Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021) Review

“Kingdom: Ashin of the North” Netflix Poster

Director: Kim Seong-hun
Cast: Gianna Jun, Kim Shi-A, Kim Roe-Ha, Jeon Su-Ji, Kim Dam-Ho, Park Byung-Eun, Ji Hyun-Joon, Jung Suk-Won, Kwon Bum-Taek, Hyuk-Bum, Park Ji-Hong
Running Time: 92 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Korean Netflix series Kingdom has proven to be one of the streaming giants’ biggest hits in recent years, with its Joseon era setting successfully blending zombie action and political intrigue. The Korean film industry had already attempted the same concoction with 2018’s poorly conceived Rampant, so to see the concept play out on the small screen with much more entertaining results was a pleasant surprise. With high quality production values, strong characterisation, and a killer cast which includes Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryeong, and Heo Joon-ho, 2019’s six-part premier season was quickly followed by an equally strong 2nd season in 2020. The final episode was notable for featuring a closing scene cameo from Jun Ji-hyun of My Sassy Girl and The Thieves fame, and while fans patiently wait for Season 3, in 2021 a feature length one-off was released to provide some momentary relief in the form of Kingdom: Ashin of the North.

Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, the titular Ashin of the North refers to Ji-hyun’s character who we see for barely more than a few seconds in the final moments of Season 2. It’s been 20 years since Ji-hyun debuted, also playing the titular character in one of the most influential and enduring hits of the Korean Wave with My Sassy Girl, however if anything the existence of this latest entry in the Kingdom universe proves that she’s still just as popular as ever. Her starring role marks the first time for her to headline a production since 2016’s K-drama The Legend of the Blue Sea, with the last 5 years limited to a brief special appearances in the K-drama’s Vagabond and Crash Landing On You.

Considering the role Kingdom: Ashin of the North plays in bridging the gap between Season 2 and the (at the time of writing) yet to be announced Season 3, the positioning of itself as a prequel to the events of both seasons we’ve seen so far presents a particular challenge. Most spin-offs usually bank their success on spending more time with a character we’re already acquainted with and feel a connection to, such as Ma Dong-seok’s role in Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos, however here we’re about to spend 90 minutes with a character we’ve barely glimpsed. In that regard, there’s an inescapable feeling that the producers are banking on the existing Kingdom fanbase to tune in, and perhaps even more so, the fact that they have Jun Ji-hyun in the role. If Ashin of the North would exist at all if another actress was in the role is a legitimate question.

In the directors chair is Kim Seong-hun (Tunnel, A Hard Day), whose helmed almost all of the Kingdom episodes so far, and similarly writer Kim Eun-hee (K-drama’s Ghost and Signal) has penned the script as she has for both seasons. Set around 20 years before the series, the story focuses on the young Ashin, played by Kim Si-ah (Miss Baek, Ashfall), who lives in a small village that borders Manchuria. We learn that her tribe technically belong to those that live across the border, however they’ve lived in Korea for so long that, despite the shared lineage, they’re no longer trusted by their own people. Things aren’t much better in Korea, where they’re treated as second-class citizens precisely because of their connection to the tribe across the border. When a dispute breaks out between the Korean military and the Manchuria based tribe, the village finds itself in the crossfire, and after a vicious clash Ashin is left as the sole survivor.

Considering most of the marketing for Ashin of the North focuses on the casting of Jun Ji-hyun, you may be thinking that the above description is likely to be an opening prologue to set the scene, which would be a fair assumption. We do in fact get an opening prologue, with a text heavy overlay explaining the history of the tribe, the background between those based in Korea and those in Manchuria, the political rumblings that involve the Japanese invasion in the south, and of course the internal political strife on local shores. However for the most part Ashin of the North very much plays out focusing on the young Ashin’s journey, and the trauma that she faces as a result of the conflict. It feels fair to say at this point that if you’re clocking in as a fan of Jun Ji-hyun (which, let’s face it, there are many), she doesn’t actually make an appearance until the 50-minute mark.

Therein lies the productions biggest problem. If the selling point is Ji-hyun, most would want to see her make an appearance before the final 40 minutes. If the selling point is zombies, well, you’ll have to wait until more than an hour in to get a glimpse of any (that is unless you’re willing to count a CGI deer and tiger). With those 2 elephants in the room on the table, the question is if expectations are set accordingly (minimal Jun Ji-hyun and even more minimal zombies), is Ashin of the North worth checking out? It’s a difficult one to answer. If you’re a newcomer to the world of Kingdom and don’t have the time (or inclination) to plough through the first 2 seasons, then what you have here is 90 minutes that’ll bring you up to speed, and set up a conflict that requires minimum backstory to understand.

If you have seen the first 2 seasons and enjoyed the political intrigue just as much as the zombie action, then there’ll likely also be plenty to enjoy here. Park Byung-eun (Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage, The Great Battle) returns as the Royal Commander who we meet in season 2, and his story here is fleshed out considerably to understand how he got to be the character we initially meet in the series. For everyone else it’s a tricker proposition. If you couldn’t care less who Jun Ji-hyun is and have heard that Kingdom is a solid entry in the zombie genre, I imagine many may walk away feeling indifferent. The 2 seasons so far have built up a lot of good will, however director Kim Seong-hun seems to refrain from taking advantage of that for this feature length outing, instead choosing to focus on a fairly predictable tale of revenge that offers up few surprises.

While Kim Si-ah gets plenty of chances to emote as the young Ashin, once we transition to Jun Ji-hyun she plays the part almost entirely poker faced. Ji-hyun has always been an actress best suited to bubbly and energetic roles that play to her natural charisma and screen presence, and whenever she’s taken on a more sombre role that presence tends to flounder, as was also proven in the likes of The Berlin File. Unfortunately Ashin of the North doesn’t buck that trend, and while the narrative still convinces the audience to get behind her quest for vengeance, once it passes its logical conclusion things begin to derail. A one-off tale may just about be able to get away with the hatred she feels for the world and everyone in it, however since we know this is establishing her as an antagonist in season 3 we need more, and Ji-hyun’s emotionless performance simply doesn’t convince that we have a worthy focal point for what’s to come.

Fans of the zombie genre are probably wondering why we’ve got to this point in the review and barely made a single mention of them. Thankfully we do get what amounts to a sustained 20+ minute zombie ridden finale, although for those that have seen season 2, it’s likely not a spoiler to say that those hoping to see Ji-hyun take on the zombie hordes will be left severely disappointed. She’s a part of the scene but her role plays out at a safe distance, with the whole sequence smartly played out as the origin of how the zombie outbreak started, and eagle eyed viewers will no doubt appreciate the ramifications of the scene in which Ji-hyun introduces the resurrection flower to the royal physician.

In the end the best way I can describe Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a lazy but passable effort that likely knew it already had a locked in audience (I’m one of them) before it started production, so also knew it didn’t have to try too hard or do anything spectacular. It doesn’t, instead choosing to do the bare minimum of fleshing out a brief cameo from the end of season 2, and likely mitigating the need for a lot of flashbacks in season 3. Does that in and of itself constitute a worthy final product? I’m going to say no.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5.5/10