As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
When I came up with my list of the top 13 horror films of 2016, I was so incredibly excited to share my feelings on my number one selection for the year. It, literally, blew me away with it's storytelling, emotional impact, special effects and heart. It had been a while since I'd seen a film take on an over saturated genre and make it new again. That film was, 'Train To Busan'. Not since 2014's, 'Spring', had a horror film moved me with it's depth of emotions. Typically, our beloved genre goes for scares over cares and these two films proved that there was so much more to it than just trying to one up the last movie in how creatively you can kill someone. So, when I heard that there was an animated prequel to 'Train To Busan', I became very excited. Anime has shown itself, time and time again, as a proven medium where you can tell any story imaginable and make it work. No matter how bizarre or how much or how little money you have.... if you can think of it, you can animate it. This made me hopeful for what was to come. There also were so many unanswered questions as to how the outbreak started and what was happening in other parts of Korea, as our main characters were barreling down the tracks on a train filled with the undead. I was hoping that 'Seoul Station' would answer those questions and add another chapter to an already amazing story. Last night, I sat down with my mind racing with the possibilities and fired up what, basically, is the equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon for adults. (And I mean that in the best way possible.)
'Seoul Station' begins with a busy downtown scene, in which an elderly man is wandering the streets, clearly suffering from some sort of injury. Being looked at as merely a homeless man with some kind of bite wound, he's almost entirely ignored by those all around him. He eventually finds his way to a place where others have gathered to find somewhere to sit and rest for awhile. He lays down and is left alone. Before long, another man enters the scene. A rather odd fellow who isn't looked at as much more than a buffoon. He finds the old man and tries to get help for him. At the same time all of this is happening, we're introduced to a young couple who are also struggling, but with their relationship and money issues. As the film goes on, their stories intertwine, as the old man returns from the dead, to begin infecting all of those around him with a zombie virus. It quickly spreads and soon there's an army of the living dead, killing and infecting everyone in their path. Things just go from bad to worse and before long, it's a full fledged outbreak and no one is safe. Without spoiling the ending, all of my fellow Creeps have seen this scenario before and we all know how it will end. Or do we?
There was a lot to really enjoy about this film. Granted, the animation was a bit of a throw back to the older style of anime. A bit stuttered and grainy, but it wasn't without it's charm and the zombies were still quite terrifying. Chattering teeth and all. There were a few pacing issues and the tension could have been raised, by some more full on running, instead of the 'Heavy Metal' style of running. However, there were some legitimately great sequences in 'Seoul Station'. I don't find myself talking back to a movie much these days. I've seen so many and spent much of my life viewing horror film after horror film, but this one had me saying things out loud, to animated characters on the screen. That's the sign of an effective film. The two scenes that stood out the most for me were the ambulance flip scene. In which, two of our main protagonists are involved in an ambulance crash. It was a slow motion shot and was executed as well as any big budget Hollywood fare. The second scene was when the same two protagonists, were trying to escape through the subway tunnels. I won't give away what happened, but you'll know it, when you see the gate and the older woman coming towards them. It was an incredibly effective way to build tension and had me on the edge of my seat. Again, not something that happens much these days. Not too mention the ending. A twist that I never saw coming.
All in all, 'Seoul Station' may not be held in the same high regard as 'Train To Busan' is, but it's a worthy prequel to an amazing masterpiece of modern zombie cinema. It provided us another view on the eve of an oncoming apocalypse. Written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho, who also has the same credits for 'Train To Busan', he's proven that he can not only tell an effective story in animation.... but in real life as well. I'm excited to see what the future holds from him. This film may have some faults, but no film is truly perfect and when you compare it to the constant birage of other zombie films being produced right now, it's still head and shoulders above most of them. The main characters are well drawn out and the story, although very simple in scope, has a lot of complexities and not so subtle social commentary attached to it. My feelings are that this is a 4 out of 5 star film, whether it was animated or not. I do think that the animation was a better medium in which to tell this particular story, but that's just my opinion. In America, we don't see too many franchises that take this route to deliver a gripping story. The only other example I can think of, is 'The Matrix' and 'The Animatrix'. I'm hoping that we see more of this in the future, as it opens up a lot of doorways to tell a story in creative and new ways. At the end of the day, I would recommend both of these films, as a double feature. If you think you've seen all that the horror world has to offer, in terms of the zombie genre, then you might just end up being pleasantly surprised.
Here's a link to the film's pre-order page at iTunes, it will be available exclusively in the U.S. tomorrow, May 30th, and worth every frame!
If you enjoy this film, check out some other original zombie tales: 'The Battery', 'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead' and 'Burying the Ex'
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