A Review of “Train to Busan (2016)”

 

Zombies have become so oversaturated in our culture. It has gotten to the point that zombies are just not scary anymore (thanks Walking Dead…).  I just don’t know if anyone could do anything new with this genre anymore until I watched “Train to Busan”. The simple premise is that “A divorced father Seok-woo, his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea”.

Let’s talk what this movie does differently from previous zombie movies of the like. Firstly, the movie has the zombie stuff for the majority of the movie in an enclosed and cramped train. The claustrophobic nature of the train leads to some tense situations and even creative scenes that you wouldn’t see in other zombie movies. For example, there is a scene where characters have to stealth by the infected in the dark and one where the characters have to punch there way from one cart to another. On that note, these action scenes are phenomenal. They are all thrilling to watch and always kept me on the edge of my seat. The zombies in this movie are very World War Z inspired but they are not just some mass of CGI. The zombies are phenomenal extras who manage to capture the essence of what a scary zombie should be through freaky body movements. Props should also be given for the makeup team as well because the zombies look as disgusting as one expects.

Another element this movie does very well is the characters.  Every main and supporting character stand out in different ways and each has vastly different personalities. The main character Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is shown initially as a cynical workaholic who barely spends time with her daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an). Throughout the movie, he is selfishly just thinking about himself and his daughter but the character arc he goes through feels natural and believable. By the third act, you are rooting for him to succeed. The supporting characters in this movie are also great and each fully realized. My favourite has to be Sang-Hwa (Ma Dong-Seok) who is a tough and burly looking man who is trying to protect his pregnant wife. However, despite his demeanour, he is the one who puts himself at risk to help others, is the one who also provides the light-hearted comedy and is the one that pushes the development of the main character into a better person. He also has some of the best moments in the entire movie. Another stand out supporting character is Yon-suk (Kim Eui-Sung) a COO of some large business. He is absolutely the worst person in this movie as he is willing to sacrifice anyone just to survive and incite people to his cause. Major props to the actor for giving such a great performance in absolutely making me hate him. All the actors in this movie do a terrific job but I do have to give a mention to Kim Su-an who plays the daughter as child actors tend to be mostly a missed but Kim Su-an succeeds in the emotional moments and is a hit.

While the story isn’t something unique, the emotional moments and its social commentaries set it apart from something like World War Z. It’s surprising but this movie explores a lot of the human nature of people. We see characters who want to do anything to survive, and others who will try to save others. The real main conflict that happens on the train is the clash between these two types of idealogy. We mostly watch our main character go from the survival idealogy to helping other mindset but the director also shows people who go from the opposite direction. There are also a lot of subtle commentaries sprinkled in this zombie movie tackling class warfare which is noticeable in the second viewing. The director also uses this to subvert expectations of characters like some who look shady or mean will be completely different. So this zombie movie is definitely not brainless" and is another reason it’s so different from others. Sang-Hwa says in the movie “it’s all about the sacrifices” and this is where the emotional core of the movie lies in, the main lead having to do whatever to get his daughter to Busan. I won’t spoil anything but this movie really hits hard and it won’t be surprising if you tear up at times. On top of these praises, the score by Jang Young-gyu is really good as well. The composer makes some sharp sounds that really elevate the creepiness of the zombies or intense scores for the cool action sequences.

If I had to give this movie a flaw then I have to say that some of the characters do make dumb decisions near the end. It just feels like it was senseless and silly which can take some people out of the movie. Additionally, the final act is very green screen green and has a lot of noticeable CGI which can be a little distracting.

Overall, Train to Busan is one of the best zombie movies to come in the last decade or so. The movie breathes new life into a “dying” genre and also tackles unique themes on classes and moral polarization. This is a definite must-watch for everyone, especially those who love zombie movies.