‘Train to Busan’ – Just another Korean flick, or a masterpiece?

“Train to Busan” Theatrical Poster

Although it has been released in South Korea since July, Train to Busan has now got a release date for this side of the world and is due to come out in the UK on October 28^th.

It was a real favourite at the Cannes Film Festival back in July so what makes this South Korean horror stand out from all the rest? Let’s dig in a little more and find out:

So, what is it all about?

Part of the plot is given away in the title, but effectively, this is the story of a couple of passengers on the high speed KTX train from Seoul to Busan. Without spoiling too much of the plot, what happens next is the train gets over run by zombies, who kill several of the train’s personnel, as well as some of the passengers.

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As the zombie-ridden train continues its rapid approach into Busan, the passengers literally have to fight to survive, in an epic struggle for their lives.

What sets this zombie flick apart from the others?

One could not be blamed for asking this question, given the sheer volume of zombie movies, TV shows and video games there is out at the minute. There are so many that it almost feels like the market has been saturated with zombie content over the past few years.

What sets this one aside is the location for the plot. Having a moving train that’s packed with deadly zombies that have intent to injure, maim and kill is different to any thing that we’ve seen in the past.

Also, these are not just your run of the mill, slow, ambling zombies – these guys pile over one another desperate for the kill, and they move super fast. A side note that’s worth noticing is not one single zombie is shot in the movie, a rarity of sorts for the genre, meaning that the passengers have come up with other inventive methods of eradication. I’ll say no more!

So, it’s worth seeing then?

Basically, yes. This is the kind of movie you would hope to see when setting out to watch a really good zombie movie. It’s filled with action, the zombie special effects and make up are incredible, and it avoids the clichéd American fallbacks like injection of humour to the situation, and all the gun play.

At 1 hr. and 58 minutes long, it is not overly long, and you won’t find yourself wishing the credits would roll. If you’re into this type of genre, this is one you will not regret seeing. Many are calling it the best zombie movie ever so the directors and cast have done something right to win those votes.

For more on the Train to Busan, don’t forget to read Paul Bramhall’s earlier coverage.