Train to Busan [Blu-ray] [2016]

What do you get when you cross 'Unstoppable' with 'World War Z?' 'Train To Busan,' that's what! This Korean production is fun, fast-paced and exciting. It's definitely not your typical zombie film, in the way the living dead are portrayed. Sure, they do their share of flesh eating, but the reanimation sequences are really quite vigorous and "contortionistic." Great movie, overall!

From the trailer I could see I was goin to like this movie. I picked it up and was not disappointed.

By far the BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!! Enjoyable!

Absolutely worth the money! And, it fits in nicely with other current Zombie flicks in your library. There is a lot to say about it... and gosh darn it, I'm gonna say it! First off, you can change to English dubbing, so the movie plays out more smoothly. But... you shouldn't. The better way, is to watch it with the subtitles, you'll gain more incites out of the scene. You can always pause, hop back to re-watch a scene or re-read the subtitles. Listening to the language will help you sink into the novelty of watching a Zombie attack in another country. Quick mention about the politics and it is important to say it... Don't get South Korea mixed up with the irrationality and dementedness of North Korean politics and its hostility towards... well, everybody. South Koreans are a beautiful people; amazing culture and art, great work ethic, and a legacy of moral integrity and sophistication. There is a national sadness about it's past--if you've read their history, you'll understand why--but there is an unbelievable hope for the future. I am not Korean, not at all Asian, my families are of European and Eurasian descent. But along the way I fell in love with Korean culture, especially after sampling some of its finer cuisine... Korean Girls! Just saying, this is how I happened upon it, and how the culture thrust itself onto my psyche. Now, Zombies! What would you get... if you take a selfish, work driven businessman with his incorruptible, straight-edge daughter... a hefty, working class hero-to-the-people with his impertinent pregnant wife... a high school baseball team on it's way to a game, while one of its players smuggles along his wanton girlfriend... and put them on a high-speed commuter train filled with a buffet of varied passengers, while a laboratory catastrophe disguised as an industrial accident unleashes a plague of zombies? If you know anything about Zombie movies and Korean culture, you'll guess the answer. I found it predictable, but I loved it all the more for it. The story can take you only in one direction, it is a train to Busan, after all. There are plenty of great Korean movies... but it's Korean television shows that take the prize. It's like watching a Japanese anime, only with living, breathing people. If you get a chance to do so, check them out. There are a couple of really great internet sites that let you watch past Korean television shows for free. A lot of good people put a lot of hard work into the subtitles, they deserve the credit. Get used to watching with subtitles!!! Hearing the Korean language, despite not understanding it, adds flavor and emotion to the writing. You gain a more three dimensional view of what's happening on screen. Soon you'll be picking up not just the words, but the manners and particulars of the culture. As a starter, look up the following shows until you get a better feel for what you like. If you get hooked, soon you'll be searching for Korean made movies. I come across them all the time at BestBuy, and shocked at their availability. The website you'll appreciate in this respect is called Viki. The titles of the shows do change from country to country, but you should be able to get the basic idea anyway. Try these shows... 'Dream High' and 'Dream High 2'... 'Panda and Hedgehog' ... 'Love Rain' ... 'Flower Boy Next Door' ... 'Coffee Prince' ...'Hi! School: Love On' ... 'Big' ... and 'Iron Man' Oh, this last TV show goes by a different name in the United States, obviously why... you might find it also known as 'Blade Man' If this matters to you... these shows, mostly, that I've listed... are very much chick-flick type shows. But, worth watching anyway. You'll understand why, if you get hooked on them. There are hundreds of shows from every genre, but these are a good starter. I hope you try them out, and enjoy!

