Newtopia – Series Review | Prime Video

NEWTOPIA on Prime Video is a new Korean Zombie Series made as a horror-comedy. Almost a slapstick slasher, really, so it surely won’t be for everyone. It premieres with the first two episodes and lots of well-known South Korean actors. Read our Newtopia series review here!

NEWTOPIA is a new Prime Video horror-comedy series from South Korea. Do not be fooled by the official genres of “romance” and “comedy”. Sure, there is lots of comedy – it’s practically slapstick at times. And yes, romantic relationships are part of the story, but that can be said for virtually any horror movie as well.

This is a zombie story and we’re witnessing a zombie apocalypse as it happens in Seoul. The horror-comedy hybrid that gets very silly (and extremely bloody) won’t be for everyone. Just hang in there, and be ready for a slow first episode before episode 2 gets all kinds of crazy. The season has eight episodes.

Continue reading our Newtopia series review below. Find the two first episodes on Prime Video from February 7, 2025.

Witness the zombie apocalypse in Seoul

Lee Jae-yoon (Park Jeong-min) is starting his compulsory military service older than most and has a lot of anxiety about his future. Also, the soldiers in his unit are not the sharpest tools in the shed – so to speak. If these are the guys meant to keep Seoul safe, I would be nervous.

In fact, I think the soldiers are nervous themselves.

Jae-yoon’s girlfriend, Young-joo (Kim Jisoo) isn’t happy about them being apart. Or rather, she’s out partying and making him worried. However, all of this is small potatoes when a zombie outbreak suddenly spreads across the city of Seoul at record speed.

Isn’t that always the case with a zombie apocalypse?! Before anyone can react, many are dead and infected.

Fast zombies and young love

This sounds very dark and serious, but you’ll do well to keep in mind that Newtopia is a horror-comedy. The zombies are violent and fast, so there is plenty of death and blood. In fact, the zombies are a lot like what we saw in the South Korean mega-hit Train to Busan.

However, in Newtopia, the uninfected are reacting in stupid (and yes, silly) ways which means you won’t know who survives and who dies. Actually, at first, many of those who freeze or do weird things tend to survive in incredible ways.

Think the opposite of Final Destination, where somehow survival is thrust upon these fools instead of creative death traps. The zombie (and human) deaths are very creative and often a little (or a lot) funny as well.

Overall, however, the core plot of Newtopia will revolve around these two lovebirds trying to get back to one another, while fighting zombies.

Fans of South Korean productions are in luck

Whether the genre-hybrid of Newtopia is your cup of tea or not, the cast of the Prime Video zombie series from South Korea should be intriguing. The series stars Park Jeong-min and K-Pop sensation BLACKPINK’s Jisoo as the young couple trying to find each other during the zombie apocalypse in Seoul.

Park Jeong-min has already been in several productions reviewed on this website. Including the popular Netflix series Hellbound, Time to Hunt, and Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019) to name just a few. Also, he was in Park Chan-wook‘s award-winning Decisions to Leave (2022).

Other familiar faces in Newtopia include Im Sung-jae (Hellbound season 2), Lee Hak-joo (Watching), Hong Seo-hui (Alchemy of Souls), and Kim Chan-hyung (Project Wolf Hunting, Sweet Home). Again, just to name a few. In this case, those most familiar to me via their previous roles.

Start watching Newtopia on Prime Video now!

Newtopia is an MGM Amazon Studios production and the episodes are directed by Yoon Sung-hyun. You may know his work from the movies Bleak Night and Time to Hunt. Both also starred Newtopia star Park Jeong-min.

The series is co-written by Han Jin-won and Jee Ho-jin. Han Jin-won co-wrote the Academy Award-winning Parasite (2019) with director Bong Joon-ho. Also, he was an Assistant Director on his Netflix movie Okja (2017). Jee Ho-jin wrote the Hulu & Disney+ series A Shop for Killers.

With so much talent behind this series, you won’t want to miss out on the unique zombie story filled with action, romance, and comedy. We’ll be getting a weekly episode of Newtopia, but the series premieres with the release of its two first episodes.

Newtopia premieres on Prime Video worldwide on February 7, 2025. 

Details

Director: Yoon Sung-hyun
Writers: Han Jin-won & Jee Ho-jin
Cast: Park Jeong-min, Kim Jisoo, Kang Young-seok