Ziam Review: Co-Writer and Director Kulp Kaljareuk Botches the Potential Zombie Horror/Martial Arts Action Hybrid with an Uninspired Outcome

Upon looking at the end credits of Ziam, I notice the movie not only has one but five screenwriters responsible for the screenplay of this Thai zombie horror. At the beginning of the movie, it shows some promises within the premise, where we learn Thailand is now reduced to a post-apocalyptic wasteland suffering from global climate change that leads to a worldwide famine. Food has become scarce, and the society is ultimately divided between the poverty-stricken poor citizens and the wealthy ones still manage to enjoy their life as usual.

The movie then zeroes in on a no-nonsense protagonist named Singh (Prin Suparat), who is making ends meet by transporting goods in a truck. He also turns out to be a skilful Muay Thai fighter, and right from the earlier scene, we get to see him fending off a group of bandits trying to rob the goods. He has a beautiful girlfriend named Rin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich), who is a doctor working at Prachamit Hospital. Soon, it doesn’t take long before the zombie angle arrives after a person ends up vomiting blood after consuming the fish. And next thing you know, he is sent to the hospital and by then, he becomes infected and turns into a raging, flesh-eating zombie.

A violent massacre ensues, with more victims ending up dead and re-animated into zombies, leaving Rin, who’s on duty on that day, stuck in the hospital with no way out. Not that the non-infected humans are allowed to leave the premises, especially after the military force insists they get back inside, or they will gun them down. When Singh learns that Rin is trapped in the hospital, it’s up to him to save the day as he puts his Muay Thai martial arts skills to good use to fight the zombies while searching for her.

So far, so good but what could have been a thrilling Die Hard/Raid-style action tropes that takes place in a single location, which in this case, a hospital building with Singh serves as a one-man army against the ferocious zombies all over the floors, fails to sustain my interest as the movie progresses. Sure, the zombie makeup, along with the graphically violent action/horror moments and copious amount of gore, are adequate for such a genre.

But here lies the problem: it wears out its welcome after a while. This is especially true with the rinse-and-repeat storytelling that goes around the circle. It may have clocked in at 90 minutes plus, indicating we are in for a lean, thrill ride, but what I get here instead is a surprisingly tedious slog. The fact that Ziam (love the wordplay that derives from “Siam” and “zombie”) boasts a potentially exciting blend of the oft-seen zombie genre with a Muay Thai twist is largely wasted on a series of rudimentary stretches.

It doesn’t help either when the protagonist lacks the much-needed personality. His so-called brooding and laconic appearance resulted in a mostly wooden lead performance. His otherwise gorgeous co-star, Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich, is nothing more than a typical damsel-in-distress who spends most of the time looking worried.

Co-writer and director Kulp Kaljareuk does attempt to spice up the movie with the familiar theme of class divides commonly associated with post-apocalyptic movies. But too bad it’s all surface-level storytelling. Even the action grows repetitive, with the camerawork alternating between dynamic and slow-motion shots in some scenes is not enough to elevate the movie from mediocrity. By the time the movie reaches its action-packed third act, complete with a hint of a sequel, Ziam barely recovers with its overall painfully derivative approach on this Thai zombie/martial-arts action hybrid.

Ziam is currently streaming on Netflix.