Movie Review: Train To Busan

Release Date:  October 21, 2016

Cast: Yoo Gong, Soo-an Kim, Yu-mi Jeong, Dong-seok Ma, Woo-sik Choi, Sohee, Eui-sung Kim
Director: Sang-ho YeonGenre: Action, Horror, Thriller, ZombieDuration: 1 hour 58 minutes

Real life zombies may still be some years away, but reel life zombies are spreading faster globally. Recently, a RTI (Right to Information) request was filed with the Indian Government, asking authorities about India’s preparedness for a zombie apocalypse. What was even more fun was that a reply was provided by the authorities, terming the query as “too scientific”. This indicates that zombie movies have become hugely popular, not only in USA, but across the globe as well. The latest release in zombie genre is Train to Busan, a South Korean dubbed movie, originally titled‘Busanhaeng’. With its riveting storyline, Train To Busan challenges the usual setup and tricks used in Hollywood zombie movies.

The story begins when Seok Woo (Yoo Gong) and his young daughter Soo-an (Soo-an Kim) board a train to visit Woo’s estranged wife. Their journey turns into a nightmare when an infected person boards the train and starts infecting others, creating a sea of zombies inside the train. Thereupon, it’s Seok Woo’s fight to protect his daughter and save other passengers on the train.

Train To Busan is different from Hollywood zombie movies, as it relies less on computer graphics and mindless gore, and instead, focuses on human relationships and how people react when faced with dreadful circumstances. With the movie shot mostly inside the train, it automatically renders a sense of claustrophobia, which multiplies the horror created by the zombies. This aspect has been captured with great success by the movie’s South Korean writer and director Sang-ho Yeon. Another good thing is that there’s no shaky camerawork here, something that is widely used in Hollywood, but mostly disliked by the audience. It may be time for Hollywood cinematographers to learn something new from their South Korean counterparts.

Train To Busan provides a thrilling experience as well as the added emotional connect with the audience. It’s a must watch for horror fans, especially zombie followers.