A visually striking but story-weak one-time watch with Muay Thai and contaminated fish
Ziam is a 2025 Thai action horror film directed by “Tent” Kulap Kaljareuk, and starring “Mark” Prin Suparat and “Nychaa” Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich. It was released globally on Netflix in July 2025 and combines elements of martial arts and zombie survival.
Set in a dystopian future where the world suffers from food shortages and disasters caused by climate change, with melting ice caps releasing bacteria millions of years old, Bangkok becomes plagued by a viral outbreak of the undead. The film follows Singh (“Mark” Prin Suparat), a former Muay Thai fighter, who must use skill, speed, and grit to fend off hordes of the infected inside a hospital to save his girlfriend, Rin (“Nychaa” Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich).
With so many zombie films in the canon, it is hard to find something unique. Ziam delivers on this with its fast-paced action sequences of Muay Thai choreography and its spin on the source of the zombie infection. From very early on, we have our minds blown with our leading man beating up zombies left and right with his bare hands, but the plot twist bombshell hits when the zombies encounter water, transforming them into some sort of anglerfish mutation. If zombies weren’t already terrifying enough, we now must contend with them turning into scaled, fish-like creatures with enormous mouths and sharp teeth. And these zombies can run too!
The film opens with a short and sweet info-dump, offering us a glimpse into this dystopian world, and it is here that we learn Ziam’s first fresh take on the zombie horror genre: the cause of the outbreak. The cause stems from deadly bacteria released from melting polar ice caps, contaminating the world’s fish population, and when humans consume these contaminated fish, they become infected. The scene is predominantly set in a hospital, and the setting is almost a character itself. The flickering lights, blood-slicked hallways, and medical equipment haphazardly lying about add a feel of claustrophobic dread.
An outstanding mention must be made of Ziam’s second fresh take, which is the action sequences and fight choreography featuring Muay Thai techniques. Kaljareuk explained to Netflix that he wanted to explore what it would be like to fight zombies using Muay Thai, and the results of this have us on the edge of our seats. We’re quickly left waiting in anticipation for the next zombie to appear just so we can see our leading man take it down with his bare hands.
Even if the action sequences and fight choreography become a bit repetitive and less effective against a mindless zombie horde, this new take is visually compelling. The raw and close-quarter confrontations expertly weave brutal choreography into the claustrophobic hospital setting.
Another outstanding mention must be made of the special effects. Kaljareuk chose not to rely on CGI when creating the raw and gory flesh of the zombies, instead utilising practical makeup and SFX, and the result of favouring gritty authenticity over digital effects is visceral and unexpectedly intense. There are, of course, some scenes where mediocre CGI is used, such as when a nurse turns into a zombie while hiding in the maternity unit and goes feral on the newborns, but quite frankly, we needed that reassurance.
The only glaring issue with Ziam is in the writing. The weak story results in a lack of emotional depth and a predictable plot. It is hard for the high stakes to come through in the performance when we don’t necessarily care much about the character or their objective, leaving the plot itself to fall flat, lacking enough originality to have a lasting impression beyond a one-time watch.
Even if we could overlook the plot issues, the disservice of having underdeveloped and formulaic characters is not something we can easily brush under the carpet. From having the female lead be a total damsel in distress, the male lead an almost superhuman who can kick and punch zombies and soldiers even after being shot, to the child who serves no other purpose than being a typical liability that makes us consider if our leading duo should just sacrifice him and be done with it.
These scepticisms aside, it is the zombies and Muay Thai that draw us to Ziam, and it is these that keep us watching. We also have a self-aware gag in the film’s title: “Ziam” comes from Thailand’s historical name, Siam, but with a “Z” for zombies.
The Verdict
Ziam is a visually striking, fresh take on the zombie horror film, combining a creative blend of zombie horror and Muay Thai with a predictable plot and frothy characters, offering an entertaining but ultimately forgettable experience for genre fans. If you want a gritty storyline with complex characters and high stakes, you would be better off watching the 2021 South Korean zombie horror drama Happiness, but if you are a fan of the zombie and martial arts genre and want a thrilling spin that does not take itself too seriously, then this is a must-watch.
Words by Jugo O’Neill
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