Concrete Utopia
Lotte Entertainment | Release Date: December 8, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
ColliderChase HutchinsonDec 7, 2023
As the film becomes about the conflict between a handful of key characters, it takes on the machinations and trappings of a psychological thriller surrounding a mystery of sorts that we already know the answer to. Read full review
75
Film ThreatCalan PanchooJan 5, 2024
While this is skillfully made in all of its technical aspects, it stands as a missed opportunity for someone of Eom Tae-haw’s talent. Read full review
70
IGNKatie RifeDec 8, 2023
Concrete Utopia is a polished disaster drama with a bleak and brutal view of human nature. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoDec 8, 2023
While the film lacks the originality of many of the films it tries to emulate, it’s still a solidly crafted reminder of the absurdly tragic fate that our current housing system appears to be guiding us towards. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarDec 8, 2023
Though the humor and acting in “Concrete Utopia” can occasionally feel broad, Lee’s viscerally monstrous performance grounds a high-stakes drama. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 12, 2023
A myopic, tense dystopian thrillers go, Concrete Utopia reels us in, jolts and even shocks us and gets the viewer thinking, at least a little. Not every action film or disaster movie can make that claim. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloDec 8, 2023
Overall, Concrete Utopia is more ambitious than its execution, but nonetheless sustains its suspense with an emotional journey into the depths of what scarcity can do to humanity. Read full review
80
Screen DailyAllan HunterDec 7, 2023
The well-drawn characters, clever plotting and sting of social commentary in a tale of pride and property create an entertaining film that could follow in the wake of Parasite, Squid Game and other South Korean success stories. Read full review
70
Screen RantNadir SamaraDec 15, 2023
Concrete Utopia is one of the best thrillers of the year. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeDec 4, 2023
This darkly comic and consistently revealing tale suggests that, without four walls around us to prop them up, most of our morals would crumble into dust. Read full review
80
SlashfilmRafael MotamayorOct 11, 2023
Concrete Utopia is not subtle about its allegories, particularly when it comes to immigration. Thankfully, the focus on character and the fast pace of the story that moves us from one crisis to the other keep the message from becoming overwhelming. Likewise, the script and visuals tease a larger world with stories just outside of what is on screen, adding to the film's worldbuilding. Read full review
65
The Daily BeastNick SchagerDec 7, 2023
Its lack of originality is at least partially offset by its gripping depiction of intolerance and exclusion as impediments to survival. Read full review
75
The Film StageAlistair RyderDec 7, 2023
It doesn’t pull any punches in its uncompromising portrayal of rising authoritarianism; it lands with greater impact than a more stereotypically crowd-pleasing disaster film. Read full review
80
The GuardianPhil HoadApr 5, 2024
If George Orwell had had a career stint as a Korean estate agent, this is the kind of story he might have turned out. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisDec 7, 2023
Smoothly shaping familiar genre tropes into a brutal study of class warfare and the stifling of pity, the director, Um Tae-hwa (who wrote the script with Lee Shin-ji), makes human kindness the first casualty of social disorder. Read full review
80
VarietyOwen GleibermanDec 7, 2023
It’s a fractious, blood-soaked drama about the will to survive that feels like “Earthquake” crossed with “Lord of the Flies.” What’s gripping is that you watch it and think, “If I were in this movie, what would I do?” Read full review
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