OK we've had snakes on planes and we have had Keanu on a bus and now we have Zombies on a train. Yes, its true, but this is no run of the mills b-movie jumbling of creatures together just to get a quick buck off the masses. This movie is an over the top action horror movie of, dare I say, epic proportion, yes it is.
Train to Busan starts slow, but quickly gains traction and does not let go. The story follows business man Seok Woo and his daughter Soo An as they are traveling to meat her mom who lives in another town. Seok is your typical business man and is working all the time, so there is some tension between him and Soo an. Now early on we hear that there is trouble brewing somewhere in town but not to sure if its big enough to worry with. Seok decides that he should travel wit his daughter on the train and this is where the story takes off. I'm not to familiar with Asian cinema, so I don't think I have seen any of these actors before, but that did not stop me. Normally I stay away from subtitles but this was just to good. From the first day I saw the trailer I was hooked and the movie is a continuation of the feeling I got from the trailer. Pure cinematic joy. Its amazing that even in a movie from a country I will probably never visit with a language I do not understand I could enjoy so much. Once on the train our travelers meet Sang Hwa and his very pregnant girl friend Sng Gyeoung. There is also a baseball team traveling on board too. Batter up, zombie movies always need bats.
Now all this starts when one teenage girl sneaks on board the train who has been bitten. And the infection is crazy fast. Some of the best zombie movements I have ever seen on screen. Fast, nasty and fracking scary. When the action takes off it sky rockets and dos not stop. There is a group of core characters that we follow through this nightmare on rails. From our father and daughter to the evil business man (every movie needs one) to the young couple of teenagers. A baseball player and a cheerleader. At least I think she was a cheerleader. This movie moves fast but does not lose its story at all. You never stop caring for these people during it. Which to me is remarkable seeing that I did not understand the dialog and I know reading the subtitles is not always a accurate translation. Once the train reaches its first stop, well the only station they come across safe enough to stop at they stop for a breather, but only for a short while. This where they learn that the trouble is more wide spread than they knew. There are a lot of zombie movies out there and I have probably seen most of them, but they are mostly just zombie movies. Movies about the zombies and not much about the people who have to fight for their lives surviving this apocalypse. Now we do have some exceptions to the rule like The walking Dead and Dawn of the Dead just to name a few, but mainly its a constant revolving door of boom, bite, die. Don't get me wrong, I love some carnage just much as the next guy, but sometimes I want a damn good story and believe and lovable characters and Train to Busan delivers. Just as or heroes think they might have a moment t themselves all hell breaks loose. After a narrow escape from the station everyone gets separated in to different compartments and this makes for a even more tense situations. Now there is a power struggle going on between the srvivors with a basic good vs evil as Eui-sung Kim makes his play to rally what few survivors are left to fortify one care and keep all out. Survivors and the dead. One of the most visually pleasing things in this film is the use of practical effects. I am old school and CGI is fine but there is a art to practical effects that computer can't quite grasp yet. Also the stunt work with the zombies is incredible. The jerky movements and the way these performers jumped and ran literally gave me the creeps. Movements like this have not creeped me out like this since The Ring. I don't want give away to much of the story. I will say this, Train to Busan came out of nowhere and hit me like a, well a train and did not let go. There is pain, scares, emotion and great story telling wrapped in one of the best damn zombie movies I have ever seen, and I cant wait to own it. Also I might have to check ot some of the other these actors appear in. I'm not saying that I've been come a fan of Asian cinema but this movie has opened my eyes to that there is movies other than the ones playing in our neck of the woods. I give Train to Busan a solid 10 out of 10 This movie grabbed me by the neck and didn't let go, not once.
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