Train to Busan
Directed By: Sang-ho Yeon
Grade: A
I love finding a movie where my first thought is, “Eh, I’ll just try it because it’s not really my thing,” and then absolutely loving it. Which pretty much happened with Train to Busan. I flipped it on like I’ll just watch a couple of minutes and catch up on it later cause I have too much to do.
2 hours later I still have too much to do and I’m crying (again) over a zombie movie.
Train to Busan is about a Seok-Wo (Yoo Gong) whose taking his daughter to her mother in Busan when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Unfortunately right before the train takes off an infected person gets on and naturally all hell breaks loose.
I really enjoyed this one. I hate to admit it but I’m not usually a subtitle girl (the movie is South Korean) but it did not make a difference. The action was well-shot and fun and I love my zombies fast and brutal- with immediate turning. You want to feel like the odds are horribly stacked against the living in a zombie movie.
I also liked that there were some truly lovely people in this mess and some true assholes as well. Including one brutal scene where people were turned away because they weren’t deemed safe. I actually liked the back and forth of it and I thought it was very realistic to how people would behave.
Some of the dialogue was a bit corny. But honestly, I let it pass because I was with the movie at that point. Like I said I actually teared up/cried at a couple points in this movie which never happens because it’s a zombie flick. I mostly go in knowing people are going to die or thinking wow, that was stupid I’m glad they died. But not here.
I like to think ahead (and I’m paranoid) so here are my Zombie Travel Survival Tips:
Travel with a sports team. Preferably one with bats or mallets. You know? Things that can crush heads.
Stick with a pregnant woman or cute kid. Which seems rather counter-productive but the pregnant woman is going to be fighting for two and someone will always try to help them.
Travel with the guy above.
Kill the assholes. The true monsters expose themselves pretty damned quickly. (And I’m not talking about the zombies.) Learn how to root them out and get rid of them before they get you killed.
Read the signs. Like if you see police shields, batons and other army paraphernalia scattered and covered in blood with no people around you may want to go in the other direction.
Wear Proper Footwear when traveling. This wasn’t actually a thing in the movie but something I could not help but think. Like you’ve got broken glass and bits of people lying around plus you’re running for your life possibly over rocks possibly have to jump away from train crashes… be smart. Wear proper shoes!
And now I’ve realized I’ve seen zombies on a train and on a plane (World War Z.) Have they been on a cruise?
Recommend: Yes. It’s on Netflix give it a go!