2016 was a banner year for horror cinema. Don't Breathe. Lights Out. The Conjuring 2. It's a mini-revival that seems to have kept on to 2017, what with the white-knuckler, Get Out, still snagging 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. And yet, far and away, my favorite in this stretch of horror goodness is very much Train to Busan, a 2016 summer release. You may not have heard of Train to Busan because it's a foreign movie, and some folks treat sub-titles like cooties. Any self-respecting gorehound will tell you some of the best horror movies are found overseas. Train to Busan murdered at the Asian box office. American film studios are trying like mad to acquire the rights, and I hope they don't get them. I don't see the sense in recreating what's already a masterpiece. The Raid movie agrees with me. In a zombie setting, when you hear news of mysterious fish deaths at the reservoir or a "minor leak in the Biotech District," that's the cue to head for the hills. What's so tremendous about this movie is that it presents a strong emotional core. Focus is on the strained relationship between an inattentive father and his little girl. Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is a preoccupied fund manager. I guess he does care for his elementary school daughter Su-an (Su-an Kim), enough that he's willing to fight his ex-wife for custody of her. Except Seok-woo is a bad father, one who neglects his kid, misses her recitals, forgets her birthday... Follows a scene that demonstrates why it's a bonehead move to have your assistant buy the gift for your kid. It's Su-an's birthday, and she guilt trips her dad into taking her on the bullet train so she could visit her mom in Busan. And, a bit later, maybe you blame the unobservant train attendant for allowing that one sickly-looking girl to sneak onboard. Man, not even roadkill is safe in this movie. As the train barrels along on the first leg of its nightmarish ride, as it hurtles from the capital city of Seoul to the southern city of Busan, the camera gravitates towards the other passengers. And, for all the other reasons why this movie is so boss, it's absolutely the acting that makes us care about this movie. The characters are interesting and fully-realized. Standouts for me are the troubled father and daughter, the very pregnant wife (Jung Yu-mi) and her tough, working-class husband (Ma Dong-seok), and the selfish transportation CEO (Kim Eui-sung), this last guy gunning for the jacka@@ of the year award. I won't say too much about him, except I haven't hated a guy so much since Paul Reiser in Aliens. What a fink! I can't believe this is the first live-action feature film Yeon Sang-ho has directed, but, apparently, he's more a veteran of anime cinema. Guys, this is a dynamic storyteller. He draws fantastic performances from his cast. What he does in ramping up the suspense is ridiculous. He makes full use of the confined spaces on the train, not only in building up and sustaining that sense of tinkle-in-the-pants panic but also in coming up with resourceful ways for the survivors to circumvent the walkers. Thankfully, several passengers are still thinking clearly. And, by the way, these walkers are RUNNING! And they turn really quickly! Thinks 28 Days Later or World War Z. They will chase you down like a horde of Usain Bolts. The body actors that play the zombies do a greatjob. I wonder how many of these extras are contortionists or are just really limber folks? The zombies' grotesque physicality and eerie motions fall perfectly in line with the distinct Asian horror aesthetic. Maybe another reason this was so much a blockbuster is that Yeon Sang-ho didn't flinch from presenting an aggressive take on South Korean culture and politics and on the impregnable divide between the haves and have-nots. The inattentive dad is projected to be our hero, except he doesn't come off at all heroic during the movie's first act. Seok-woo is one selfish executive who early on advises his daughter: "At a time like this, only watch out for yourself." Thankfully, the little girl is made of sterner stuff. What do you do when your train is packed with zombies? You get off the train, right? It amuses me that when the passengers did get off, they ran into so much bulls---, they were like, "Let's get back on the train." It's shortly after this that class warfare breaks out among the survivors. I'm no expert on foreign affairs, but I've heard tell that this and that corporate entity, and even the government, in South Korea have recently effed with the general public. This makes Train to Busan resonate that much more with its resentful viewing public. That one transportation CEO? That guy I can't stand, and I kept yelling, "Why is he still alive?" He's the primary instigator. So many people bite it because of him. He personifies corporate greed and cutthroat ethics. He may be juuuuust a bit cartoony. Snowpiercer with zombies? Sure. But it's better than Snowpiercer. I didn't tear up during Snowpiercer. I did here, maybe two times. But, dear gorehound, if you're not having it with the three-hanky melodrama, other attractions may sway you. The special effects are rad, although, okay, most of the "special effects" are practical effects executed by a mess of double-jointed body actors and some nice make-up work. The cast is peppered with some really likable and very human characters, none more relatable than the working-class husband (who is my favorite) and his pregnant wife. I enjoyed the banter between those two. This movie is tremendously staged. The suspense doesn't let up. The cinematography is sleek. Importantly, we see the survivors come up with creative ways to fend off the zombies, so the kills aren't so repetitive. I heard that Sang-Ho also made an animated prequel, titled Seoul Station, that's set one day before Train to Busan and charts the early stages of the epidemic. Once my nerves settle, maybe I'll look into that. And, please, please, please, no American remake.

Watching this movie makes a person realize what is wrong with most zombie movies; they're over the top to the point of being stale. This movie uses ideas from other movies and tones them down enough so that they're able to be appreciated. A lot of zombie movies have someone being bitten, and suddenly all their intestines are flying out all over the place. It's not something people generally think about, just even thinking about it right now I notice, even hungry lions don't disembowel people that quickly. Additionally, and something that is much appreciated, on this movie people don't just offer up bodies parts to be bitten by zombies like they do in most movies. They get turned to zombies from being taken by complete surprise or being overwhelmed or being much physically smaller, to the point that they cannot defend themselves. Basically, it's more realistic. One on one, unlike on other movies, these zombies would get the beat down of a lifetime. Additionally, people actually use defensive measures against the zombies, like wrapping their arms up while fighting zombies so they can't be bitten. Just small, common-sense stuff that bad directors and/or writers simply choose to ignore with lesser zombie movies. Come to think of it, almost all good zombies movies have humans eventually winning the fight against zombies (in one form or another) once they regroup. Really, how long would humanity lose against a creature that's slow (compared to other predatory animals, like lions or really almost anything) that can only attack with its mouth? Not only that, they're dumber than animals. It just doesn't make any sense. And this movies indirectly addresses that. The story is really basic; it is a man who hadn't been that great a father, and he is taking his daughter to see her mother for her birthday. He's the main character of the movie, and by the end of the movie he has developed into a more likable and much more interesting character. Very minor spoiler (because the movie does not go into this at all), but apparently the main character worked at a biotech company and they were responsible for the zombie outbreak. I wish the movie were long enough to delve into that more, but even without it, it made the movie just that much more interesting. It also gave the main character a chance to show his humanity, while talking to a co-worker on the phone. They could make a sequel to the movie based on this bit of information alone, but I don't know if I want a sequel, because unless they do as amazing a job as they did on this one, it would only cheapen the story, in my opinion. The film also delves into a large variety of emotion for such a basic plot; it covers human decency, human depravity, disgust, love, revenge, hope, despair, relief, tension, protective instincts, vulnerability and relying on others (especially the husband with the pregnant wife), and more. The plot may be a "standard" plot, but it's by no means boring. Also, there's a cute Asian cheerleader in it! That never hurts. But that does remind me one one point; there is no nudity in the movie, the gore is not overdone so even that and the blood are not that bad. Basically, it's a movie I would watch with my family. Maybe not really little kids, but it's not a movie I would be like "Darn, can't watch that with my grandma." And that felt surprisingly nice.

