User reviews

SHOW IS CANCELLED, THERE WON'T BE A SEASON 3

So here's the deal, I just read this and I wanted to share with people since I enjoyed this show: Netflix owns the IP for Kingdom, and in SK they tend to sell different productions around IPs they own like web novel adaptation, musicals, theatre, you name it they do it, only so they can actually make money out of the IP. Netflix - and this came straight from the creators - denied their request to have the IP expand within SK market, maybe even international market considering how successful and popular this series was, so they weren't making money out of Kingdom, so why would the creators keep focusing on an IP that isn't worth the hassle since Netflix can flat out stop them from making money?

That is how the series was "cancelled" without being cancelled, Netflix has 0 interest in cancelling the show because it is popular and they make money from it, but the creators don't have interest because they can't expand their adaptations and actually make money out of it, so Netflix washes their hands, you won't see any news like "Netflix cancels popular series" because by contract they place the whole responsibility on the creators. Such a shame because it was a very unique IP.

I'm a great lover of k drama and horror films and the Koreans do it so well I've just binged watched all six episodes in one sitting ( it's now three in the morning ) as I couldn't stop watching yes the acting was a bit ott in the beginning it didn't matter and I didn't see the twist coming in the last episode can't wait for season two hear it's got the go ahead if you love zombies and k drama don't miss this

It's hardly a secret that the zombie genre is a dried out well proven by western releases fighting to be the most boring and generic junk out there. Then to my pleasant surprise South Korea dishes up a series set in a Korean dynastic kingdom in 1897 where a crown prince tries to save his land from the horror. And it does it well. Good acting, believable costumes, lovely cinematic and the monsters blends into a wonderful time that makes this series worth your time.

As my title suggested I am amazed at the successful combination of different genres so to speak. It was a really fresh idea to place zombies during the Korean middle ages(Joseon era) a direct contrast to most zombie films we see today, located at the modern urban landscape. The decision to do that breaths new life to the so far tired zombie genre.

Moreover, what I found incredibly interesting is the "subtle" commentary on the extremely hierarchical korean society, which is the actual disease that has consumed the nation. Look no further than where the disease started (the king is patient 0) and the way that the society tries to deal with their dead; seperating the bodies of the rich from those of the poor, giving proper burial to the rich whereas burning the poor. Instead of dealing with the actual situation they choose to focus on formalities even when those can endanger the living. Not only that but the Confucian principles of not harming the body(burning,cutting etc) are only to be applied to the rich. The society is so much plagued with an archaic system of principles and conduct that they fail to see it for what it actually is, the disease itself, in that sense not only the zombies are infected but everyone.

Btw no guns and slow zombies in this one like the Walking Dead. Here zombies RUN, no time to waste and the living ones have to use whatever tools they find, mainly tools used in agriculture and farming!

In terms of visual aestetics the series looks stunning! Amazing cinematography, directing, costumes, locations, action scenes, it is truly impecable.

What I would like to see is stronger female characters as the series is very male dominated.

Good job to everyone involved and can't wait for the second season!!

If you remotely like East Asian productions in general and Korean ones in particular and are a fan of the horror and zombie genre as well, this one is for you and not to miss. Add to that a historical setting with many subplots and subtext, and you get an idea of what kind of complete package this series is. The only bad thing I could say about it is, that it ended after just six episodes and only half the answers were given with me wanting to get more of that show. Strongly recommended.

This show is amazing in many ways. It is estetically gorgeus, has got a great plot, good acting, and so on. But most of all, it speaks about our society more than one could believe: it is about migration, about the happy few exploiting a large mass of people in misery and in starvation, leaving them out of their lands again and again, as if they were just garbage. I think this is one of the best zombie thing of the last few years because it talks about now, truly folllowing Romero's path.

What can I say? Netflix does it again! Great directing, writing, and acting; overall cinematography is 10/10. Can't wait already for Season 2!

Thanku Netflix for being global and introducing us to a different filmmaking schools other than Hollywood. WE the non-American viewers are sick and tired from hollywood's films that shows Americans trying to save the planet all the time. But thanks to Netflix we can see different and more beautiful art by (Korea, Spain, Italy, etc. ).

Season1 A series that deserves much more success. A season 1 too short unfortunately, but six intense episodes. The cast plays very well (there is Bae Doona, an actress whom I like very much!), The characters are interesting, the concept of zombie apocalypse in a medieval era and very well found, and the political intrigues add to the tension all the way. The best zombie show I have seen, personally. A beautiful little South Korean masterpiece that has nothing to envy to big Hollywood productions. ....................... Season 2 Kingdom doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does add new twists to the zombie mythology by introducing the quasi-vampiric nature of its flesh-eaters.

Worth a watch. Season 2 ending makes little sense though.

Would easily be a 9/10 if they had gotten that right.

It seems that they threw all logic down the drain towards the end.

This show is so worth watching, a zombie story with depth!

That is something you never get, it has an interesting storyline running all the way through, not about zombies.

They are more like a secondary storyline.

The zombies are not like you see in most other shows, they are there and they attack but the focus is not on the blood and gore, they are wild people, not slow walking bones.

The story is about people doing anything to gain ultimate power.

The zombies are referred to as monsters, but truly it is the humans that are far worse.

So far the show has been very surprising, there are tender moments, great displays of loyalty and revenge, along with espionage and evil doings.

The fight scenes are plausable, not the typical Chinese martial arts over the top stuff, no one flying through the sky or running up walls.

