Train To Busan - Review

Train to Busan follows Seok Woo, a workaholic who is going through a divorce but has to look after his daughter. When the daughter decides she wants to visit her mother in Busan, the two have to board a train whilst, unbeknownst to them, a deadly virus is spreading across the country as a result of a nuclear leak. The virus eventually finds its way to the train and the violence commences. The small space of the train allows for some pretty tense scenes in which people are cramming themselves down aisles whilst zombies are literally lead to their victims. It is these scenes where the concept can really be commended; many of them have literally no way out, and this means that the fate of all character is up for grabs. Although Seok Woo is the intended protagonist, another character stole the show for me. Sang Hwa, a butch soon-to-be father hell bent on protecting his pregnant wife from the ferocious zombies saves the day on numerous occasions, taking the moral high ground whilst also being a complete badass. There masculinity battle between these two makes for some rather cheesy exchanges, but the stock characters and over played emotion, typical of Korean cinema, add to the film’s charm. There’s even a corporate sell-out who manages to snake his way out of every situation throughout the entire film, and it was these several layers of tension that made the film so enjoyable. You were rooting for the good guys whilst also scared of the zombies meanwhile dying to watch that one guy get ripped apart. Consequently, Train to Busan is no way subtle. The conclusion offers a corny comment on wider society, asking you to question who the real monsters are. It’s certainly not the most thought-provoking film you’ll ever see, but we’re all fed up of storylines about possession and slashers that do the same thing we’ve seen before. Train to Busan is a breath of fresh air if nothing else, that I would highly recommend.