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Train to Busan (2016)

Train to Busan doesn’t bring any new twists to the zombie genre, but only because it doesn’t need to. By utilizing a unique setting, pitting the zombies against fully-realized characters, and incorporating societal commentary in its story, this feels as fresh as the first time we saw the undead rise again.

Seok-woo (Gong Yoo), the divorced, workaholic absentee father to Su-an (Kim Su-an), agrees to bring her to Busan for her birthday to visit her mother. Onboard the train, a young woman suddenly bites one of attendants. Soon, the infectious disease has reduced most of the passengers to gnashing ghouls and the remainders must work together to survive.

The zombies in this film are more of the 28 Days Later variety, running towards their prey with hands outstretched but otherwise incapable of intelligent thought. This makes for plenty of tension, as the bulk of the action is set on the titular train to Busan. There's nowhere to run except towards the engine room and each compartment forward means less space to maneuver. On the other side of the doors, the passengers see their former friends and loved ones blank-eyed, covered in blood, and ready to pounce. Like in Snowpiercer, the people in charge sat down and really thought of everything that could be done with the setting. Tunnels, stations, the compartments, luggage, passengers, etc.

Every time someone gets overwhelmed and turned, it pains you. Whether it’s Seok-woo and his daughter, the heroic Yoon Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) and his pregnant wife, Seong-kyeong (Jung Yu-mi), the highschool baseball team, the traumatized vagrant (Choi Gwi-hwa) or the elderly sisters Jong-gil and In-gil (Park Myung-sin and Ye Soo-jung), everyone has personality and a miniature story arc that makes them fully-realized people you hope will survive. Even the film's "villain", a self-centered COO (Kim Eui-sung) who consistently hampers the main cast feels real. You either want him to turn around and become a hero, or die a horrible, gruesome death. Either direction will be satisfactory, which means you’re always paying attention.

I found them all so well drawn I couldn't predict who would make it out alive in the end. Korean horror movies are unafraid of going to the really dark place so don’t think the kid won’t be made an orphan, or that the pregnant wife won’t get torn to pieces.

It’s a great-looking picture that keeps moving and bringing new things into the mix. You can enjoy it simply as a horror-thriller but if you look deeper, you’ll notice a subtle message in Train to Busan about what is wrong with Korea (or society in general), and how we should be treating each other, meaning it’s also got great re-watch value. Yes, it’s subtitled, but that little bit of reading you’ll have to do is so, so worth it. This is a superior zombie flick. (Original Korean with English subtitles, July 1, 2018)