As in “Really Freakin’ Good” Zombie Movie! Welcome to my review of the very first Zombie Blockbuster in Korea!
America takes the zombie genre for granted, as it seems these movies have come in troves through the past decade or so, brought to us through many movies and epic shows. (And I couldn’t be happier about that!)
In 2016, Train to Busan became the first Korean film to break the audience record of over 10 million theatergoers, according to IMDB. And it has only grown tremendously since then.
I now see why Train to Busan has been highly touted as one of the better zombie movies to come out recently. The film is just rich. Rich with great characters, intense and suspenseful action from the start of that action to the final scene, great zombies, and very colorful cinematography. More on that in a little bit…
The main characters of Train to Busan are Seok-woo and Su-an Kim, a father/daughter tandem. We see that Seok-woo, the father, is more entrenched with his work than his family, which is why Seok-woo and his wife are separated. He is bringing Su-an Kim, the daughter, to her mother’s house by way of train.
As the train is about to leave, a suspicious passenger gets on at the last second, apparently injured and fleeing from something, or someone.
Thus, the perfect set-up for a zombie movie to take place on a train! And that train is rushing toward Busan with a full load of unsuspecting commuters. Now just think about being on a train for a moment. Very tight quarters, cars linked together, passengers stuffed in like sardines…and then you add in ferocious zombies! Yeah…can’t go well for the people on the train.
As the story progresses you get to intimately know a lot of the characters who are trying to survive the outbreak on the train. Unfortunately, you get to really like most of them, as well. But that attributes to how well this movie was put together. Although we are following the father and daughter through the mayhem and stressful events in the movie, we seamlessly get to understand and know many other characters. They weren’t forced down your throat, you weren’t put through rigorous torturous back stories. The character development was subtle but extremely efficient.
In plenty of zombie movies (as well as slasher) we are given so many roles that aren’t like-able and are certainly just zombie fodder, or we don’t care when they get finally axed from the story. Train to Busan was the complete opposite of this feeling. They did just enough development with each character, without having to dive too deep, that you’re rooting for each one to survive…except for maybe one.
I mean, the banter and rhetoric between the main character and Sang-hwa, one of the secondary characters, is played out so well and is one example of the depth to each person. Sang-hwa also turns out to be a bruiser of a zombie-fighter, which was a great scene!
I will also say that the daughter, Soo-an is the actress, does an amazing job in this movie. Shr's a very young actress, but you get a real-life feeling from her character and her acting. She really blew me away in the film.
Now, the main event. The Zombies. The undead. The infected.
Train to Busan seemed to take a practical approach to the ravaging killers in the film. They were fast zombies, but never inserted with computer graphics. They were bloody, merciless, and brutal, but the gore was never overdone, or in-your-face hey this is a guy’s guts being ripped out from the inside out type of scenes.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good Romero-like human-being-pulled-apart effect! They’re so amazing! But I feel like Train to Busan kept it tidy and clean, (if you can even say that about a zombie movie honestly lol) almost regimented, throughout the entire movie. And that added to the overall standard of the movie. That’s not to say this movie is without blood and gore! Don’t hear what I’m not saying there.
The undead move in disturbing creepy jerky ways, all the while being the fierce biting mindless antagonist most of us have come to love. There’s one added aspect to the zombies that I haven’t seen before with zombies, which actually helps the survivors…well…survive, a little longer. I thought it was a nifty addition to the never-ending tense atmosphere of Train to Busan.
It is also very clear that Train to Busan highlights class conflict between the characters, as is with several other movies from Korea, such as The Host and Parasite. There’s the assumedly homeless man that trails along with the group of survivors in complete contrast to our main character, Seok-woo, who is an extremely successful career man. You can easily see the depiction of status between several of the survivors in their interactions with each other, especially before the action really begins.
Also, the class status topic of Train to Busan can’t be discussed without bringing up the most hated character in the movie. Yon-suk, an older businessman, who forces his stature and will around on the other characters to ensure that he gets his way. I assume this is how this type of person would do so in his workplace, as well. His decisions are purely to protect his own skin, no matter who he pushes behind or beneath himself to get there. This motive and action becomes fatal for several of the characters, and particularly during the climax of the movie. This type of character is placed in the movie on purpose and it solidifies the stance the director has on class and status in his country.
If the deep-seeded message of an action zombie movie doesn’t matter to you, it is one of the best zombie movies I’ve seen in a couple years. Granted, we’ve been a bit limited in 2020 for a certain reason, but I know I’d love this movie even without the slight selection of horror we’ve had.
There is also the animated movie that is the prequel to Train to Busan. Seoul Station, created by the same director as Train to Busan, can be watched on many streaming platforms. Seoul Station came out the same year and is pretty good! The couple of twists at the end of the movie made me like it further.
I highly recommend Train to Busan!
Train to Busan
Released: 2016
Rating: TV-MA
Director: Sang-ho Yeon (Seoul Station (prequel to Train to Busan), Peninsula)
Writer: Sang-ho Yeon (Screenplay), Joo-Suk Park
Stars: Yoo Gong, Jung Yu-mi, Su-An Kim
IMDB Rating: 7.6 out of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metascore: 72 out of 100
With Subscription to as of Blog posting: Prime Video, Shudder, Hoopla, Tubi (ads) (Rentable on iTunes, Redbox, Vudu $0.99 - $2.99)
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