The wait is over, Yeon Sang-ho’s Parasyte: The Grey is now available to stream on Netflix
For those of you who don’t know, Parasyte is a hugely popular Japanese Manga series. First published, in 1989, the original told of Shinichi, a lazy high-schooler who unknowingly stops an alien space worm from entering his brain, forcing it to enter his hand. The next morning when he wakes up, he realises that his hand has been taken over by an alien parasyte. But unlike, the other parasitic space worms, Shinichi’s alien hand is quite friendly and has agreed to help him deafen the alien threat.
We had a Manga series, anime and two live-action movies. The one thing that worried me about the live-action was that they would have to be very CGI heavy, not even the best make-up FX team could pull off these hideous alien life-forms. I thought both movies did an amazing job so I was looking forward to seeing the advancement in the FX.
Now, a decade later, Train to Busan’s Yeon Sang-ho has brought the universe into Korean territory. The new 6-part series follows the same alien invasion; little space worms that fall from the sky take over the brains of human hosts turning them into hideous weaponised creatures. Just like the Japanese version, a space worm is unable to enter the brain of our protagonist. For the alien to survive, she must take her unearthly form and take out any threat. To both survive, they need to coexist with each other.
A great expansion of the universe, taking us into terrifying new territory with endless potential. I would say that I thought that it could have been at least 8 episodes long, 6 was just way too short. The cast was all fantastic and played that eerie un-human-like form. Featuring Jung Hyun-lee, Koo Kyo-swan and Jeon So-nee
The FX were superb and exceeded my expectations. I’d feel bad if I wasn’t to mention the fantastic sound design. Without the great sound design, those great special FX would mean nothing.
For those of you looking for a connection to the original Japanese Manga! I will tell you that there is one there. When that connection is, you will have to watch and see. As a fan of the Manga, it had me smiling from ear to ear. Pay attention.
PARASYTE: THE GREY Final Score
8/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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