Concrete Utopia

Community Rating

Director: Tae-hwa Eom

Writers: Tae-hwa Eom, Lee Shin-ji

Stars: Park Seo-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-young

Runtime: 2h 10m

MPAA: NR

Released: December 15, 2023

When only one apartment building is left standing after a catastrophic earthquake, the residents that call it home are faced with difficult decisions for survival. Concrete Utopia is a brutal and thrilling movie. In this way Tae-hwa Eom has created a film that feels quite grounded compared to typical disaster movie counterparts.

This story starts with Min-seong and Myeong-hwa, played by Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young respectively. The young married couple are both capable individuals. Min-seong is a civil servant while Myeong-hwa is a nurse. Both play their parts well as they struggle to survive. Decisions are sometimes made by the apartment residents that put the couple at odds. Park Bo-young in particular brings a great sense of caring warmth to her character.

Most intriguing is the character of Yeong-tak, played by Lee Byung-hun. His quick thinking encourages residents to make him their leader. Yeong-tak is a rather complicated individual that becomes a catalyst for many events that affect those both inside and outside the apartment. Lee Byung-hun helps make his character very believable as a leader while keeping a mysterious side that makes the audience unsure of his intentions.

Great costume and set design helps flesh out the apocalyptic world these characters find themselves in. People are made dirty and bloody as they fight for survival. Devastation feels massive all around while they scavenge for resources. Cho Hyoung-rae's cinematgoraphy is crisp and cold, matching the tone well. The sound is good for the most part, ranging from chaotic to deathly quiet. There is one moment where a character on the floor sounds a bit hot on the mic, but it’s not overly distracting.

Even the CGI is quite well done. It is tastefully used in such a way that allows it to be fully realized. A couple of sequences involving the massive earthquake which throws everything into chaos are impressive in particular. Just enough is shown in these moments to add clarity and be awe-inspiring. Importantly, smaller moments of CGI are used well to compliment the sets and create scale.

An apocalyptic soundtrack accompanies the film. For it, Kim Haewon has combined industrial instrument sounds with orchestral arrangements. These tracks range from heightened battle scores to almost horror like tension builders. It really helps fill out the sound of the movie while instilling a mostly eerie impression.

The pacing of the story is good overall with perhaps only a slightly disappointing final act. In comparison the opening act introduces very interesting premises that are followed with intrigue through the heart of the film. It is during the closing of the film that some plot points are somewhat lost. Fortunately the movie stays together enough that it feels quite satisfying as a whole.

Most importantly, this is a disaster movie that actually has something to say. Themes of class divide are present as apartment residents decide what to do with outsiders who wish to take shelter from near certain death. While this may not be a new concept to film, it is rare to see it told so well in a genre movie of this type. Problems of authoritarianism and security are also explored in Concrete Utopia. One of the most interesting aspects to watch unfold was when residents began trying to form their own makeshift government for protection.

Concrete Utopia is an excellent disaster film. Tae-hwa Eom has directed a film with a strong narrative base and actors that treat their roles seriously. This is matched with special effects that bring harsh spectacle to the destruction. Even with a bit of a rough landing, it has thrills from beginning to end that make it well worth a watch.

★★★★☆