South Korea continues to prove there is some life yet in the zombie genre with Lee Min-jae’s debut feature, Zombie For Sale. This latest entry into the genre finally found its way to the shores of the United States a year-and-a-half after bowing in its homeland, and just in time to draw some noticeable parallels to another South Korean hit. This feature takes the lighthearted touch of previous zombie films such as Shaun of the Dead and Warm Bodies and injects some pointed socioeconomic commentary the likes of which elevated Parasite to a Best Picture win at the most recent Academy Awards. While this film may not be Best Picture worthy, it is another fascinating entry into the zombie genre that should please those looking for some big laughs as well as some decent zombie carnage.
During the opening credits we learn that a morally suspect pharmaceutical company Human In Bio has been developing a new diabetic medicine, NoInsulin. The thing is, they have not exactly been testing it in the most ethical manner. Rumors of unwilling volunteers plague the news, including reports of abducted vagrants and young college kids. Turns out, there may have been some adverse side effects during the course of these trials, which is where we begin our film. A young zombified man (Jung Ga-ram) has escaped out of a manhole and made his way to a local town where he attempts to take a bite out of some unconcerned residents who keep going about their business. While you would expect these residents to be frightened by him, it is the young man who gets frightened when he starts to be chased by a local canine. During his journey, he finally manages to briefly sink his teeth into the duplicitous patriarch of the Park family, Man-duk (Park In-hwan), the town swindler who is always working an angle and has taught his family to do the same. With his character reasonably in question, no one happens to believe him when he shares what happens, as they assume he has just been bitten by a dog.
The Park family is not known to be the most wealthy family in town, as their big money seems to be gained from staged “accidents” that allow them “help” helpless travelers by offering to fix their automobiles for exorbitant prices. Man-duk’s mechanic son Joon-gul (Jung Jae-young) is always poised to capitalize on these opportunities with his tow truck, while his no-nonsense pregnant wife Nan-joo (Um Ji-won) drops the hammer when it comes to collecting payment. His younger sister Hae-gul (Lee Soo-kyung) shuffles around with a comically sinister vibe that would probably be of concern to a more attentive family. Middle brother Min-gul (Kim Nam-gil) is home visiting, not revealing that his good life in the city has just hit a tough break. Like the rest of the town, Man-duk’s family doubt his account of the attack when he comes home with a bandaged forehead. They, most of all, should be taking him seriously considering they also had some close calls with the young man earlier in the day. When they find the young zombie hiding out in their garage, it does not take them long to realize something is amiss.
The Park family is living in a universe where they have at least heard of zombies, and Min-gul soon makes the leap to such a conclusion. The young man, who they name Jjong-bi, is hungry for some brains, but Hae-gul makes the discovery that cabbage will satisfy him due to their similar textures. While they fear that it is only a matter of time before Man-duk turns into a zombie, the old man actually gets a burst of youthful exuberance that makes him feel like a new man. Could these zombie bites actually function as a fountain of youth? Ever the opportunists, the family starts charging the envious locals to be bitten for a chance to turn back the clock. Little do they know, the virus is just a little slow to really take hold, which leads to a really explosive final chapter of the film once the real turning begins. At the same time, Jjong-bi gets somewhat domesticated and cleaned up enough to catch the eye of Hae-gul, who has already been primed for such bizarre inclinations. The resulting film balances healthy amounts of action and zombie destruction with a sweet story of young zombie love that does not induce any eye rolling.
First time director Lee Min-jae does an impressive job with balancing all of these tones in one expertly blended movie. The performances are quite wonderful all around, as the human characters strike the chord of outrageousness with believable desperation. These are characters trying to get by in a world with increasingly fewer opportunities, and the film does not dismiss such realities. While not as hard hitting of a social commentary as Parasite, this film does give you enough to chew on when it comes to economic disparity. The pacing of the film is pitch perfect, as it gives you the appropriate amount of time to get to know these characters before the world starts to fall apart around them. The special effects are well done and give way to some inventive zombie kills that should please fans of the genre. This is a film that hits on all levels, and you should not hesitate to add it to your watchlist if you are looking for something funny, touching and a bit violent.
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray from Arrow Video gives Zombie For Sale an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1 that is quite excellent. The visual aesthetic leans at times more toward blue at the beginning and golden in the middle of the film. Colors pop off the screen quite nicely, especially in the deep red of the featured blood. Black levels hold up pretty well with some admirable depth to the image. The detail level here is pretty insane, as the audience gets a perfect view of the zombie carnage on display. This transfer provides a great amount of texture to the costumes and production design that makes the film more immersive. There does not appear to be any instances of compression artifacts or other such digital nuisances. Arrow has done a wonderful job with this release overall.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with both a dandy of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Korean, as well as a LPCM 2.0 track. Subtitles are formatted clearly in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Dialogue comes through nice and clear, mostly focused on the center channel. The mix does a good job of balancing this information with the score and sound effects so that nothing ever gets clipped. The film employs an active score that feels a bit richer in the surround sound mix. The track renders the moaning zombie sounds in a pleasing manner in the surround channels. The track has some interesting activity in the rear channels that properly conveys the mostly outdoor setting. There are moments of intense activity in the low end during the more kinetic scenes. This track does everything it needs to do for the film, if not more.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Sam Ashurst and Dan Martin, co-hosts of the Arrow Video podcast, give a very informative and entertaining track in which they discuss South Korea’s history with zombie films, the tonal shifts that are common in Korean cinema, the structure of the film and more. For individuals who were not involved in the production, they do their homework where they can provide some in-depth thoughts.
- Q & A with Director Lee Min-Jae: A 13-minute Q&A following a 2019 screening at Asian Pop-Up Cinerama in Chicago that is moderated by film critic Darcy Paquet. Lee discusses working with the actors on the film, what it was like to work with his wife, his approach to crafting a zombie narrative and more. It is quite enjoyable to get in-depth thoughts directly from the man who made the film.
- Eat Together, Kill Together – The Family In Peril Comedy: A twenty-minute video essay from critic and producer Pierce Conran which explores the role of family in Korean cinema and how it has evolved over the years into this particular subgenre. This is incredibly thorough and well done, and should be essential viewing for anyone interested in learning more about Korean cinema.
- Making Of Featurette: A nearly five-minute look at the production of the film that briefly gives an overview of the characters and the actors who play them. It is always fascinating to get a look at the promotional material from other countries.
- Behind The Scenes: Two brief segments totaling two minutes which showcases some of the colorful language in the film as well as some bloopers from the set.
- Original Trailer: A minute-and-a-half long trailer that plays the film up to be more serious than it actually is, for the most part.
Final Thoughts
Zombie For Sale is an incredibly fun entry into the zombie comedy genre that touches on socioeconomic issues in a subtle, yet effective way. The film is lovingly constructed to build to a thrilling climax that offers up some impressive actions and big laughs. Arrow Video has provided a Blu-Ray that delivers with a spectacular A/V presentation and some worthwhile special features. This one should have some very good replay value. Highly Recommended
Zombie For Sale is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
