Kingdom episode 2.1
South Korea 2020
produced by AStory/Netflix
directed by Kim Seong-hun
starring Ju Ji-Hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong, Bae Doona, Kim Sang-ho, Jin Seon-kyu, Kim Sungkyu, Jun Suk-ho, Park Byeong-eun, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Tae-hoon, Huh Joon-ho, Joo Suk-Tae
written by Kim Eun-hee
TV-series Kingdom
review by Mike Haberfelner
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10 years ago, a plant was found to resurrect the dead as flesh-eating
monsters - and was used on fallen soldiers to ward off the Japanese
invaders. Now, the undead are threatening the city of Sangju, and even
though Crown Prince Chang (Ju Ji-Hoon) has done his best to build up
defenses - and defenses that work even -, it seems there are just too many
out there, and what worked with the first few is later just overrun. Also,
the undead are apparently no longer avoiding the sun, just the heat. Meanwhile,
Seo Bi (Bae Doona) and Cho Beom Pal (Jun Suk-ho) have discovered the
"resurrection plant" and plan to create a serum that will
effectively kill the undead - but somewhat poor judgment has them seek
refuge with Chancellor Cho (Ryu Seung-ryong), who needs the resurrection
plant for his own nefarious plans ... After an expository
flashback, the film starts with a great action sequence full of fun ideas
that are well executed and have the adrenaline pumping - but eventually
the story instead focuses on palace intrigue that ultimately feels a bit
drawn out and are a letdown after the high octane beginning. But there's
hope that the series will gain momentum again in future episodes ...
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