Yeon Sang-ho’s exhilarating zombie horror ‘Train to Busan’ and its post-apocalyptic sequel ‘Peninsula’ have been given vibrant 4K UHD re-releases this week from StudioCanal. Although disappointingly light on special features—the decision not to include ‘Seoul Station’ on either release is extremely poor—the sharpened image, rich in colour and clarity, and enhanced audio tracks make this a substantial upgrade on the previous Blu-ray.
Released in 2016, ‘Train to Busan’ was a shot in the arm for the zombie genre. A ferociously lean and propulsive survival horror based on the most perfect high concept: zombies on a train. The film follows workaholic dad Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) and his adorable daughter Soo-ahn (Kim Su-an) as they board a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan, where Soo-ahn’s mother lives. When an infected passenger also boards the train, so begins a carnival of throat-ripping carnage, as carriage by carriage, the train is turned into a hell-scape of feral undead.
Unlike the lumbering zombies of Romero’s movies, these infected follow the modern trend of being contorted, frenzied, jaw-snapping beasts who run at full pelt, and clamber over each other for the nearest mouthful of human flesh. It makes for a truly visceral and adrenaline pumping experience. There’s a real graphic novel sensibility to the imagery of these hordes of undead barrelling down the narrow confines of a train, and ripping people to shreds.
In the middle of all this is the ensemble cast of survivors who have barricaded themselves at the far end of the train. True to the zombie movie playbook, they represent a microcosm of society, and Yeon Sang-ho deftly employs the conventions of the genre for the purposes of some biting social commentary. South Korea’s political and economic modernisation is the primary target, with the rabid culture of individualism, and erosion of community it has created. Fear and distrust. Solidarity and social cohesion. Class division and economic inequality. This thematic weight filters through the high-octane horror, making it more than just a thrilling bloodbath. Like all the best zombie movies, this really has something to say.
The relentless pace of the film means it doesn’t quite have the sense of dread and terror that the true greats of the genre have. However, what it lacks in scares it makes up for in tension, incredible set pieces, and an emotional clout that will leave you on the floor. The gripping and heartfelt final few scenes could wring tears from the undead.
After the triumph of ‘Train to Busan’ expectations for its sequel, ‘Peninsula’ were sky-high. Unfortunately, this follow-up derails in fairly lacklustre fashion, delivering a mix of tired tropes and uninspired storytelling that fail to capture the raw intensity of its predecessor. Set four years after the harrowing events aboard that fateful train, ‘Peninsula’ follows former soldier Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) as he returns to a quarantined Korean peninsula on a high-stakes mission to retrieve a truckload of cash.
Director Yeon Sang-ho returns, and this time his focus is on displacement, refugees, greed, and war profiteering. However, the once nuanced social commentary is replaced with heavy-handed messages and a glaring lack of subtlety. The rogue militia group Unit 631, who control the peninsula with cartoonish villainy, feels more at home in a post-apocalyptic video game than a film striving for any semblance of emotional depth.
There are attempts to shoehorn in the emotional heft of the first one, through Jung-seok’s encounters with a family of survivors, however this doesn’t have the characters or elegant writing of ‘Train to Busan’. What it does have however, is lots and lots of non-stop apocalyptic action. Some of this is okay, and has a frenetic energy that is engaging, but there’s also a lot of very sketchy VFX that lend much of the film a video game aesthetic.
The final act sees the film turn into Mad Max Zombie Road, for a chaotic car chase through the infested wasteland of Incheon. However, your enjoyment of this will be determined by your predilection towards the aforementioned video game level imagery. Whilst it’s fun and fast and thrilling, there’s a pixelated weightlessness to it which makes it all feel kind of empty.
Both of the films come with very basic special features. Just a short press kit featurette on each, ported over from previous discs.
‘Train to Busan’ – 4 stars
‘Peninsula’ – 2 stars
Cast: Gong Yoo, Kim Su-an, Ma Dong-seok, Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun Director: Yeon Sang-ho Writer: Yeon Sang-ho, Park Joo-suk, Ryu Yong-jae Released By: StudioCanal UK Certificate: 15 Duration: 118 / 115 mins Release Date: 27th May 2024
