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Train to Busan

8/24/2017

7 Comments

 

B
​2.93

Zombies invade a train on the titular route.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
Starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, and Kim Su-an
Initial Review by Lane Davis

Picture
I’ll start with a question: what is the quintessential summer movie?

For me, two films come to mind—“Jurassic Park” which I saw when I was 12 and was one of those cinema experiences that make you fall in love with going to the movies. The second was “Speed,” which came out the next summer and which I think I saw at least three times in the theater and I definitely owned on VHS.

I start with this question because I first heard about “Train to Busan” about a year ago on NPR. They ran a story because “TtB” is, apparently, the quintessential Korean summer movie. It’s the highest grossing Korean film in that country’s history and, according to the NPR story a year ago, almost 1/5th of the whole South Korean population had seen the film, which is a pretty remarkable number. I was, at first, reluctant to pick another Korean film since we’ve already had “Okja” in our queue this round, but I really wanted to watch a summer movie, and so why not watch one of the most successful ones in recent years that so few in the US have seen?


Zombie movies are generally my least favorite horror genre. I’ve not been a big “Walking Dead” fan, personally, but zombie flicks do tend to provide the best vehicle for social commentary out of all the horror genre’s. George Romero remains the master, but “28 Days Later” is probably the peak of the genre for me. “TtB” doesn’t quite live up to those standards, and the “Snowpiercer with zombies” critique is valid.

But, with that being said, everything that makes a great summer movie is here in “TtB.” High speeds and explosions? Check. Danger around every corner? Check. People getting eaten? Check. Possible world extinction? Check. Add to that a smart social commentary that’s broad enough for all of us to understand (we all need to treat people better) but particular enough to say something important about its Korean context (apparently, the film is a pretty direct critique of the way corporations and the government tried to cover up the deaths of 300 kids in a ferry accident a few years ago). The summer blockbuster boxes are all checked here.

But where there’s a lack in originality, “TtB” makes up for it with believable characters, well acted, that actually make you care about what happens to them. You’re pretty sure by the end that there’s no hope for the world, but it didn’t stop me from really not wanting Seong-kyeong and Soo-an to get shot.

In the end, I’m a “TtB” fan because it gave me exactly what I expected: an entertaining excuse to stay inside on a really hot day.

Grade: B+

7 Comments
Bryan
8/25/2017 10:42:59 pm

We're getting a little hokey with the future self of the main dad and the COO, who's infallibility was annoying. Also the washing blood off your hands, ugh. It's 30 minutes too long and there are one too many doors closed at the right microsecond. One last complaint - the constant gurgoling sound of the zombies.

Train to Busan reminds me of 28 Days Later. The zombies are relentless and the humans aren't morons (90% of the time). A nearly perfect combo for a zombie action movie and I love me some action movies. I'm indifferent about zombies. Definitely amusing overall.

The little girl was stellar.

B

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Drew
8/26/2017 10:42:10 am

This was a fun action film. I love the way Lane writes and so I nominate this for best review.

It is an action film but has none of the Bruckheimer pitfalls that other directors seem to fall into. Pretty good stuff.

Grade: B

Reply
Sean
8/29/2017 02:15:56 am

In short, TtB was the most emotionally connective zombie movie I've seen. The hysteria and fear the COO was able to garner in the fellow passengers who chose to forsake their fellow survivors on the chance they might be infected was like a ripple on a lake. His first outburst accusing the others of infection growing into unanimous consent the others needed to leave. His mindset of caring only for his own survival made for an easy villain to root against even if it did prove to be a not terrible strategy as he survived almost to the end. Muscle hero's moment with dad hero on being a father and sacrifice was clear foreshadowing of the end when dad hero is bitten and separates himself from little girl and pregnant lady. Beautifully shown experiencing the bliss of remembering his daughter's birth as he slowly turned before jumping from the train.

I'll give Bryan that it may have been a little long and the washing blood off his hands was a little on the nose but the movie could've done without his company having any involvement. Seems like that should've paid off anyway, maybe if there is a 3 hour directors cut somethings comes from that.

But, a leap to the top of the zombie genre A-.

Reply
Mindy
8/29/2017 02:16:49 am

Why do you only watch movies with such awful endings, i don't like zombie movies so I'm not a good judge C.

Reply
Sean
8/29/2017 02:17:42 am

By awful ending I'm sure Mindy is referring to the fact that nearly everyone died not critiquing the film making.

Reply
Jon
8/29/2017 10:32:12 pm

I recently watched The Great Wall, and surprisingly enjoyed it for what it was: a jingoistic display of Chinese national values in the vein of Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer. If we get to have dumb fun at the theater, why shouldn't China be able to do the same? In The Great Wall's shadow comes Train to Busan, a product of a South Korean film culture that has put a definitive stamp on cinema over the last 20 years. The psychological horror films of Park Chan-wook and the genre-busting work of Bong Joon-ho coexist next to internal dramas from Lee Chang-dong. I don't think I've ever seen a South Korean film that I didn't at least admire, and I've seen many that I've loved. Then, in walks Train to Busan, the fulfillment of Chris Rock's famous dentist joke. To recap, Rock (we'll call him Bong's Memories of Murder) lives in a cul-de-sac next to Mary J. Blige (Lee's Poetry), Shaq (Park's Oldboy), and a white dentist (any unoriginal, hacky, moderately successful Hollywood film), and Rock wonders when black people won't have to be generational talents to be able to live in a house like his. Train to Busan is South Korea being allowed to make disposable pop entertainment instead of world-beating masterpieces. It is the dentist of South Korean cinema.

Train to Busan never lit up any of the brain centers that fire when I watch a good film. I never connected with the characters, all stock tropes that I felt they were. The action never thrilled, with one exception (tough guy Ma Dong-seok body-slamming a zombie on the ceiling). I didn't buy the emotion thanks to the operatic intensity level that actors played it and the pat lessons offered up by the daughter. The effects were rudimentary and inspired film-killing laughter in more than one instance. Horror films often exist at the level of allegory, and beyond surface-level corporatism, this didn't have deep thoughts. Treating the zombies like canaries who go to sleep when the lights are off felt contrived. Train to Busan repeatedly takes the least-inspired paths, leaving me to think about better zombie films with more going on intellectually and cinematically.

Train to Busan is empty but at least it's inoffensive. The lazy choice isn't necessarily the wrong choice. I do hope that South Korean filmmakers don't learn the wrong lessons and continue to settle for mediocrity, now that it's established movies like this can rake in big bucks. Maybe this is the start of the one-for-them-one-for-me cycle that so many Hollywood directors and actors bank on. If the ones-for-me still include masterpieces like The Handmaiden, then I suppose everything will be fine. Keep South Korean cinema weird! C-

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Cooker
9/15/2017 03:12:49 pm

I’ve never been a fan of zombie movies or shows—except for iZombie and Shaun of the Dead. I definitely have that mentality that if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. However, I did enjoy Train to Busan. I’ve been watching more Korean-made films, and I’m liking what I’m watching.

This wasn’t overly graphic, there were characters I connected with and cared about, and there were plenty of logical conflicts throughout the basic “zombie apocalypse” plot. I do feel that there was maybe one or two conflicts too many, and the film could’ve been trimmed 15 minutes or so, and still have the same effect.

The acting was good. The music was good. And opposed to the other zombie movies I’ve watched, I’ll more than likely actually remember this one. Good pick, solid B+ on this one.

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