Is it even a zombie apocalypse if your heart doesn’t race or break? Newtopia (2025) asks a different question: What if surviving the undead wasn’t about blood and guts, but broken hearts and awkward conversations?
Streaming on Coupang Play and Amazon Prime Video, Newtopia stars Park Jeong-min and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo in a romantic, fantasy-laced zombie comedy. Based on the novel Influenza by Han Sang-woon, it’s not your average doomsday drama. Here, the world is ending, but love might be just beginning again.
What to expect
- A recently broken-up couple stuck in an emotional apocalypse… and a literal one.
- A mix of romance, awkward reunions, and chaotic zombie run-ins.
- Jisoo gives a better performance, yet not perfect, but a noticeable improvement, especially in emotional beats.
- Side characters add humor, snark, and surprisingly touching moments.
- Cinematography swings between bright city lights and eerie stillness. The gore? Present – But not overwhelming.
It’s not your intense zombie drama like All of Us Are Dead
If you came looking for terror, heartbreak, and constant edge-of-your-seat panic… this ain’t it. Tension is mild, not gut-clenching: The zombies show up, but rarely in ways that feel unpredictable or terrifying. There’s no real cat-and-mouse panic like you’d expect in a survival thriller.
The tone is light, almost breezy, even when people are being bitten. The focus leans more on feelings than fear: The emotional baggage between the leads (an ex-couple) takes more screen time than the actual apocalypse. Think more break-up conversations than bloodcurdling chase scenes.
- You won’t feel like you’re in danger. Great zombie drama makes you sweat with the characters. Here, you watch from a distance. You may flinch, but you won’t feel.
- Pacing drags in early episodes: It doesn’t build urgency. You could skip to episode 6 and not miss much; that’s when the engagement begins.
- Emotional depth feels thin: Yes, there are tears, but you’re likely crying because the characters are, not because their pain hits something raw in you.
- The zombies exist, but they’re often background noise to the central love-and-regret arc.
- Emotional depth? Some, but shallow waters. You’ll cry with them, but not for them.
- Character development lags – the leads feel distant, like a couple you once knew but lost touch with.
Newtopia – Click or Skip?
Click if: You want a refreshingly weird take on zombie fiction. You’re in the mood for a show where apocalypse meets rom-com energy. You’re here to support Jisoo and appreciate growth over perfection.
Skip if: You’re craving gritty, soul-crushing survival horror. You expect deep character arcs and high-stakes tension. You want zombies that do more than stumble around like third wheels at a couple’s therapy session.
Final Thought
Newtopia doesn’t try to scare you, it just wants to hold your hand while the world ends softly. If you like your zombie tales with a side of romance and a lot less adrenaline, give it a go.
Newtopia is like watching a couple argue during an earthquake – it’s messy, oddly tender, but you keep waiting for the ground to shake.
Ratings: 6.7 / 10 ⭐
Written by MANSI SINGH