It is really one of the best zombie based shows I have ever seen, the movie is good too. I hate subtitled material, but I don't mind this at all, it is well worth it. Even if you are fed up of zombie stuff, watch it, as I said it isn't the main focus.

So watch it, enjoy some good writing, acting, scenery and special effects.

This series is terrible. The plot is poor, the acting is awful with terrible 'over-acting' and ridiculous facial expressions. On top of that, it is very poorly dubbed and translated. If you think this is one of the best horror shows ever made then you clearly need to watch a bit more.. Maybe give Haunting of Hill House a watch instead.. I'm annoyed at just how misleading the ratings are.

Netflix is getting way better every year just an amazing zombie serie its like game of thrones meet the walking dead

Has to be one of the best series in 2019 by netflix, I know I know its only january just now. But what a beginning to the year. You cannot miss it. Just wrapped up the season its brilliant all the way through. Beautiful costumes, amazing cinematography , brilliant gore, hints of comedy, good balanced action. Not too much of anything and not too little. Great gripping storyline throughout with an amazing lead role. Not a spoiler ***** i died laughing at the head-cuffs scene ***** u'll know when u see it.

I waited for a long time for this one and boy it didnt disappoint..great show

Kingdom on netflix was exciting. Can't wait for season two!

I only checked this out of curiosity but got pleasantly surprised how good it was and ended up bingeing. Every episode is full of action and there's no dull moment. At first I thought the idea of mixing period drama with zombie is laughable but with here, it works. Overall great and I couldn't wait for the next season!

I rarely write reviews, especially for series. The Kingdom definitely deserves one.

I've never been a fan of zombie movies/series, I find them very bland and uninteresting. So I was very skeptic about these series too. I was so wrong!

I couldn't stop watching it from the beginning. The actors did an amazing job, I fell in love with the costumes and the cinematography. It kept me on my toes until the very end!

If you haven't watched it, do it, you won't regret!

Can't wait for season 3, hopefully we will see it soon.

I was recommended to watch "Kingdom" by a friend, as he knew I love everything zombiesque, and somehow the South Korean horror drama "Kingdom" had managed to elude my radar.

With "Kingdom" readily available on Netflix, I sat down and watched all 6 episodes of the first season in rapid succession. While "Kingdom" is no "The Walking Dead" in a South Korean interpretation, it is still a rather enjoyable TV series because of equal parts zombie action and storytelling.

"Kingdom" is somewhat hindered by a rather slow pacing, that while it definitely helps the movie and story, it just made me feel that it took the series forever to get up in gear and to become good. But the slow pace was necessary, I suppose, because it helped establish the character gallery quite well, while offering bits and pieces of adrenaline-filled segments to the audience of things to come.

While "Kingdom" is not following the average (and generic) zombie formula, it is still a very enjoyable show and it is an interesting approach on a zombie outbreak. One thing that I am usually not enjoying is agile, fast and running zombies, but it actually works quite well in "Kingdom" for some reason.

This is a TV series where zombies are a part, yes, but it is not a TV series about the zombies. No, this is a drama about well-defined and nicely portrayed characters and their quests for survival, hunger for power, revenge, political plays and such.

The TV series have a very nice ensemble of casted actors and actresses to portray to the various roles and characters in the show. I was definitely more than pleasantly surprised to see Doona Bae (playing Seo-bi) in the show, and she brings with her a lot of grace.

The zombie make-up is adequate, and it serves its purpose quite well. As stated above, this is not a TV series about the zombies themselves, so it is not richly endowed with gross and ghastly special effects displaying gore and other such grim things that are often a major part in the zombie movies and TV series. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, naturally as a massive zombie fanatic I would like to see as much blood, guts and mayhem as possible, but the toned down brutality and gore of "Kingdom" actually suits the theme and atmosphere of the TV series quite well.

The downside to "Kingdom" is the slow pacing of the story. While it was a mere 6 episodes running just short of an hour or so each, it felt much, much longer. But it is hardly a deterrence for me to shy away from season 2 if it should make its way to Netflix.

"Kingdom" is definitely well worth watching if you are a fan of the zombie genre, and need something to fill the time in between other zombie shows.

What a great series even though I am not a fan of subtitles I could not wait until the next episode. This is cerntialy a must see. Can be a bit gory at times. I cannot wait until the next season is out.

The acting is great, the cinematography is incredible, the production value is outstanding, and yet we are left with a plot that is pretty simple and predictable for the most part. I enjoyed this, don't get me wrong, but I was really expecting there to be higher stakes and significantly more tensions throughout. For a horror series, it was only until the final episode that I ever even got a good jump scare. I respect the use of actual extras to perform as the zombies, but holy crap--some of these extras are so silly in their body language/performance/movement that there is no hiding their human-ness regardless of how much makeup you put on them. Characters are very simply defined without much moral ambiguity, increasing the simplicity of the story.

Will watch season 2, but this series is not yet ground-breaking beyond it's production value.

While it is better than 80% of the zombie flicks out there, I feel this series is let down by some horrible over acting. And some ridiculous characters who I assume are there for some sort of comedy value.

One minute it's trying to be serious walking dead style horror, the next minute you have bumbling Laurel & Hardy type characters screaming like girls and falling about the place.

As for the people giving it a 10 rating...if you consider this a perfect ten, holding it aloft with the Likes of Breaking Bad and the Wire you need your head examined.