao more than Ning.
- Why didn't Jean and Ning grab the gun from Ake's body after he died..? He even gave Jean all the ammunition? Jean also threw the gun away because it was out of ammo at the moment... Next time, don't give Jean a gun.
- The thing that had me scratching my head the hardest was "Does a gun to the head work or not..?" After Gus became a zombie, he took a bullet to the forehead, but we saw him walking around in the final episode. Janitor Jit seems to be dead dead after bullets to the head. Zombie Fah didn't die after she took an axe to the head. But zombies can drown? Or is it just Lily because she couldn't swim when she was human? Or maybe zombie Lily was not drowning but super calm because of the cold temperature? How come no one's tried to attack the thing growing on the zombies' backs?
- I have two bones to pick with ‘Zomvivor’. 1. When Lily became a zombie, I thought that was it, that her role was over. I’m mad that there was no callback from when Lily acted like a zombie to when she actually became a zombie, other than foreshadowing. Like the close-up of before and after would have been a powerful transition and really showcase how different real zombies were from Thi’s vision. 2. I don’t understand why and how Janitor Jit was able to become the leader of all the zombies just because she was given the serum first and is older, dot dot dot? The infected jellyfish attacking the uninfected was a nice touch, but why couldn’t another reason why zombies attacked each other be because they had different ‘parents’ or ‘makers’? There was mention of fighting for territory, so why not? There were also 10 volunteers, right? 10 parents/leaders would have been more interesting. Sure, they can make Janitor Jit’s line stronger, but I don’t buy the whole infected vs uninfected because aren’t they all infected anyway…? Maybe I should write my own zombie story.
Overall, I enjoy this one and am glad I found it early. Will definitely be back for a rewatch or two.
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