Start the week with a film: How ‘Colony’ infuses fresh life into the zombie genre
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Few current filmmakers are having as much fun with the zombie genre as Yeon Sang-ho. The South Korean director of the brilliant Train to Busan and Peninsula has found inventive and intelligent ways to repeatedly unleash waves of the undead.
In Colony (2026), Yeon simplifies biotechnology and the concept of swarm intelligence to stage a hair-raising zombie attack in a shopping mall. Yeon uses every available element of consumerism, from advertising displays to mannequins, to explore the ways in which weaponised hive mentality can be combated by co-operation and trust.
The film can be rented from Prime Video and BookMyShow Stream.
The story begins with disgruntled scientist Young-chul (Koo Kyo-hwan) threatening to unleash a bioterror attack that only he can resolve. He isn’t joking, as the horrified people stuck in a shopping centre overrun by frothing, fast-moving zombies realise.
Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) takes charge, using her academic credentials and understanding of ant colony dynamics to decipher how the zombies are evolving so rapidly and how they are so effective. Stuck with Se-jeong is a motley group that includes a security guard with a disabled sister and a bullied teenager. Yeon Sang-ho makes sure that these characters matter too.
The action is brutal, breathless and plausible, making excellent use of every nook and cranny...