Parents' Guide to

#Alive

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Zombie violence, cursing in thrilling Korean horror tale.

Movie NR 2020 98 minutes
Alive Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • #Alive Movie: Scene One
  • #Alive Movie: Scene Two
  • #Alive Movie: Scene Three
  • #Alive Movie: Scene Four

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

Meredith22
Meredith22 Adult
September 19, 2020
age 16+

Interesting, gory tale of survival and bravery

I enjoy apocalypic movies, and the best are those where the characters are forced to be have courage, think fast, and fight for something bigger than themselves. #Alive is an interesting take on the common zombie theme with the story taking place in an apartment complex. We see how two different personalities handle the threats and shows genius with just a few household items. Fans of Train to Busan and Cargo will enjoy #Alive. some swearing, with F bombs, so I say 16 and up, plus a lot of blood from the zombies but not as much as TWD.

This title has:

Great role models
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What's the Story?

In #ALIVE, Oh Jun-u wakes up in his Seoul apartment bedroom with a note from his mother asking him to pick up some groceries while his parents are away. Instead, he settles in for a day of gaming with friends, but a glance at the news on television shows that the country is in a state of emergency. A fast-spreading disease is turning people into cannibalistic zombies. Oh steps onto his balcony and witnesses the bloody chaos below. After his now-zombie neighbor attacks him in the apartment, Oh barricades himself inside. He posts a video on social media to alert anyone who might be watching for help. As the days go on, Oh remains in isolation as his food supplies run low, and the utilities and internet connections become more and more infrequent. Oh becomes delirious and driven to the point of hopeless despair. On the brink of suicide, he sees a laser pointer beam. The beam is used as a way to communicate by a girl living in the apartment building across the street. Her name is Kim Yu-bin, and she sends him food, and they figure out a way to communicate that won't alert the zombie hordes to their presence. Now, Oh and Kim must find a way to meet on the 8th floor of Oh's apartment, where it's believed to be free of zombies, and try to learn if they have any chance of being rescued.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (9):

This horror movie has obvious parallels to the struggles with isolation faced by so many during the COVID-19 quarantine. There will most certainly be an onslaught of movies of all genres in the near future that directly or indirectly address the myriad cataclysms of 2020. While #Alive is a good old-fashioned zombie movie with the requisite cadaver makeup, shredded clothing, shrieking and moaning, lurching, and cannibalism, it also reflects, comments on, and (at times) parodies what we've come to understand as the "new normal" during COVID. These comments place the movie squarely in the tradition of zombie movies like Night of the Living Dead, a movie that made some pointed comments about what was going on in the world in the late 1960s.

The story has its flaws. As in far too many horror movies, characters make questionable decisions that defy common sense, and that come across more like weak attempts at moving the story forward. But on the whole, the story moves in a way that effectively meets the challenge of telling a story that's centered on one character for most of it. The ending is cheesy, but if we're looking for entertainment as a temporary means of escape from what's going on in the world, now more than ever we need a "Hollywood ending" rather than the nihilistic endings of other zombie movies. It's as thoughtful as it is action-packed, and a worthy contribution to pandemic-themed cinema.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about zombie movies. How does #Alive compare to other zombie movies you've seen?

  • How does the movie use the zombie genre to comment on "life under quarantine" during the COVID-19 global pandemic?

  • Why do you think that there is a continuing popularity for zombie movies?

Movie Details

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