I guess pretty much everyone that loves movies knows that there are certain genres that have so many films in them, that it is hard to find something that stands out or is original. Take superheroes for instance. While the Marvel movies are still highly entertaining, I have to admit that the formula for these films is starting to get a little bit predictable. Supposedly the new Wonderwoman movie is a fresh wind (Yes I know this is a DC movie) and tries to do things in a different way. I will see that for myself in the coming weekend, when I will finally be able to see it in the theatre. Another moviegenre that has become highly saturated is the zombiefilm. But just when you think that you have seen everything, there comes a film that is so incredibly good, that you start to believe that luckily there is still originality left. And I am not talking about a Hollywood movie either. No, I am talking about a zombiemovie made in Korea, a country nor really known for making these kind of films. So all aboard? Then lets get started with the review shall we?
Seok-woo is a fund manager that takes his work very seriously. He is divorced and is taking care of his young daughter Soo-an. Because of his work though, he at times neglects his daughter, and for instance forgot about her singing recital. Soo-an’s birthday is coming up soon, and she wants him to take her to Busan to see her mother. At first Seok-woo declines, but feeling guilty about missing her recital, he eventually changes his mind and decides to take her anyway. Soon they board the train that is going to take the two of them to Busan. But when a strange woman enters the train at the last possible second, things take a horrible turn for the worse. The woman is infected with something that has turned her into a bloodthirsty zombie. Soon other people on the train become infected, and not before long everything slow starts to go straight to hell. For Seok-woo and his daughter Soo-an, the ride becomes a struggle for survival. Together with a few other passengers they are in for the fight of their lives…..
To say that this is just another horrormovie would be a grave injustice. Because this movie is so much more. One of the best things in this movie are it’s characters. Seok-woo played by Gong Yoo is a character who is not without it’s flaws, but that is what is making him so human. The role of his daughter, played by child actress Kim Su-an is the one that impressed me the most. For a child so young to be able to conjure up this much emotion and act so believable is a feat that few actors are able to achieve. She pulls it off though and then some. But the rest of the cast is equally good, most notably Jung Yu-mi who plays a pregnant wife, and Ma Dong-seok who plays her husband. Each and every character in this film has his or her own story, and that is why you really care about what happens to them, something that is very crucial in a movie such as this.
This movie doesn’t waste any time in cranking up the tension. Right from the start the film is a rollercoaster ride, that doesn’t let up for one second. Action and horror lovers alike will get their fill, as there are plenty of scenes that will satisfy fans of both these genres. This being a zombie movie there is ofcourse some blood, but it doesn’t get incredibly gory like for instance in The Walking Dead. This movie is more about creating a tense and creepy atmosphere than spilling buckets of blood. But the main reason this movie works so well is the underlying story. It really shows what some people become if something like this were to happen for real. Some of them become brave, others cowards and still others just plain and simple very evil. And that’s what made this movie such a fascinating watch.
As most of you that have been following my blog for a while now know, I am an enormous lover of Asian cinema, especially Korean films. Having seen quite a few of them I can honestly say that this movie is the best Korean movie that I have seen to date. With terrific and at times heartbreaking acting, a great story and equally fantastic action scenes and special effects, this movie is one you can’t afford to miss. If you love The Walking Dead, horror and action movies I highly recommend checking this movie out. Especially if you want to see a different kind of zombiefilm. It may not be the best zombiemovie ever made, but it comes pretty darn close.
I give Train to Busan a 10 out of 10 score.
I love this movie 💓 The only problem is that I don’t know where the virus started or how zombies began in the film. The ending was heartbreaking and I cried a lot. I also rate this movie 10/10 ❤️
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Cool, that you loved this movie as well, and rate it the same. I don’t know if you might know this, but there is an animated prequel for this movie called Seoul Station. I don’t know if the answer is in there ( I haven’t seen it myself yet), but it just might answer a few questions. If you are interested here is a link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/xYoAaetRUKQ
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My mother and sister already watched Seoul Station but they told me that the explanation is not there. Hahaha!
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Ooh….that is disappointing. Oh well, maybe one day we will get a sequel that will explain things, you never know 😊
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I may be over-generalizing but I always find that Korean child actors are great at acting especially with the ability to let out raw emotion. You never see that in Hollywood which may be on purpose. Anyways I’ll definitely give this film a watch.
