Train to Busan

Train to Busan has been building up a surprising head of steam in horror circles. Surprising not because it was made in Korea (horror fans are seek out foreign fare more often than Academy voters) or that it's carrying a cargo full of positive reviews from publications as prestigious as the New York Times, but because it's a zombie movie! The zombie craze was supposed to have peaked several years back, but like the undead themselves, it's still staggering along. And every now and then, a movie comes along and shows you why.

Writer / director Sang-ho Yeon, whose previous work up to this point was in animation, doesn't re-invent the wheel here cinematically. In fact, most of the story, which involves a workaholic dad begrudgingly escorting his daughter to visit his estranged wife, could have been designed by autonomous screenwriting software so predictable are the character arcs and action beats. But in execution, the film comes to life in a way jaded American PG-13 horror does not. It's frenetic, hip and self-aware but never feels the need to tweet about it.

Seok-Woo boards the high-speed commuter train with his daughter in tow just as the pandemic hits, trapping them inside with other survivors...as well as a horde of angry zombies! But that's nothing compared to what waits at each stop. The infection spreads faster than the train can outrun it, leaving them desperate for a final destination. And while the country falls apart outside, petty arguments between the haves and have-nots inside could spell all their doom.

Mixing zombie rules and regulations like a tossed salad, Train to Busan uses the World War Z / 28 Days Later approach with fast-moving swarms of undead chomping everything in sight. The make-up is good, the CG unobtrusive and a few new twists (like making the zombies light-sensitive) provide the raw ingredients for some truly spectacular action scenes. While the film's budget obviously couldn't match the massive scale of Brad Pitt's zombie apocalypse, Train to Busan is all the better for it. Director Sang-ho Yeon gets the most out of his characters by trapping them in one "no-win" situation after another, feeding off the inevitable camaraderie and tension.

Even the film's more obvious moments of social commentary and criticisms (is there any political agenda off limits to the undead? I don't this so!) fly by like so much blurred scenery. Not to say that addressing hot topics isn't appreciated - the fact that we're dealing with adults rather than whiny twenty-somethings is a huge selling point - but Train to Busan is at its best when the dialogue fades and the choreographed carnage begins. Emotional attachment is available but not required.

Well Go USA should have a huge hit on its hands with this title. Looking phenomenal on Blu-ray, the disc also includes a couple of bonus features (assorted behind-the-scenes stuff) and a trailer. Viewing options include subtitles and English-dubs.