Review of Concrete Utopia
Concrete Utopia (2024) Dir. Tae-hwa Eom
This big budget extravaganza from South Korea was a box office smash in its domestic market, and was quickly picked up for a sequel – Badland Hunters – by Netflix. Directed by Tae-hwa Eom, who also co-wrote the film with Lee Shin-ji and Kim Soong-nyung, it follows the survivors of a devastating earthquake in Seoul as they try and group together in the only tower block still standing.
Much of the film follows Min-sung (Park Seo-joon) and his wife Myung-hwa (Park Bo-young). When the earthquake hits, Min-sung is drawn into the circle of Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun) who takes control of the tower block and implements increasingly conservative rules to keep outsiders out and the residents fed and watered.
While Concrete Utopia tackles some big themes, showing the residents of the tower block give in to their baser instincts when times are hard, Tae-hwa Eom never forgets to make the film entertaining and he masterfully switches between genres. There are some genuinely funny moments as the residents interact, and the moment when the earthquake hits (shown from multiple perspectives at different points throughout the film) is a showstopping set piece that feels both epic and terrifying in equal measure.
At the heart of the film though is a thriller-esque tale of survival, as the survivors group together. Rumours of cannibalism take hold; dark secrets are uncovered, and tensions rise to breaking point. There’s a point about two-thirds of the way through when you start wishing for a resolution, believing that the film has started to overstay its welcome, but there’s a final plot reveal that brings you back around by the end.
The film is bookended by socio-political statements about the nature of high-rise tower blocks, and the base nature of human beings. The ending in particular feels very on the nose, spoon-feeding the audience, but its not enough to negatively impact the overall piece, which gives the Hollywood machine a run for its money in terms of special effects and excitement.
★★★★
4 / 5
Concrete Utopia is on digital platforms 1st April
Matthew Tilt
Twitter/X @Matthew_Tilt
