Last One Standing (2019)

The Best Asian Sci-fi Drama I've seen so far

I don't usually write reviews since I'm not a good writer but seeing as no one else has written one, I'll give it a try. I guess this drama made that much of an impression on me!

Story - it begins with a former cop and his reporter friend getting on a train that has a potential suspect in the murder of the cop's wife, a researcher in AI, along with families and friends going on vacation. Suddenly, the train is diverted from its original destination and ends up in a mysterious, deserted city. There, as they face hunger, the undead, betrayal, and other dangers, the passengers struggle to survive and trust each other as they try to find the author of their misfortune...

Okay, it doesn't sound very original, does it? It sounds like a mish-mash of The Maze Runner, Lost, and The Walking Dead. I'd argue that's a good thing; while those are classics in their own right, the latter two ran of steam and turned into messes. In contrast, all 24 episodes of this drama were captivating and well-written. Usually, I don't like watching long dramas, which is why I don't watch a lot of Chinese dramas, but this one kept glued to my seat throughout. It's evident that a lot of thought and preparation went into the story. Themes of artificial intelligence, greed, redemption, loss, love were explored with a deft touch, with just the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep you guessing and pressing "the play next button."

Acting/Cast - honestly, the main leads (the cop and the AI scientist) didn't really stand out to me that much. They were the archetypical "good guys" who didn't have that many flaws and always did the right thing. Amelie Xue as the scientist with mommy issues was definitely good in this, as was the ML who played the guilt-ridden cop with lots of emotional baggage, and both of had serviceable chemistry with each other. However, it was characters like Chen Li, Mo Li, the mute guy, Dr. Qin, Nana who really stood out to me because they seemed the most like real people to me. The character development was off the charts! They make a lot of mistakes and a lot of ruthless decisions at the start and you initially hate these people for how selfish they are, how they're concerned only about their own survival or how much they value money over their fellow humans, etc. but as the drama goes along, their motivations are fully fleshed out and you really empathized with them. You see them grow as people and try their best to take care of each, fall in love or form stronger friendships. Amazing work from those actors, they really sold me on their roles.

Music - Nothing that stood out. The rock songs they played at the end of each episode were kinda generic and the sound effects were typical horror movie sounds.

Rewatch value - I'd say around 8.5 because on a watch you'll get a lot of the clues you missed the first time.

Overall/Conclusion:
Asian sci-fi movies and dramas like "Wandering Earth" are usually cringy and just bad or straight up amazing (Train, Train to Busan, Kingdom). This one falls closer to the latter end of the spectrum. The plot might not sound the most original but it's definitely well written and well-acted. I would definitely recommend if you are into mystery, suspense, survival, crime and light romance genres.


P.S. be sure to stay after the credits for stingers which help with your own theories about the drama's main mystery :)

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This one feels like I'm watching "Survivor" tv series or eating mixed nuts. You try to sample everything until you got fed up with everything. I think the creator of the show is overly ambitious..

Started off with an almost paranormal mystery feels. Then it turned into a survival drama. Then turned into a Sci-Fi crime drama.

ML is searching for justice for his wife, FL is searching for the truth about her mother. Another character was a mother which depended with a man all her life with a teenage daughter with a lot of angst. Another one, is a married couple on the verge of divorce. See.. mixed nuts right?

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