User Reviews

Concrete Utopia doesn't do anything particularly new for the dystopian thriller sub-genre, but it's consistently engaging and well-executed. Is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise.

Concrete Utopia presents a disturbing picture of humanity that dribbles into the absolute worst when the social structure is dismembered and survival becomes the only need of the hour. Talking about the direction, Uhm Tae Hwa did a good job in capturing raw human nature in every possible way. The cinematography and acting, especially by Lee Byung Hun, were also enthralling.

Concrete Utopia is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation.

My Rating : 8.5/10.

A super, super realistic movie portraying human psychology in society. If you judge it solely from the trailer, you might mistake it for a disaster film, but what I appreciate more is how the director, through the character played by Lee Byung-hun, perfectly illustrates the dynamics of human societal systems. Of course, the disaster in this film, within the context of this single refuge, highlights how scarcity forces people to reconsider their self-interest and survival. Lee Byung-hun's portrayal reflects the desperation of individuals in the face of limited choices, always hoping for a leader to establish a system aligned with their interests. However, it often happens that in the midst of conflicting interests, they forget their initial intentions and, in the process, destroy the bigger picture. It's really thought-provoking - in times of chaos, heroes emerge, but these heroes might also be the ones betrayed at any moment. Quite ironic, isn't it?

The movie dealing with ideals and reality. Drawing the end of those who forget to get close to the ideal. The parts that may be overstated are moderate by properly arranging ideals and realities. And this moderation asks the audience a profound question.

It's a really good movie by a rookie director.

In particular, I think it's a topic that only a rookie director can do. As a person who likes movies, I want to keep cheering for Director Eom.

The directing, the script, the OST, and the acting of the actors are all worth watching. In particular, Lee Byung-hun's acting makes me fall more into this movie.

A film that tells the story of humanity's survival from a terrible disaster. But the disaster that really threatens them is actually human nature itself. This film depicts humanity at its worst.

I love how the film opens with a documentary about the development of apartments and their importance in upgrading modern lifestyle and providing convenience. Throughout the film, the apartment becomes a symbol of protection and not just a place for them to live.

Right after that, we get to see the terrible disaster that seemed funny and absurd to me. They said it was an earthquake, but what I saw feels like Godzilla is coming out from surface of the earth. No reason prior to it, no news from the government, no presence of military powers.

There is a scene that discusses whether to accept the outsiders (non-resident) or to evict them. Since food resources have become scarce with the increase of people, they need to make an important decision which will be voted according to the majority of the original residents.

I felt like this scene should've been more intense and more dramatic because it questions the moral of humanity. Accepting and helping them will result in reducing food resources while casting them out means letting them to die with no protection. Doesn't this count as a 'Collective Act of Murder'?

But the scene felt light and less serious and the decision they chose also seemed easy to make without any strong objections from others. Maybe it's the director's vision to show the selfish nature of human greed when they feel threatened.

To be honest, there is not a single character in this movie that I like. The lack of character development makes it difficult for me to connect with them.

Overall, this movie is quite good and fun to watch especially for fans of disaster movies and survival movies.

Concrete Utopia is a decent disaster survival thriller with solid direction, strong performances and production designs. Disaster movies aren't movies I see as art but rather as an entertainment popcorn movie. This movie does approach the themes more serious and explores themes of human selfishness and fight for survival.

The narrative does get predictable but it does provide some strong themes of human selfishness that felt effective and purposeful to the setting. The production designs, special effects and costumes are all pretty good that helped create the feeling of the danger and roughness of the aftermath's of the disaster. All the performances are pretty good without any bad performances observed throughout.

As I mentioned, the narrative is interesting but could use some better works on the writing. The characters, unfortunately, weren't as interesting or connectable as they felt too thin to care much.

Overall, the movie remains ambitious because I never felt bored and I found the emotional and crucial moments to be effective. If only the movie worked on some moments, the movie would have been much better.

Giving this 7 star really mainly because Lee Byung Hun delivered as he always did. Stellar performance and script but clearly unrealistic ending whatsoever in a hopeful manner but still a show worth watching .Not much depth to the show so it's not too draggy along the way and the duration explains it because other than the survival that's going on and on there isn't any other topic or drama revolving around the show or characters. The characters can be more developed and would be nice to see more background story of the few main characters but i suppose it's not really necessary judging from the entire movie.

It is kinda like "Lord of the Flies", meets "I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash", meets a disaster movie.

Firstly, the effects are pretty good, and it is hard to tell what is practical and what is CGI for most part. There's not many studios out side Hollywood who can pull off these types of effects movies, and South Korea is certainly competing and catching up with them.

It is a psychological study of people in a crisis situation, and how you would react and what depths they would stoop to to survive.

