Train to Busan
3.5/4
Starring: Yoo Gong, Su-an Kim, Eui-sung Kim, Dong-seok Ma, Yu-mi Jung, Woo-sik Choi, Sohee
Not Rated (probable R for Strong Zombie Violence/Gore and Some Language)
Let's face it. The zombie genre is in dire need of new life. No pun intended. The only way to make a successful zombie flick is to go for laughs, like in the charming sleeper hit "Zombieland" or the criminally underrated "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse." Making a scary zombie movie seems like an impossibility due to the overexposure the undead have had in recent years. Yet that's what Sang-ho Yeon accomplishes. It may not be original, but it's done well.
Seok-woo (Gong) is such a workaholic that it takes a bitter argument with his ex to remind him that it's his daughter Soo-an's (Su-an Kim) birthday. After an attempt to give her a nice gift backfires, he decides to give Soo-an what she really wants: a trip to Busan to see her mother. The day trip seems to be going okay except for increasingly scary news reports, but Seok-woo is far too busy with work calls to notice. But eventually even he can ignore the fact that South Korea has become overrun with the undead.
If you're looking for originality, look elsewhere. Very little of what happens in this movie hasn't been done in other adventure movies. But with good acting, the cast breathes life into these clichés and makes them work all the same. For example, every movie of this sort has a rich jerk whose cowardice and selfishness make things ten times worse at every turn. The difference here is that Yon-suk (Eui-sung Kim) is more monstrous than any zombie could possibly be. This is a guy who would throw his mother to the zombie horde and not lose any sleep over it.
The weak link in the cast is Yoo Gong. Yeah, I know he's supposed to be the self-absorbed yuppie who grows a heart. But for the first twenty minutes he's so lifeless that I found it hard to believe he could notice the world around him, much less care about anyone in it. Seok-woo definitely needs to lay off the sedatives. Far more interesting are the supporting characters like the vulgar Sang-hwa (Ma) and his pregnant, loving wife Seong-kyeong (Jung). Or the aforementioned Yon-suk, who is so vile that I found it amazing that no one decided to lock him into a train compartment with the zombies.
"Train to Busan" was directed by Sang-ho Yeon, and it's his first live-action. Maybe it's his background in animation, but what really elevates this material is its relentless pace. "Train to Busan" never stops moving, and Yeon never wastes time with plot exposition or character development. He lets things play out naturally, as it were, and that keeps the film's energy and tension high. Once things get going, it will be hard to find time to take a breath.
The hard work that went into making "Train to Busan" paid off. It was the sixth highest grossing domestic film in South Korea and was a smash hit with critics in the US. Naturally, an American remake is in the works. Still, it's hard to imagine a remake improving on the original, except for maybe a more lively lead actor. As it is, "Train to Busan" is a ride that is definitely worth taking.
Starring: Yoo Gong, Su-an Kim, Eui-sung Kim, Dong-seok Ma, Yu-mi Jung, Woo-sik Choi, Sohee
Not Rated (probable R for Strong Zombie Violence/Gore and Some Language)
Let's face it. The zombie genre is in dire need of new life. No pun intended. The only way to make a successful zombie flick is to go for laughs, like in the charming sleeper hit "Zombieland" or the criminally underrated "Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse." Making a scary zombie movie seems like an impossibility due to the overexposure the undead have had in recent years. Yet that's what Sang-ho Yeon accomplishes. It may not be original, but it's done well.
Seok-woo (Gong) is such a workaholic that it takes a bitter argument with his ex to remind him that it's his daughter Soo-an's (Su-an Kim) birthday. After an attempt to give her a nice gift backfires, he decides to give Soo-an what she really wants: a trip to Busan to see her mother. The day trip seems to be going okay except for increasingly scary news reports, but Seok-woo is far too busy with work calls to notice. But eventually even he can ignore the fact that South Korea has become overrun with the undead.
If you're looking for originality, look elsewhere. Very little of what happens in this movie hasn't been done in other adventure movies. But with good acting, the cast breathes life into these clichés and makes them work all the same. For example, every movie of this sort has a rich jerk whose cowardice and selfishness make things ten times worse at every turn. The difference here is that Yon-suk (Eui-sung Kim) is more monstrous than any zombie could possibly be. This is a guy who would throw his mother to the zombie horde and not lose any sleep over it.
The weak link in the cast is Yoo Gong. Yeah, I know he's supposed to be the self-absorbed yuppie who grows a heart. But for the first twenty minutes he's so lifeless that I found it hard to believe he could notice the world around him, much less care about anyone in it. Seok-woo definitely needs to lay off the sedatives. Far more interesting are the supporting characters like the vulgar Sang-hwa (Ma) and his pregnant, loving wife Seong-kyeong (Jung). Or the aforementioned Yon-suk, who is so vile that I found it amazing that no one decided to lock him into a train compartment with the zombies.
"Train to Busan" was directed by Sang-ho Yeon, and it's his first live-action. Maybe it's his background in animation, but what really elevates this material is its relentless pace. "Train to Busan" never stops moving, and Yeon never wastes time with plot exposition or character development. He lets things play out naturally, as it were, and that keeps the film's energy and tension high. Once things get going, it will be hard to find time to take a breath.
The hard work that went into making "Train to Busan" paid off. It was the sixth highest grossing domestic film in South Korea and was a smash hit with critics in the US. Naturally, an American remake is in the works. Still, it's hard to imagine a remake improving on the original, except for maybe a more lively lead actor. As it is, "Train to Busan" is a ride that is definitely worth taking.
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