Review | Colony: Jun Ji-hyun returns in slick but empty zombie thriller
Jun Ji-hyun returns to the big screen as a biotechnology professor battling a rapidly mutating virus and a hive mind of monsters, critics said.
- Director Yeon Sang-ho premiered his zombie thriller Colony at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on Friday, marking his return to the genre after a decade.
- Set apart from the Train to Busan and Peninsula franchise, Colony unfolds almost entirely within central Seoul's Doongwoori Building, featuring zombies connected through a shared consciousness network.
- Biotechnology professor Kwon Se-jeong, played by Gianna Jun, battles infected monsters led by vengeful scientist Seo Young-cheol, portrayed by Koo Kyo-hwan, with choreography by professional dancers.
- More than 2,300 viewers at Cannes' Grand Lumiere Theater erupted in applause Saturday morning, giving the film a five-minute standing ovation. French filmmaker Nicolas Boulasma called it a "rhythmic and effective" thriller.
- Yeon designed the zombies to reflect anxieties about collective behavior and artificial intelligence, aiming for "intuitive suspense and entertainment." The film opens in South Korea on May 21.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Yeon Sang-ho's *The Hive* Cannes Premiere: Action Worth Watching, Characters Lacking Substance. Invited to the Midnight Screening at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on the 16th, the local preview was described as interesting only in the beginning, polished yet hollow. Director Yeon Sang-ho's new film, *The Hive*, held its world premiere on the 16th as an invited work for the Midnight Screening at the 79th Cannes Film Festival.
'Gun-Che (Colony)' Review: This Zombie Actioner Could Make a Great Video Game, But Is Instead a Disappointing Film
Initially intriguing before it spirals into repetitive claptrap, Yeon Sang-ho’s “Gun-Che (Colony)” is one of those horror films that is propelled solely by the ineptitude of its characters. If you’ve come for carnage, particularly action with a grounded feel, you’ll get that in spades here. Working with an impressive array of stunt performers, contortionists, make-up artists and production designers, Yeon has added another exciting new wrinkle t…
‘Colony’ Director Yeon Sang-ho on AI, Individuality and Why Zombies Still Matter
Yeon Sang-ho’s “Colony” premiered in the Midnight Screenings section at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, marking the “Train to Busan” director’s return to the zombie genre. This time, he infuses it a distinctly contemporary twist that reflects anxieties about artificial intelligence, collective behavior and the erosion of human individuality. “All along my works, I […]
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