It is well crafted, but there are some areas which you could only describe as major loop holes. I mean South Korea is a technically advanced nation, so where is the government within all this and the rescue operation. Even if the whole country was affected by the quake, there would be international aid. There is no explanation to why they are still in exactly the same position 2 months later.

Still, if you can put that aside, its an enjoyable disaster movie with plenty psychological twists.

Best Korean film of the year (that I've seen so far).

It follows a group of residents in an apartment complex that's the only thing left standing after a devastating earthquake. Other survivors try to move in to escape the cold, but the residents won't have it. Thus begins an intense scenario where people have to try and maintain some sort of order while battling the elements and hostile invaders.

This is an impressive disaster drama that begins almost lightheartedly, but turns darker by the minute. There's a comedic flair to the film's first act, but it mostly dissipates by the second hour. However, no matter how any of the scenes are played, there's a bleakness to everything that unfolds. It's like your typical postapocalyptic premise as seen in modern western cinema, but slightly deeper and infused with existentialism. The characters are also more fleshed out than you'd expect. Far from being archetypal heroes or villains, these are flawed people who find themselves in a heavy situation and react to it accordingly.

The whole cast carries the film well (Lee Byung-hun being the standout), with impressive technical specs that make me wanna rewatch this on a bigger screen (if only). In any case, big, big recommendation for this one if you're into disaster thrillers.

P. S. The final scene is really cool and stylishly displays the inversion of common human values in times of crisis. You'll know when you see it.

First of all, there is a problem with the pemise of the film. South Korea is not known for strong earthquakes. This title belongs to Japan. Second, the lack of support from the South Korean government to evacuate their people is unbelievable. Maybe you have to wait for a week. Even Haiti did not experience this lack of support from other nations.

I was surprised that this film was even nominated at the Oscars. I like the acting, but the storyline falls flat. I couldn't get past the film's desire for a tragic story, but it lacks the realness of what an aftermath of a calamity looks like. There's too much fantasy.

Seoul is reduced to rubble when a powerful earthquake strikes in the winter. One concrete apartment tower remains standing in the ruins. Violence breaks out as people realize that resources and shelters are extremely limited. The residents of the sole standing apartment tower divide into camps of those with empathy for other survivors and outsiders, and those who feel they are separate from everyone else and must beat others into submission to survive. A man and woman living in one of the apartments each picks a different side.

"I can look at a person and recognize if they are cheating me," says the man chosen as the apartment complex leader. In Korea each such complex has its own culture and rules, and this man - a former soldier - quickly assumes command. However, this chosen leader is hiding a dark side. Sparks fly between the couple as well as the complex as a whole as people line up behind the leader, or choose to disobey.

Director Um Tae-hwa said he is interested in how people are transformed during a crisis. The film is based on a Cheerful Neighbor web-comic story about a similar disaster where people become selfish bullies, or not. "There is no absolute evil or good," he said. The complex characters of the film reveal this truth. They are not black and white, and that is a good thing. Um Tae-hwa appeared at the North American premier at the Toronto International Film Festival. "If you post comments about the film on social media," he said "I will read them."

I loved the theme of the film; people choosing to bully others or to be kind to them, when a crisis hits. There are people who choose rules, violence, and other forms of separation, and those who choose kindness, love, and sharing. The characters are intriguing as well, the acting is solid, and commentary interesting. The film isn't using computer generated imagery as a crutch and pleasantly relies on more traditional forms of film making. Thought is given to each situation as well as human warmth and humor.

So, see what prevails, love or the fist.

An average apocalyptic film about how human nature can change in a dystopian world after a global earthquake disaster, or more precisely, what human beings can do. In the words of the film; in such an environment, a new life where the priest and the thief, the bottom and the top are now equal.

If I'm not mistaken, a professor said, "After the Istanbul earthquake, they will neither be able to get in nor get out." The film prompts us to think about this. Yes, we live with ideals while living an ordinary life, but will we be able to stay close to our ideals as the conditions get harder?

It is a good film, but it is overlong and has fictional problems. Especially the earthquake scenes are something strange like a tsunami. I think a planet should hit the earth for such an earthquake. It would be a better film if another disaster was chosen instead of an earthquake.

The idea is undeniably intriguing, taking quite a unique approach within the realm of post apocalyptic features. However, the execution falls short of doing it complete justice, as the presentation leaves much to be desired. Followers of Korean cinema, in particular, would likely agree that this film does not live up to the exceptional quality they are usually known for producing.

The main issue is the tonal inconsistency of the writing. At times, the story takes on a serious tone as expected in typical dystopian stories, but then it abruptly tries to incorporate elements of dark comedy, culminating in a jarring blend that felt out of place and unnecessary.

