"All Of Us Are Dead" Review: Which Is Worse-- The Drama Of High School Or A Zombie Apocalypse?

"All of Us Are Dead" is a South Korean zombie apocalypse series currently available on NetFlix It was released in January 2022. It's based on the webtoon "Now At Our School" by Joo Dong-geun. It joins two other great zombie offerings from South Korea-- "Train To Busan", #Alive" and "Kingdom". What sets this series apart from others is it's locale. I'm not sure which is worse-- the drama of high school or the zombie apocalypse.

When the show opens, we see a young man trying to fight off some bullies. He is thrown from the rooftop to what we think is his death. But nope, he's a zombie. Next a girl is in the science lab at the high school. She is bit by a hamster. She too becomes a zombie. It turns out the first kid's father Lee Byeong-chan is a high school science teacher. He created a virus (later known as the Jonas Virus) that transforms the person's fear into strength (because he was tired of his son being bullied). Obviously things dint go as planned (but he doesnt seem to care that much). He is pretty cray cray.

SPOILER ALERT: Turn back now if you havent seen these movies.

At Hyosan High School we have several fractured groups trying to survive. The core group begins with:

Nam On-yo- childhood friend of Lee Cheong-san
Lee Cheong-san- childhood friend of Nam On-yo
Na-yeon- has serious conflicts with the rest of the students, kills Gyeong-su and then sets out on her own
Choi Nam-ra- Class president, she at first is distance but ends up being valuable to the group
Lee Su-hyeok- On-yo has a crush on him-- but he has a thing or Nam-ra.
Han Gyeong-su
Yoon I-sak
Oh Jun-yeong
Lee Na-yeon- mean girl
Kim Ji-min
Seo Hyo-ryung
Yang Dae-su - One of Cheong-san's friends. He has a crush on Woo-jin's sister Ha-ri.
Jang Woo-jin

There's also a group trapped in a rest room. They are Yoo Jun-seong, Lee Ha-lim, and Park Mi-jin (who provides some greatly needed comic relief) . Members of the school's archery team Woo-jin's sister Jang Ha-ri, and her co-athlete Jung Min-jae join up with them. Then there's a group in the kitchen. Yoon Gwi-nam, ends up being the sole survivor when he pushed everyone else into the zombies' path in order to save himself. On the roof we have Min Eun-ji and Cheol-su. Both were viciously bullied at school.

As soon as he figures out what's happening, On-yo's father Nam So-ju desperately tries to get to her. He is a firefighter so definitely has needed skills. He is initially trapped with some politicians and then ends up at a military camp (which he escapes from). The military declares martial law and eventually sets off several bombs in the city. Then they reenter to try to kill anyone remaining (since they now know that a person can have the virus and be asymptomatic. Is this harsh? Yep, but they are trying ro prevent the virus from spreading to the rest of the country.

The group must use their wits and everything around them in order t try to survive. In the end, only On-jo, Su-hyeok, Hyo-ryeong, Dae-su, Ha-ri and Mi-jin make it to the camp.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). "All Of Us Are Dead" has a great premise and some stellar action sequences. Some of the best include the library, cafeteria, and gymnasium sequences as well as any time Gwi-nam is on screen. These zombies are fast and their contorted motions are super cool. They are attracted by sound so the best but for survival is to remain very quiet (and to travel during thunderstorms).

We grown to care about and root for these high school kids. We see lots of different relationships-- parents searching for their kids, a teacher trying to protect students, friends sacrificing themselves for one another, and people betraying each other in order to survive. I also like the idea of a different kind of zombie (one that either neither really dead or human). They are known in the show as hambies (half zombies).

My only criticism is the series length. It's 12 episodes but could have benefited from being cut down considerably. Overall, I still had a great time. i would definitely recommend "All Of Us Are Dead" to any zombie fan. Will there be a season 2? If so, count me in.