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There are some hood Hollywood child actors out there, but I agree I don’t think I have ever seen the amount of emotion displayed on film by such a young child in acting. Which made it only more believable 😊 Cool, I hope you will enjoy the movie as much as I did 😀
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I have been wanting to see this film for a while now. The concept is brilliant and I like the fact, as mentioned, that not everyone becomes a hero. Guess I better see if its on Amazon…
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Definitely is worth it to track it down. It is pretty popular movie, so it would not surprise me if it was on Amazon. I hope you will enjoy it 😀
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I tracked it down, and it was great. I was having a nosey at some of the other comments regarding not knowing how the outbreak started. *Spoilers ahead* There are a few hints in the film which I spotted, and fan theories seem to echo them. In the opening scene there is mention of a leak at a biotech plant, the implication being it came from there. Also when the main guy speaks to his analyst, his analyst, in tears says it all started at such and such a plant – which was one of the things they sold earlier, implication being the fund had bought the plant , run it it above capacity without adequate safety to sell it on and as a result whatevever biomolecule they were working on escaped into the general population. Even if none of that is true, however, it doesn’t matter as the purpose of the story wasn’t to determine how or why, simply to determine what would happen on a train if there was an outbreak (A classic plot, what happens to people when civilisation falls). A very enjoyable film and there were quite a few moments of catharsis
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Yes, you are quite right. There were a couple of hints thrown at the audience, but nothing that gave a real answer. Honestly I don’t mind not having the answer to that question either. The Walking Dead also has never given any answers as to how or why it started (not even in the prequel series), and that so far hasn’t been a problem either.
But your theory is definitely sound, and I do think that is the most likely thing that has happened.
I’m glad you were able to find the film abd enjoyed it too. It’s definitely a movie I plan on seeing a few times more in the future 😊
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Same. It was on amazon video so I bought it and have no regrets. There was one theory that the film was actually a weapon employed by capitalists to Dumb down the masses by presenting a stories with no real origin, and forcing us to accept without question. I would love to see the inside of that person’s head…thinking on it most zombie films that I can think of don’t explain anything
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Yay! Glad you finally got to see this movie and that you loved. I agree, it’s also the best Korean movie I have seen. I’m hard to please when it comes to movies in general since I have a hard time getting into them because of the short duration, but Train to Busan is everything I love in a movie and completely nailed it 🙂
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It was the movie that I had been looking forward to the most when travelling to the con, and I am really glad it did not disappoint. Great acting, characters and a terrific story made this movie what it was. It is a film that I will definitely see more than once 😊
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It really is a terrific movie. I’ve watched it multiple times. I even bought it, and I rarely buy movies. Even got a few people to watch it, and everyone has loved it so far 🙂
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yay you liked it!! 😀 and agree with all your points, i really liked all the characters and their actions, a lot of times they were heartbreaking because how could they do something like that? but thinking about the situation and wanting to survive, who wouldn’t? i was really sad at the end (the dad)
also if you liked this one (and idk if you’ve watched it yet or not) i say check out The Flu. I really liked that movie and it’s similar in that there’s some virus going around and a child, a “father” and mom
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Yes, that is what I like about Korean movies…most of the time they don’t all have a happy ending (or at least not everyone survives). But the end for this one was truly heartbreaking and pretty unexpected.
I have heard of The Flu, but I have not yet seen it. Will try abd track it down. Thanks for your recommendation 😀
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I Saw the Devil is my favourite Korean movie, but Train to Busan comes close. My thoughts echo yours. It is just so intense and unexpectedly emotional! I also enjoyed how the movie plays close attention to characterisation, which is rare in zombie/horror stories. Great review, as always! 😊
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I saw the Devil is now my number two favorite Korean movie, right after this one. I loved that film as well (even though it was extremely graphic and violent). The acting in that film was superb, and I loved the story for it. It’s been a while since I last saw it, but it was great 😊
Yes, that is the biggest thing that stood out for me in this movie, the characters. Completely agree that’s very rare in a movie such as this. Thank you for the kind words again, always appreciate it 😊
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Thanks for the recommendation. Will definitely check this out. 😊🍿
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Stuck in a running train with zombies of all things? Wow…fun 😐
Kinda makes you wonder which part of your daily life you’d be stuck in if a zombie outbreak happens. (Let it never happen). Anyhow, this sounds like a great movie and that comment you made about this situation changing people seems interesting. It’s always engaging when media explores how people react to extreme situations.
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Hmmm…seeing as my life usually revolves around three things it could either be stuck at work, stuck at home, or stuck on a train bound for the city of Utrecht. Maybe that last one will be material for the sequel lol 😂
But yes that’s one of the things this movie really does well, and it’s what makes it stand out from your normal zombiemovies 😊 If you get to see it one dat, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did 😊
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It was on January 3rd 2017 that I reviewed this and I remember ( and I quote) you saying ” I love zombie movies and asian movies..so this is one I have been looking forward to for a long time”. And now you finally got to review it for yourself 🙂
I’m really pleased to know you love it too, it really is a refreshing take on a zombie movie which I longed for a unique ness such as this. I loved the slow but highly entertaining character’s conversation on the train before the action had begun. As I mentioned on my site, the two elderly sisters, one saying “don’t eat too much boiled egg, you’ll be passing gas”. It’s what makes such asian dramas so entertaining to view as much as it was reading this greatly written review. It was really nice to read your perspective on it from the other side of the carriage. Time to batter up!