Greetings again from the darkness. Dropping ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances is sure to generate some interesting cinematic results, and that's what writer-director Tae-Hwa Eom and co-writer Lee Shin-ji do in South Korea's official submission to this year's Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The film opens with a devastatingly powerful earthquake in 2020 Seoul.

When the dust settles, the Hwang Gung Apartment building is still standing. This is in stark contrast to the surrounding rubble as far as the eye can see. The city lies in ruins, at least in this section of the heart of town. Initially things go as you'd hope with neighbors helping neighbors and families re-grouping and embracing. However, with temperatures dropping and other shelter impossible to find, the residents of the Hwang Gung Apartments become concerned about the influx of 'outsiders'. As everyone becomes anxious about resources and supplies, the building residents begin to organize, and have soon voted to evict the outsiders, while naming one man, Yeong-tak (Lee Byung-hun) as the Delegate (leader) of their cause. This, after he is seen courageously sacrificing his own safety to put out a fire in an apartment.

The initial neighborly courtesies transition to self-preservation and protection of family. Much of the story focuses on one young couple, Min-sung (Park Seo-jun) and his wife, altruistic nurse Myung-hwa (Park Bo-young), who shows concern about human nature exposing the dark side for many of the fellow tenants. The apocalyptic or dystopian environment brings out the worst of many who seem unwilling to consider the proverbial 'shoe on the other foot'. The residents organize into factions: anti-crime, rations, medical, maintenance, and waste management. The organization provides not just a way to occupy minds and keep residents alive, but also an 'us against them' mentality.

When Hye-won (Park Ji-hu), a Hwang Gung resident who was not there when the quake hit, makes her way back home, the tone shifts and the organization is exposed. She brings information about the Delegate, implying that he may not be the hero they presume him to be. This segment brings some flashbacks to just before the quake hit, allowing context that helps us understand more. Her arrival makes the third act even more emotional and frantic.

The politics of South Korea living spaces is touched upon in the opening, but director Eom is much more focused on exploring human nature ... those ordinary folks in an extraordinary situation. Desperation leads to irrational thought and survival mode overrides all logic. Normal people become more militant, more unforgiving, and less charitable. What the apartment residents did not consider is that those "outsiders" (or "roaches", as they are called) become even more desperate and their aggressiveness is certain to rise along with their will to survive.

Those living in South Korea will surely have an appreciation for the political aspects of the film, and everyone will recognize the warning signs of human nature when things go sideways - as they seem to quite frequently these days. Whether it's political commentary or a precautionary tale, filmmaker Eom makes the points effectively.

Opening in NYC and LA on December 8, 2023 and nationwide on December 15, 2023.

Konkeuriteu Yutopia (or Concrete Utopia for the English title) is a Korean apocalyptic movie. South-Korean cinema is one of my favourites and post-apocalyptic movies are also a genre that I enjoy watching so both combined could only mean an entertaining movie night. Good acting from the entire cast, as usual I would say with South-Kirean actors. Not that typical Asian overacting but believable characters. The story is exactly what I would expect to happen if such a catastrophe occurred, humans behaving only to serve their own interests. Survival of the fittest at their best. It's nicely shot, looked real, and a pleasant story to follow.

After an epic earthquake disaster the concrete smoldering ruins of Seoul seem to stretch on as for as the eye can see.

In the centre of the massive disaster one building remains standing.

Dozens of outsiders from the surrounding area desperately seeking food and shelter from the cold. Feeling a threat to their very survival, the residents enact measures that questions the act of morals or survival.

Very well written, well done cinematography storytelling and great acting.

A must watch.

I had the opportunity to watch this at tiff this year. Tickets were sold out so I had to stand in Rush Line, two hours before the movie was being viewed,.

It was absolutely worth it.

When everything falls apart, it's hard to know what will happen, especially in relations between survivors. Will mankind pull together to promote the uncertain continuation of the species, or is it a case of every man for himself? In this South Korean disaster film about what happens when a massive (and unexplained, not to mention highly improbable) earthquake destroys all of Seoul (and beyond apparently), except for one high-rise apartment building whose residents must decide whether to save only themselves or attempt to help displaced outsiders, despite a crucial lack of resources. What follows is essentially an apocalyptic retelling of The Lord of the Flies, with occasional back story flashes in the vein of television's Lost. However, the film's modestly engaging psychological thriller aspects aside, much of the narrative consists of a string of predictable (and not especially original) episodic incidents, most of which consist of various factions battling one another to become the prevailing alpha dogs. It's not something we haven't already seen many times before. What's more, there's precious little in the script to make viewers want to care about these people, primarily because of its tepid character development and an overreliance on recurring conflict (yawn). Add to that obvious and heavy-handed stabs at metaphorical geopolitical symbolism, erratic shifts in overall tone (particularly in the film's first half), and a handful of feeble attempts at comic relief, and you've got a picture in need of serious retooling. It's indeed puzzling to see the many accolades that have been so generously lavished on writer-director Tae-hwa Eom's third feature outing in light of the project's pervasive failings. But, beyond its imposing special effects and an impressive production design, there's not much here to write home about. Wait for this one to come to home media if you're really interested in sitting through this overlong slog.

