--- title: "Colony: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/colony/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/colony" critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Colony (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 59 from 10 reviews: 3 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative. The consensus on Colony is mixed, with praise clustering around the movement and design of its undead rather than its human drama. The reviews repeatedly single out the contorted, dance-like zombie choreography, practical effects and bursts of confined survival action; the hive-mind premise also earns credit for giving familiar threats a fresh complication. Several critics find an entertaining horror film here, though comparisons with Train to Busan generally leave Colony looking less involving. The divide concerns how much those changes achieve: enthusiasts find ideas about collective intelligence and conformity, while detractors see a repetitive gimmick attached to thin characters. The Guardian welcomes the film’s resistance to conformity and consumerism, whereas IndieWire finds its AI and authoritarianism metaphors too broad. Reservations elsewhere centre on overexplanation, uneven suspense and limited emotional payoff, producing a fairly wide spread between approval of the spectacle and frustration with the writing. ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2026. The critic praises this latest K-zombie film from Yeon Sang-ho for its innovative hive-mind zombies and the striking, dance-like choreography of the action and gore scenes. The verdict highlights how the film makes the undead more formidable through collective intelligence while centering outcasts and free-thinkers against conformity and consumerism. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/27/colony-review-zombies-yeon-sang-ho) ## Slant Magazine — Ross McIndoe Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 2026. The critic notes that Colony chases the high of Train to Busan with tweaks like the hive-mind zombies and collective intelligence subtext that add freshness, along with strong practical effects, but finds the characters less sharply defined and the suspense less sustained. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/colony-review-yeon-sang-ho/) ## The New York Times — Nicolas Rapold Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2026. Yeon Sang-ho's pulpy zombie film deploys a bioengineered horde distinguished by networked brains, hectic movements, and a pied-piper mastermind in a building-set thriller that leans into epidemic containment plotting. The review highlights the grotesque choreography of infected dancers and Koo Kyo-hwan's unnerving performance as the mad scientist villain. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/movies/colony-review.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2026. Festival review. Yeon Sang-ho delivers a propulsive and entertaining horror with striking visuals and choreographed action sequences in a confined high-rise, but the result is fun yet forgettable and unlikely to match the impact of Train to Busan. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/colony-review-train-to-busan-director-yeon-sang-ho-returns-with-fun-forgettable-zombie-horror/5216949.article) ## Time Out — Stephen A Russell Rating 3/5. 5 June 2026. The film delivers a fun night out thanks to its well-staged mayhem and practical effects in a high-rise setting, though it offers little that is new beyond the hive-mind zombie concept. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/colony-review-2026) ## The AV Club — Natalia Keogan Rating C. 26 August 2026. The critic finds Colony comparatively hollow next to Train to Busan, with characters that fail to develop meaningfully and a concept that doesn't quite click despite strong monster designs and movements. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/colony-review) ## IndieWire — Ritesh Mehta Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2026. Festival review. The critic finds Yeon Sang-ho technically proficient at action sequences but says the film's metaphors for AI and authoritarianism are painted with too broad a brush and don't land as effectively as needed. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/colony-review-yeon-sang-ho-1235194485/) ## Little White Lies — Emma Kiely Rating 5/2/2. 17 May 2026. Festival review. The film is a shadow of Train to Busan, undermined by lifeless characters, a repetitive script heavy on the hive-mind gimmick, and a lack of suspense or exhilarating action, though the zombie performances stand out. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/cannes-film-festival/colony-first-look-review) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang 29 May 2026. Festival review. Yeon Sang-ho returns with an entertaining if empty-headed splatterfest featuring gnarly practical effects and impressively contortionist zombie choreography by dancers, though it sticks closely to familiar genre tropes. The hive-mind virus innovation and ruthless take on human survival instincts are noted as small steps forward amid the blood and chaos. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/colony-review-2-1236759054/) ## The Playlist — Chase Hutchinson Rating C+. 16 May 2026. Festival review. The review calls it a mixed bag that fails to match the heights of Train to Busan, with clever evolving zombies but undermined by overexplanation, excess CGI, and underdeveloped characters. Tense survival sequences are praised amid the flaws. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/colony-review-yeon-sang-ho-zombie-thriller-cannes-20260516/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie actioner starts with an intriguing new wrinkle on the undead but quickly becomes repetitive and uninvested in its characters. The critic singles out the impressive choreography and sound design of the zombies’ contortions for praise while faulting the convoluted plotting and lack of emotional payoff. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/cannes-2026-gun-che-colony-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode 6 June 2026. Festival review. The critic highlights the film's intellectual engagement with themes of collective intelligence and communication alongside its visceral action and surprises. Yeon's direction and the cinematography are singled out for gripping attention throughout. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/colony-2026-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/colony.md