If there is anything we learned in 2021, it’s that Netflix will never cease to amaze us. It has time and time again proved to be the best streaming service available for entertainment. With its wide range of tv shows and movies, as well as the original content produced by Netflix, it has become a household name everywhere. Netflix is rightfully crowned as the most popular streamer of the year 2021 with over 213 million subscribers around the globe.

While there is content available from different countries, South Korea aced the race of providing the most binge-worthy shows last year. Series like “Squid Game” and “Hellbound” took over the world by storm and became the most streamed shows on Netflix, giving way to about 4 million new subscribers to join the platform. And it seems that this year yet again, that is going to be the case. Released on 28 January 2022, “All of Us Are Dead,” the zombie apocalyptic series has quickly become one of the top trending shows on Netflix. This South Korean show is based on a popular webtoon named “Now at Our School” written by Joo Dong-geun. The story moves around a virus outbreak in a high school and its aftermath all well depicted in 12 thrilling episodes, taking us on a roller coaster ride full of intense battles between students turned zombies and survivors desperate to escape. With no cell phones, no food, and nobody to take care of them, the students are desperately reaching for everything they can to survive.

Like most Korean shows and movies, this series is also filled with metaphors, lessons about morality, and social commentary. With a genre so heavily used before in many tv shows and movies, All of Us Are Dead has managed to redefine the zombie apocalypse theme and use it to highlight more burning issues of our society. Not only is the origin story of the virus very different but its realistic approach to fleshing out characters is a breath of fresh air. Unlike other titles of the same genre, it doesn’t revolve around a single main character who risks his life and eventually saves the world.

The story begins on a rainy night at a rooftop as thunder and lightning fill the air, and some bullies violently attack their fellow school student Jin-Soo. With extreme grunting, a bloodied mouth, and contorting body movements, he tries to fight back but eventually gets ruthlessly thrown off the roof. Yet somehow, he survives and is taken to the hospital where his father comes running to his aid. After talking for a while, the boy starts grumbling and his eyes become red as he lashes onto his father. Horrified and with tears of regret, the father beats his son with Bible until he is dead- or so it seemed.

This time around, it is more focused on high school teenagers and their will to survive the zombie attack rather than adults. This also allows for the story to be easily followed and developed in a distinct setting, providing more detail and opportunity for character growth in a realistic timeline.

Apart from the story, the direction and picturisation throughout the show is very well done and looks similar to the hit Korean movie also based on a zombie outbreak called “Train to Busan.” Clever use of colour and setting gives a befitting aesthetic required for each scene while music not only intensifies the scene but also polishes it. Like any other zombie movie, this show is also filled with brutal fighting and action sequences in every episode, each one more intense than the other. But this flesh-eating brainless monster is not all that this show has to offer. All of Us are Dead has more than what meets the eye.

Despite being an adrenaline-filled ride, it manages to cover serious issues like social injustice, politics, and manipulation. The backstory of the origin of the virus is itself a bold statement on discrimination, inequality, and its consequences. The major themes of the show are how bullying and harassment on any level can destroy the lives of those who are affected by it. Powerful and thought-provoking one-liners delivered by certain characters are a rare sight in such genre films/shows. It is applaudable to use an overused formula and create something entirely different while keeping close to the basics.

The series though ended on a cliffhanger and some of the plotlines were left untied, fans are more than hopeful for the renewal of the show which is expected to be released sometime in 2023. Similar to “Squid Game,” this show is truly binge-worthy and holds the power to keep the audience on their toes, providing powerful narratives and suspenseful twists in every episode.