I don’t think it is too much of an exaggeration to call Train to Busan a modern horror classic. Writer-director Yeon Sang-ho and co-writer Park Joo-Suk brought new life to the increasingly tired subgenre of the zombie horror film by setting their infected masses loose on a train. The film combines the frightening, fast-moving monsters of 28 Days Later (as opposed to the traditionally shambling undead) with the sheer novelty value of Snakes on a Plane (zombies on a train, y’all!) and adds a dash of Snowpiercer’s class warfare (not to mention its setting) to create something unique, terrifying and fun. That Train to Busan was director Yeon’s first live-action feature — his animated zombie film Seoul Station serves as a prequel — only adds to the accomplishment.
Naturally, as with so many successful films, there was a desire to replicate that success. Now, four years later, Yeon and Park have brought us back to South Korea to face the undead once more in Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. Essentially a standalone film — after all, [SPOILER ALERT] the vast majority of the first installment’s cast met unpleasant ends – Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula follows a small team of refugees as they return to the Korean peninsula to steal a truck full of cash and encounter far more than they bargained for. Much more in the adrenaline-fueled, post-apocalyptic vein of Mad Max than your average zombie film, it’s a solid sequel to the original, albeit lacking the earlier film’s emotional heft.
Return to the Wasteland
The film wastes no time in launching us into the midst of horrifyingly claustrophobic tragedy on a rescue boat fleeing the Korean peninsula during the height of the outbreak. Our hero, Marine Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), and his brother-in-law, Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon), manage to escape, but others in their family are not so lucky. Four years later, the two of them are leading jaded, lonely lives as refugees in Hong Kong when they are roped into a dangerous quest: along with two other Koreans, they must sneak back into the country and steal an abandoned truck carrying $20 million in U.S. dollars. If they succeed, the Hongkongers who are sending them on the quest will split the cash with them.
Naturally, things do not go smoothly. Armed with an arsenal of weapons and two satellite phones — to be used to contact the Hongkongers when they have the truck so that they can be picked up by boat — the four Koreans land in the dead of night, hoping that the undead’s poor night vision will protect them. Unfortunately, some noisy mishaps not only catch the attention of the zombie hordes but also some living, breathing humans who may be just as dangerous, if not more so. Known as Unit 631, they are a rogue military unit who were sent to Korea on a rescue mission and ended up staying behind to rule over the desolation. Vicious and insane, they have a penchant for doing things like capturing “wild dogs” — uninfected humans — and throwing them into a Thunderdome full of the undead for sport. Needless to say, when Unit 631 discover the truck of money — not to mention the group’s escape plan — they aren’t keen on letting them go.
Monster Mash
Like so many other post-apocalyptic thrillers, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula proposes that humans and the deeply selfish lengths they’ll go to for their own personal survival actually post the greatest threat to other humans in such a scenario; indeed, the hordes of undead are almost incidental to Jung-seok’s battle against the brutes of Unit 631. And battle they do, mostly inside a series of souped-up armored cars straight out of Mad Max: Fury Road. Indeed, in many ways, this film feels more like a fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise than a sequel to Train to Busan. If you’re a fan of violent, frantic car chases that happen to also smash up tons of undead monsters, you’ll be entertained as I was, especially during the wild 20-minute sequence that makes up the film’s climax. But those hoping for more of a focus on individual battles against zombies in the style of Train to Busan may be disappointed.
In his attempt to grab the cash and escape, Jung-seok is aided by a woman named Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun) and her two precocious daughters: teenager Joon (Lee Re) is a skilled driver, while little Yu-jin (Lee Ye-won) has turned a bunch of remote-control cars into effective tools for distracting zombies. Yet unlike the original Train to Busan, which quickly and effectively provided audiences with enough background on each of its main characters to make it easy to root for them, it’s hard to be emotionally invested in the majority of the people populating the peninsula this time around. Jung-seok is by far the most engaging; driven by guilt over his inability to save his family, he sees Min-jung and her daughters as a chance for redemption. And, as a former Marine Captain, he has an unrivaled talent for ass-kicking. When he isn’t on screen, the film is vastly less interesting.
As noted, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula takes place primarily at night, but fortunately, Lee Hyung-deok’s cinematography is not so murky that one cannot tell what is going on — an all-too-easy trap that many creature-driven films fall into. (The use of flares and spotlights during the battles between the humans, in an attempt to draw the zombies’ attention to their foes, was much appreciated by my weak eyesight.) The electronic score provided by Mowg, who also lent his uniquely haunting sounds to Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, helps keep the adrenaline ramped up throughout, even if the film does start to sag under the weight of its nearly two-hour running time before the epic final chase sequence kicks in. With an ending just as open as the original, the door has been left open for another installment to the saga — perhaps involving North Korea, the one place on the peninsula that is apparently shut off from the zombie outbreak? Whatever happens, I for one will be ready and waiting for it.
Conclusion
Like the vast majority of sequels before it, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula does not reach the heights of its predecessor, but it’s still a satisfying summer diversion.
What do you think? Are you a fan of Train to Busan? Are you interested in this sequel? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula will be released in the U.S. on August 21, 2020. You can find more international release dates here.
Watch Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula
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