Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Alone’ Starring Tyler Posey, The American Iteration Of South Korean Zombie Flick ‘#Alive’

With #Alive, we’ve already been gifted the first great zombie film of 2020, and this week, Alone, its English-language original script, is here to toss its horrifying hat into the ring. Now streaming on VOD, the Tyler Posey-led flick leaves its protagonist locked in an apartment complex while a zombie outbreak rages down below. Will Alone match the greatness of its South Korean counterpart? Or is it better left…. alone?

ALONE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Guy wakes up with one night stand in his apartment. Prepares to wake and bake. And then… an emergency alert appears on the TV, helicopters spin out of control above him, and ravenous zombies rage in the streets below. That guy is Aidan (Tyler Posey), a guy who doesn’t seem to have any distinguishable job or hobby and is lucky enough to have parents who pay his rent (well, at least for the first few minutes of the movie). As zombies – unique zombies in this case, ones who are actually somewhat conscious and feel remorse for what they’re doing – ravage his apartment complex and attempt to get into his own unit, he blocks his front door with a refrigerator and grows an impressive beard. To the best of his knowledge, all the people he knows and/or loves have been devoured by these fast-moving flesh eaters, and after a few weeks, all hope seems to be lost. He prepares to end it all, and then… you guessed it… a girl!

If you’ve seen #Alive, you know where this is going. Aidan develops a fondness for a young woman who lives in an apartment across from his, and the two begin communicating (and flirting) using a whiteboard and (a lot of pre-written???) paper, respectively. They help each other out where they can, share resources, exchange smiles. And fight for their lives, of course. The connection these two share has them willing to venture out into this hellish world for one another and the pursuit of survival, and they wind up finding a few more horrifying things than just zombies out there.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Well, if you enjoyed #Alive, you’ll probably dig Alone, though #Alive is… better. Alone also echoes familiar zombie apocalypse dramas like 28 Days Later and Train to Busan.

Performance Worth Watching: The performances in Alive overall are pretty lackluster, but as Eva, Summer Spiro (Westworld) has a lovely, warm screen presence and an infectious smile. She does the best she can with what she’s been given, and offers a few of the film’s bright spots, even if her romance with Aidan isn’t totally buyable.

Sex and Skin: There isn’t really any sexy time here, but there is a lot of shirtless/naked Tyler Posey, including naked Tyler Posey showering in the rain on his balcony. Lots of tattoos and lots of butt.

Our Take: When there are so many good zombie movies out there these days, you have to make a bold move to create something truly memorable. Alone unfortunately squanders that opportunity within its first few minutes, revealing the outbreak in such a comically quick and video game-esque way that it’s difficult to get fully invested. With this sort of thing, unless they’re prepared to do something radical, we should get the chance to spend a little time with our lead (and pretty much the person who carries most of the film on his back) before we dive into high stakes action. We know almost nothing about him or his interests or traits, so why should we care what happens? After we have some time with him, he’s a totally serviceable protagonist, but more character development really would have helped Alone kick things off on a better note. This sadly sets the tone for the rest of the flick.

Alone isn’t offensively bad. In fact, it’s perfectly watchable. The unfortunate fact is that it pales in comparison to its South Korean counterpart #Alive in almost every category; where #Alive‘s zombies are truly terrifying and convincing, Alone‘s very much feel like actors being twitchy. Similarly, the romantic connection in #Alive is much more believable and emotionally resonant than Alone‘s ever comes anywhere close to being, and that might largely be due to the bad writing (the needy, scolding woman role is so exhausted, guys) and flat direction. Despite its best efforts to be serious, Alone has a pretty big student film vibe – and this can be traced back to the direction. The effects are pretty mediocre, the zombies aren’t as scary as they could be, and the love story leaves a lot to be desired. It’s just missing that special something.

If I hadn’t seen #Alive before I saw Alone, I might have cut it a little more slack. Because the South Korean adaptation is so great, however, I found it near impossible to fully get behind this one. (Though I was admittedly delighted by the Donald Sutherland appearance). It’s totally fine to throw on if you’re not expecting anything great, but if you have high hopes, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

Our Call: SKIP IT… and watch #Alive instead. Even if Alone was written first, its South Korean adaptation just hits harder, is performed more convincingly, boasts better effects, and feels more genuinely scary (and emotional).

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Where to Stream Alone