I was wondering about this movie. Korea has been making a lot of great films in the last several years. The Host is a great fun to watch monster movie. Musa and War of the Arrows are two of my favorite period pieces.
Posts: 1755 | Location: El Paso, Texas | Registered: January 05, 2009
I've so burned out on the whole tired zombie trend, but Train to Busan was a well made take on the genre. To be fair, they're more like the infected 28 Days Later citizens, that instantly turn and run full tilt after people, as opposed to shambling corpses that eat bodies.
The film definitely has the pacing, momentum, dark humor, and quirky characters that I think is sorely lacking on TV's The Walking Dead. I even thought it was cool how, since it was a Korean production, they managed to fit in their typical ubiquitous repressed familial angst, strained emotional relationships, and heart-wrenching screaming-through-tears scenes so effortlessly. Yes, I can safely say that this was the best Korean zombie film I've ever seen...
When I saw it in the theater, there was a point when the projector broke down. The main characters are readying up to combat their way through 4 train cars full of infected people to get to their loved ones trapped in a bathroom. As they prepare to open the train door, the whole theater went dark. It was like the most perfectly intense point for a film to crap out. I was pretty amused at the timing. It was only about a 20-minute delay before things were back online.
I also saw an animated prequel to Train to Busan called Seoul Station. It details the initial outbreak of the virus. The deal is that it starts infecting the homeless around the train station, but since the homeless are frequently disheveled looking, ill, and mentally unbalanced, you can't tell if they're a zombie or not. It's animated well, but I thought the pacing was a little choppier than Busan.
Posts: 5583 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA | Registered: April 11, 2001
Originally posted by LastCubScout: The film definitely has the pacing, momentum, dark humor, and quirky characters that I think is sorely lacking on TV's The Walking Dead.
TWD has definitely felt lacking lately. But to be fair, it's a lot easier to keep that up for 1 two hour-long film than it is for 99 one hour-long episodes...
Originally posted by RogueJSK: TWD has definitely felt lacking lately. But to be fair, it's a lot easier to keep that up for 1 two hour-long film than it is for 99 one hour-long episodes.
I think TWD has just gone on too long. Breaking Bad did it right. 5 seasons of sharp writing, quirky characters, dark gallows humor, a buildup to legitimately badass finale scenes, and then bow out gracefully. Done! End! And then, if TWD wanted to continue storytelling, they could create a spinoff like BB did, like Better Call Daryl...
But, we're at the point in the zombie genre where even the Master himself, George Romero, can't even tell a decent zombie story in movie length anymore. (*COUGH*) Diary/Survival of the Dead... However, not to sidetrack this thread too much, I'll post the Train to Busan trailer.
Posts: 5583 | Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA | Registered: April 11, 2001
Just watched it on Amazon Prime. Thought it was very well done and enjoyed it. Noticed that there was a sequel that was just released this year titled Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. I haven't watched it yet but it is available for rent on Prime. Here is the trailer.
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______________________________ "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
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Posts: 881 | Location: NW PA | Registered: October 01, 2002
-- Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. --
Posts: 17269 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: October 14, 2005
There's a very similar Korean zombie film on Netflix called "#Alive". It just takes places in an apartment complex instead of a train, and isn't quite as good as Train To Busan.
I am thankful that this thread was revived, just watched it and it is an outstanding movie.
"I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared." Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 1538 | Location: Hartford, AL | Registered: April 05, 2007
Just finished the animated prequel. Not bad. Decent twist in the end.
________________________________________
-- Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. --
Posts: 17269 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: October 14, 2005
Originally posted by flesheatingvirus: Just finished the animated prequel. Not bad. Decent twist in the end.
Just finished it myself. Really, really bleak. Decent enough but I liked Train to Busan better.
"I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared." Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 1538 | Location: Hartford, AL | Registered: April 05, 2007
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mr_Black: Just watched it on Amazon Prime. Thought it was very well done and enjoyed it. Noticed that there was a sequel that was just released this year titled Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. I haven't watched it yet but it is available for rent on Prime. Here is the trailer.
I watched this one, I enjoyed it. The first one is the better of the two. Korea has been making some great movies over the last few decades.
Posts: 1755 | Location: El Paso, Texas | Registered: January 05, 2009
