Well Go USA
I was late to the Train to Busan hype. The Korean zombie film was released in 2016 and immediately drew attention that many people considered to be one of the best zombie movies of all time. Before watching the new sequel, Peninsula, I decided to check out Train to Busan and now I understand why so many people love it but unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about Peninsula.
Four years after the events of Train to Busan, a solider is sent to retrieve a truckload of money from the wastelands of the Korean Peninsula. The area is inhabited by zombies and a rogue militia. Train to Busan was a much smaller film in a world starting to be overrun by zombies. Peninsula expands the world that was set up in the first film, which is how I felt about the Raid films. The first Raid film was a contained action film set inside a housing complex, but the second film was far from that, which is how Peninsula is.
Everything that set Train to Busan apart from the average zombie film is absent in Peninsula. Train to Busan offered plenty of gore in a contained setting but had a lot of heart. The father daughter relationship that was presented in the film gave it an emotional connection. Several characters are introduced in this film and I couldn’t resonate with any of them. Hardly any emotion or character development is given to soldiers or families trying to protect themselves.
Our protagonist, Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) has a less compelling story than Gong Yoo’s character in Train to Busan. In the beginning of the film he turned down a family in need of help as he was driving his sister, her husband, and their child to a ship leaving South Korea. Aboard the ship, his nephew is attacked by a zombie inside a cabin and he decides to leave him and his sister behind and stops his brother-in-law from entering. Gang Dong-won handles the character well, especially during the moments where Jung-seok is experiencing guilt for not saving his family and ignoring a family in need.
Once again, Peninsula was directed with care. The action scenes involving the zombies were edited with hardly any cuts which allowed for the intensity to flow throughout the scenes. They are still as nail biting and bloody as the first film, which made me happy. A lot has changed over four years since the last film took place and people in the new film now use zombies as a form of entertainment. There is a thrilling scene in the middle half of the movie involving some of the soldiers being taken and pitted against zombies in a cage for the amusement of others. The zombies still run fast, and attack quickly and even form huge piles to intimidate people they are attacking. People’s initial reaction to zombies in the first film was to be fearful, but they have adapted since then and are more prepared to fight them.
Director Yeon Sang-ho takes the film to the extreme and brings in international characters. There is an American scientist explaining South Korea’s lockdown and a few English-speaking characters throughout. Sang-ho doesn’t fully make this film a sequel, rather it’s a story told in the universe set up in the first film. A lot of the moments feel over the top with car chases, big explosions, and bright outfits to make the film visually appealing.
Peninsula isn’t as strong as Train to Busan, but at least the film is still bloody and intense. It does feel like an average zombie film, which is unfortunate since I was looking for something compelling compared to the first film. It’s a mindless action film at times with a thin story and weak characters, but it’s still worth a watch.
Peninsula has a run time of 1 hour 56 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violent content, some disturbing/bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material.
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