Newtopia review: Jisoo's blood-soaked drama lacks chemistry but delivers wild, ridiculous fun

If a zombie attack can’t save your relationship, well, nothing else will.

Newtopia, starring Jisoo and Park Jeong-min, sees a couple struggling to save each other and themselves in the face of zombies sprawling over the country. Can they do it, or will we be reaching for the tissues as we did for All Of Us Are Dead? (Never letting the world forget about sweet boy Chan-young who sacrificed his life for his school crush, sniff, sniff).

Well, let’s just say for now, that several episodes in, Newtopia is wildly entertaining. It’s zany, batty, absurd and doesn’t take itself too seriously either. The first episode seems more like a romantic comedy, with Jisoo’s Young-joo wondering whether it’s really worth it to wait for Jeong-min’s Lee Jae-yoon, who is completing his military service, and let’s just say he isn’t too good at it. He’s practically the circus clown, pining for his lover. Both are frustrated about the lack of communication, which is widening the rift. So, they decide to take a break, only for Young-joo to realise that oh dear, she really can’t be without him. And just as she sets off, zombies strike.

Chaos ensues, people reveal their real selves, and Young-joo is desperately trying to reach Jae-yoon who is helpless at the military base. 

The good thing about Newtopia is that it knows its premise isn’t groundbreaking. So what more can you do about zombie horror, and blood pouring from all corners? Well, how about adding a comic twist to shake things up? Newtopia does just that, and it works.

The show serves as a fun watch, primarily because of the cast members, who seem to be having a blast. There’s enough blood to send the faint-hearted running, but the comedy helps balance the horror. The delivery timing is brilliant and off the charts, especially a scene where horrified officers try to give a man CPR, after his head has almost been bitten off by a zombie. You feel a lot more laughter coming on, than shocked gasps, when watching this show—-at least for now. What makes Newtopia stand out is that every character has a distinct personality, avoiding the usual blending of traits that plagues similar shows.

The romance, which is meant to be the focal point of the show, isn’t winning any brownie points yet.  It still might be too early to say, but other zombie shows like Happiness and All of Us Are Dead had us at least deeply invested in the personal romance, or at least the brewing love story, of the lead characters. There appears to be a lack of chemistry, and rather sluggish storytelling on that front, to the point that you just want to say, ‘Well, get on with it’.  Nevertheless, Jisoo has honed her acting prowess since Snowdrop, and portrays a lot more nuance than before, while Jeong-min remains stellar throughout as the confused, bumbling lover.

Newtopia is silly, fun, and a fresh twist on zombie horror. If it keeps up this mix of chaos and comedy, it might just carve its own space in the zombie genre. 

It's streaming on Amazon Prime.