Review by Diego

Train to Busan 2016

Oh yeah! South Korea is back on the zombie map once again with another overly impressive feature. This time it is "Train to Busan" (aka "Busanhaeng"). And I dare say that with this 2016 movie then director Sang-ho Yeon really solidly places South Korea on the zombie world map definitively.

And although most of the entire movie takes place on a train from Seoul bound for Busan, then that is not really a hindrance to the enjoyment of the movie, because there is so much action and thrills to be had along the way that you forget that it only takes place on a train. But having the movie taking place on a train does also add some sense of claustrophobia and limiting the options of the protagonists.

The story told in "Train to Busan" is about Seok Woo (played by Yoo Gong) a fairly neglectful father whom is traveling to Busan with his daughter Soo-an (played by Soo-an Kim). A deadly outbreak of infection spreads on the train, turning people into ravenous zombies hungry for human flesh, trapping the people aboard the train with nowhere to run.

There is not really a dull moment throughout the course of this movie, and it does kick up into a high gear early on, and the movie keeps that pace all the way to the end. And that is really an accomplishment for director Sang-ho Yeon.

The acting in "Train to Busan" is quite good, and it is good to see Yoo Gong in a movie such as this. But I must admit that I was more than impressed with the talents of child actress Soo-an Kim. She was really amazingly talented, and I think that she will go on to have an impressive career in acting.

The effects in the movie were quite good, with just the right amount of gore and mayhem without it crossing into the gorefest territory. So this movie will appeal to a wide audience of fans of the zombie genre.

"Train to Busan" had initially slipped under my radar and I wasn't aware of the movie, before someone actually asked me whether or not I was aware that this was a zombie movie. So with that information, I immediately sought out the movie, and there is no regret here at all, because I was more than genuinely entertained and more than impressed with the final result of the movie.

I can strongly recommend that you sit down to watch "Train to Busan" if you are a zombie aficionado like me. South Korea is making a lasting dent on the zombie world map, and if this is the level of future zombie movies from South Korea, then count me in for the long run.

"Train to Busan" scores a solid eight out of ten stars rating from me; no doubt about it.

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