Train to Busan is an absolute blast of a time. Non-stop action filtered through the view of fleshed out and sympathetic characters makes this two hour film just fly by. While Busan is most certainly great all by itself, its excellence draws me to think of this as a part of, if not a "true" story within the World War Z universe portrayed in the book, (not the film). Those who read the definitive zombie novel/ collection had many an issue with the WWZ film, and had the studio had a larger world view of what could have been accomplished when getting the rights to the stories, Busan could have been one of the finest entries in a series of films- a series of films collected and financed by the studio from around the world. Each film, much like the various stories, could have taken place in a different part of the world, featuring different actors, at different points in the zombie outbreak timeline. In return, a film like Busan would have garnered a larger audience by being given a wider theatrical release, one that matched its critical reception. Busan fits so comfortably in the WWZ universe, (even the one portrayed in the film,) its easy to see it as such. The action often features similar rolling masses of zombies, particularly one beautifully filmed scene as they switch trains. And that is as specific as I'll get- the less you know, the better, as far as specifics go. As far as the disc itself goes, you can choose to watch it either dubbed or with subtitles, but the one omission here I really would have loved to have seen included would have been the animated "Seoul Station" the prequel to Busan that helped get this movie financed and made. Outside of this one ache, this is a must-own for fans of zombie or action films. It hasn't gotten the widespread press it should have, but those critics that bothered, as well as the fans, have thoroughly enjoyed it, and with good reason. While action is fast-paced and hard-hitting, it finds the time to allow viewers to get to know and care about its characters, something far too many modern zombie films fail to do.

The South Koreans have come up with yet another great movie involving a train. First there was “Snowpiercer,” one of my favorite movies from 2013 and now “Train to Busan.” While “Snowpiercer” deals with a cataclysmic change in climate, this film deals with an equally cataclysmic outbreak of zombies. Our first clue is when a distracted truck driver hits a deer. The camera lingers on the deer and sure enough it gets up and runs off. Working in Seoul as an investment banker, Seok Woo (Yoo Gong) has custody of his 8-year old daughter, Soo-an (Soo-an Kim). With her birthday a day away, Dad agrees to accompany her via train to her mother, who is now living in Busan. An infected passenger gets on the train as it is pulling away. Very sick, he dies and within a minute begins to snack on an attendant who was comforting him. Thus it all begins. For those of you who are put off by zombies for various reasons, if gore is one of them, director Sang-ho Yeon uses a light touch. Also the film relies more on tension and dread more than shock and horror in telling the story. As the high speed train rolls cross country, everyone learns that this plague has engulfed numerous towns along the route. After an unfortunate stop along the way, the conductor decides to plow straight ahead to the relative safety of Busan without further stops. Sharing the spotlight with Seok Woo and Soo-an is Sang Hwa (Dong-seok Ma) and his very pregnant wife Sung Gyeong (Yu-mi Jung). The unlikely foursome manage to find their way to the lead car after nearly getting left behind, but find their way blocked by the remaining survivors who believe they may be infected. A few things make this movie stand out. First there are some terrific action sequences shot in very close quarters. The two men have different skills. Sang Hwa is a formidable fighter. Seok Woo is smart, inventive and has connections with influential men. Secondly, Yeon gives time for the main characters to be developed. In effect they have a back story. We care about what happens to them. The film also has a strong emotional component to it. Young Soo-an provides all you need to know with her reactions and huge eyes. There are clearly social clashes as well. One particular business man tries to influence the passengers and crew to do everything that will improve his chances of survival. He becomes as much an enemy as the zoms. There are a couple things worth pointing out that are minor annoyances. The zombies seem to be affected mostly by sight. When it’s dark, as when the train goes through a tunnel, they stop. When they can’t see a victim, they stop. At times they easily find hiding victims…unless it’s one of the main characters. They also seem unaffected by sound or motion. This is a fairly simple film. Zombies on a train. It’s an engaging thrilling experience. Recommended.