Yeon Sang-ho-Style Zombie Film Makes Another Leap, ‘Colony’ — Brief Review and What They Had to Say (feat. Koo Kyo-hwan's Zombie Greeting)

Yeon Sang-ho has once again led the evolution of zombie cinema. The film 〈Colony〉 finished its screening at the recent Cannes Film Festival and met with Korean reporters on May 20 ahead of its May 21 release. 〈Colony〉, which depicts events after biologist Seo Young-cheol injects himself with a vaccine and unleashes a bioterror attack inside a building, portrays infected people moving as a collective, completing a new direction for zombie stories. One day before release, at the press distribution preview and press conference held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall, we met 〈Colony〉 and the film's key cast. Director Yeon Sang-ho and actors Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-bin, and Kim Shin-rok attended the event.

Having already shown Yeon Sang-ho-style zombie fare with 〈Train to Busan〉 and 〈Peninsula〉, director Yeon Sang-ho wrote 〈Colony〉 together with writer Choi Gyu-seok. The defining feature of 〈Colony〉 is that the zombies have become a 'colony organism.' The virus spread by biologist Seo Young-cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan) mutates the infected into a lifeform that forms a single collective intelligence. Trapped in a building overtaken by the virus, Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun) and the survivors must undertake the grave mission of capturing Seo Young-cheol alive to call for rescue.

In the process, the film depicts visuals and zombie behavior that are more advanced than in previous works. The infected not only shed blood but also spread mucus, creating an environment that facilitates information exchange; that sticky mucus is enough to make even the audience's skin crawl. To portray infected individuals gradually evolving into a collective intelligence, the film details their movements from quadrupedal to bipedal, helping the audience sink into the experience.

Opposed to the unified infected is a group of survivors—each driven by their own personal agendas—that continually clash, generating tension. Because they must stand against a majority that acts as one, the survivors—comprised of separate individuals—are bound to splinter; a multitude made up only of distinct selves cannot help but disintegrate when facing a unified entity. Yet this process concludes by introducing another character, opening up new possibilities. It is a film true to Yeon Sang-ho's style, exploring the naked facets of humanity and, despite that, questioning humaneness beneath the genre.

The principal cast at the press conference said in unison that they "came back having gained a lot of energy" from the recent Cannes Film Festival. Director Yeon Sang-ho added, "But watching it together today in the IMAX theater felt even better (than at Cannes)," showing his delight ahead of the domestic release. He revealed that the idea for 〈Colony〉 came from A.I. He explained, "I found the way artificial intelligence operates interesting, and the more I dug into it the more it felt like the sum of universal thought. So I thought that perhaps individuality is the most human thing in a world of artificial intelligence, and with that idea I shaped the story."

Jun Ji-hyun, who plays Kwon Se-jeong, said the point was "not to present a special character but to let the audience feel like they are Kwon Se-jeong, making choices and following through in various situations." She added that she tried to find the appropriate balance for the action to suit that approach. "Since Kwon Se-jeong is a professor, I discussed a lot with the director about how to handle the action," she said. "But because she is a character who avoids danger in any situation, I aimed to keep it at a suitable level." Director Yeon praised her without reservation, saying, "〈Colony〉 is a film whose rules change and the audience must follow; Kwon Se-jeong is the face that finds and realizes those rules," and "since Jun Ji-hyun is a movie star, just having her on screen makes it cinematic."

Koo Kyo-hwan, who presents a new villain in the role of Seo Young-cheol, said he approached the part with the concept of "creating a hundred Seo Young-cheols," since Seo Young-cheol functions as the brain that controls the infected. He said he called the infected "the kids," explaining, "In terms of movement and behavior, the performances of the kids and I were connected. I was inspired by their performances, and I also asked them to move in certain ways because I moved like this." After mimicking the sounds of the infected, he added with a laugh, "I even sent them a joking video message like, 'Bring a Melona on your way,'" drawing laughter.

Ji Chang-wook and Kim Shin-rok played siblings Hyun-hee (older sister) and Hyun-seok (younger brother). The siblings' backstory isn't shown, but their physical closeness made that relationship intuitively visible. There are frequent scenes where the younger brother carries his sister Hyun-hee, who cannot use her lower body. Ji Chang-wook said, "Being together in so many scenes made me rely on and draw strength from her without realizing it. Although there was physical fatigue, more than that I felt emotionally connected to my sister, which gave me strength." Kim Shin-rok recalled, "Like typical siblings, you don't need honest conversations to convey a warm bond," and added, "I could immediately sense Ji Chang-wook's sensibilities and emotions, and that exchange happened," reflecting on their chemistry.

Shin Hyun-bin plays Gong Seol-hee, who investigates the situation from outside the building. To perform the role, she kept in mind that the character is someone trying to resolve things from the outside while her family is trapped inside, and she said she wrestled with "how to maintain an emotional balance that would convince the audience."

Taking on his third zombie project (fourth including animation), Yeon Sang-ho said, "It was a difficult task to physically express the somewhat abstract concept of moving as a swarm," and credited the zombie performers: "In addition to the break dancers and stunt performers who had played zombies before, we brought in three avant-garde contemporary dance teams. They are used to expressing abstract concepts with their bodies, so they contributed many ideas and executed the expression well." Ji Chang-wook recalled, "When I first encountered the zombies on set it was awe-inspiring. Everything—the makeup, movement, and acting—was admirable," and added, "I think it was the first time I really looked closely into a zombie's eyes. That allowed me to give a strong reaction," expressing his gratitude.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-bin, and Kim Shin-rok, 〈Colony〉 opens on May 21.