In 2016, director Yeon Sang-ho exploded from out of nowhere with the stellar Korean zombie picture Train to Busan. After seeing so many tired incarnations of zombies, it was a breath of fresh air that delivered not only a unique interpretation of the monsters, but also delivered one hell of an emotional punch. Strongly developed characters create an atmosphere that sucks you in so quickly, you feel completely drained when the ride is over. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel since its release and this year, Yeon returned with Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. While it boasts the moniker Train to Busan Presents, it’s a far different film than its predecessor.
Four years have passed since the zombie outbreak in South Korea, Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) is a former soldier who has escaped the wasteland to Hong Kong. He is soon approached by a local gangster with an offer he can’t turn down: return to South Korea with a team he’s putting together and locate a truck filled with millions in cash. The small team of mercenaries enters the country, but once they find the money, the mission becomes far more difficult than they could of imagined. They are soon fighting to stay alive when they realize the undead are only a portion of what they need to worry about.
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The main misconception of Peninsula is that it’s not a sequel. Much like George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978), it’s a brand new story set in the same universe. Secondly, it focuses far more on action and major set pieces than suspense and horror. This is both good and bad. Peninsula is a much bigger film, which means bigger action leading to bigger effects. There are some great vehicle chase scenes with hundreds of zombies being taken out by vehicles in various creative ways. As exciting and inventive as they were, the majority were done using subpar CGI that hastily pulled me from the moment. This happens several times throughout the film. Ultimately, it was a bit distracting.
The story works and is captivating, focusing on greed and how it effects the situation. It’s definitely a theme worth exploring. The characters here aren’t quite as interesting as they were in Busan, but I did quite enjoy Gang Dong-won’s character arc. He’s put through the ringer during the film’s run time and his character evolves quite nicely. The zombies, once again, looked terrific and while I’ve always been a fan of slow-moving zombies, the ferocity with which these attack is pretty crazy. Without giving away too much, my favorite sequence in the film is a game that’s played where humans are thrown in a pit of sorts and forced to fight of the zombies unleashed upon them. While Peninsula is far more flawed than the first, it still manages to capture the audience and well worth going along on the ride.
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula is currently available on VOD and hitting 4K Ultra Combo, Blu-ray, and DVD November 24 from Well Go USA Entertainment.
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