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Aww, thank you for these kind words, and the memory of your own review. It took me five months but finally I have been able to see it lol. Well, I was really happy the movie was shown on the animecon, else I would have to wait until the 27th of July, where it gets released on dvd here (and that is why I really dislike Holland..everything comes out so slow here). But as for the movie, it was utterly amazing and well worth the wait.
Ps..I really like these wordplays you keep doing 😂
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I’d say slow and steady wins the race but slow and impatient..well not so much. But you have won the battle once more heh. I normally use amazon to purchase foreign movies, if you have that or similar. But yes it can be a long wait for moi with some too. Sometimes streaming on certain apps are available but not for the ones I want to view at most. Thank you. It’s something I’ve always had in me in writing heh and it has to be said. 🙂
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I really liked this movie, although the time it took for the virus to react for some ppl annoyed me. Some happened instantaneously while others took time. Consistency would have been nice. Overall it was a 8/10 for me. The dad and the pregnant woman’s husband was what sold it. Great characters.
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Have to agree with you on that part. That was a little bit inconsistent. On the other habd, it does seem to,happen in other zombiefilms/series as well. The Walking Dead for instance also has people turning faster than others. Maybe some people are more resistant 😊 But yeah the characters were definitely terrific. Glad you enjoyed the movie as well 😀
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I’ve always felt curious about this film. I have heard a lot of positive reviews about this film. Reading your review makes me want to watch this film even more. Great review as always 🙂
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You really enjoyed this movie I can see. It’s getting a ton of buzz.
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Absolutely! It was a really terrific movie, and if you like horror it is well worth checking out, highly recommend this one 😀
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Horror is my favourite genre. So it’s a hell yes to seeing this.
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Cool, when you have seen it, I would live to hear your opinion on it. I hope you will enjoy it 😀
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You’ll be the first to know my thoughts. And I wanted to also say thanks for your support on both my blogs. Both are going swimmingly at the moment, on the naughty one I just did a Q&A if you’re interested.
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Your welcome, but that goes both ways. Thank for your continued support as well. You are a great friend 😊
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I’m glad to follow your blog, it’s fabulous. Here’s that Q&A. https://bunsareallthatyourequire.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/sexy-qa/
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Oh woah! 10/10 ! I can’t wait to see it. Thanks for the awesome review 😀 :D!
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You are welcome, I hope you will enjoy the film when you get the chance to see it, and thank you for the kind words: appreciate it 😊
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I just loved it. One of the best film about zombies for sure, where zombies, in fact, are a background.
By the way, did you write something about Korean cinema? Can you give me a link?
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Train to Busan was absolutely terrific. A great film and even people who usually don’t like zombiefilms (like my father for instance), enjoyed this movie.
As for your question, I wrote a couple of reviews for Korean films as well as Korean dramas. This last category can be found easily in my menu for tv series (Korean dramas). As for movies here are two links, https://raistlin0903.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/a-company-man-korean-movie-2012/, and https://raistlin0903.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/pandora-korean-movie-2016/
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Well, maybe because zombies were not really scary (luckily!!!), rather pitiful. People were scary.
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Just returning to this post – discovered Seoul Station on Amazon prime, which I understand to be the prequel to this movie. Thought that might be of interest
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Thanks for the info 😊I haven’t yet been able to watch it, bought it in dvd at the same time as Train to Busan. Hopefully I can find some time for this soon, and do a review for it 😀
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I am with you 100% on this film, Michel!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you so much Pete! I was completely erm onboard (pun intended) with your review as well 😊
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I just discovered that you did a post on Train to Busan in 2017. I too, had did a double movie feature on the same, which I think you have read too. I totally agree with everything you mentioned in this post, and as usual great work. But let me say this, one thing I absolutely enjoy reading in your posts are the little captions you give to the images. It’s really funny and really nice! Keep it up!
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Aww, thanks! That is so sweet of you to say, really appreciate it 😊
Train to Busan really was amazing. I had an absolute blast watching this, and to date it’s my alltime favorite Korean film. It doesn’t get any better than this.
As for the captions, well, I always think they are the hardest to do really. But it’s always fun to think them up (Some of them work, some don’t lol😂).
Thank again for this very kind comment! 😊😊
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Haha yeah this is one of my favorites too although I do love Werewolf boy and all too! I will be waiting to read more of your posts (and captions)!
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