Not only were the actors great at acting, the movie displayed a really strong message and meaning. Also, this movie made soooo much sense and I can see my self doing things the characters within the movie do in every situation. Nothing felt off or weird. I never questioned why each characters made such discussions because I saw my self do the same thing, even if the situation may seem absurd. Again, since the acting performance was also really good that I was able to feel multiple feelings while watching the movie. Everything made sense and the acting performance was sooo good that it really felt as if I was there in the movie. GREAT MOVIE.

I'm reading a lot of reviews that say this is a movie about the "cruel human nature" and blah blah blah. That is just the type of cheap misanthropy and conformist discourse that allows our governments to start wars and exploit other peoples. This film has a clear political reading and has more to do with capitalism, the accumulation of resources and the creation of poverty and conflicts. It also makes a very recognizable parallel with the treatment that Western societies give to refugees from disasters or wars. It is not "the cruel human nature", it is the neoliberal conceptualization of life as a competition, with no possibility of mutual support or cooperation. Great movie.

You get just enough character backstory to understand what's going on. No over-the-top heroism, no hysterics and no lingering on the terror such a situation would inevitably bring. No do-or-die situations and no narrow escapes, just grinding reality, scene after scene. No fight between good and evil resulting in a victor, just everyone making the best choices they can in that moment.

Remarkably, the opening scene is mundane; a man getting out of bed. We wonder why he's wearing a puffy vest and why his face and hands are scarred. We're left to imagine the cataclysmic event with only one short flashback scene coming later in the film. But only to explain the actor's scars, not to visualize the cataclysm.

Clearly, we're meant to see that human nature is the horror, not the event that brought out the worst - and the best in people. The excellent leading trio share the screen well and all get equal time. The supporting cast is sublime; not a character out of place, not a discordant voice.

I don't normally enjoy dystopian thrillers; mainly because of all the elements listed above that are lacking in this film. Maybe 'enjoy' is too strong a word; it's hard to enjoy seeing the worst in humanity laid bare. Still, this was so well done and so engaging, it deserves every one of those 10 stars.

The impressive South Korean production «Concrete Utopia", at first glance, seems like a simple show based on Kim Soong-Nyung's webtoon «Pleasant Outcast - Part II». However, it is an ambitious story that addresses the three classic themes of art (love, life and death), and deals with a concept that is always present, at stake: private property.

The idea of personalized possession versus the common good has always been in the debates of coexistence on Earth: it is not an issue that communists made fashionable, but this type of property is often at the heart of joy and dramas that can reach tragic levels. Since we are aware that there is a history of humanity, nature and our own human condition question it: from the earthquakes that ends states or nations, to the fragmentation of inheritances because of greed. In fact there is no problem with us wanting to have our private property, but rather with hoarding, territorialism and extreme nationalism, all root cause of so much misery in the world.

«Concrete Utopia» is film with vast panoramas, spectacular visual effects and intestine struggles, but its plot is simple: during a cold winter, an earthquake shakes and destroys a metropolis of hundreds of high-rises, condominiums, horizontal properties, housing building glued to each other. However, an apartment complex remains standing, and victims arrive at that "surviving" concrete mass. Residents give them inn at first, but then, in defense of their exclusive property, they deny them shelter, throw them out and many die of hunger and cold. The residents organize, appoint a leader, go "hunting" (such as cavemen), and return with canned food. Soon they realize that they are surrounded by the thousands of victims of the catastrophe, the internal complaints grow and the situation explodes.

The movie is long (130 minutes) and the plot has sections in which there are no shocks or bombastic physical actions. The first act is fierce and dynamic and concludes with the ruthless expulsion of the homeless victims. The second act is more leisurely, showing the construction of the surviving community, in which personalities change and false identities are discovered. The brief and violent third act includes external attack and the setting of scores.

Fueled by the excellent performances of Lee Byung-Hun as the leader with mud feet, that of Park Bo-Young as the sweet nurse who becomes his antagonist (both winners of the Grand Bell for Best Actor and Supporting Actress) and that of Park Seo-Joon as a young warrior, «Concrete Utopia» is a drama full of irony and sarcasm about the struggle of humans to defend their little parcels, in a framework of visual splendor for all audiences.