Review: Train To Busan Excels At Making The Ordinary So Much More
- May 19, 2017
- 2 min read
Train To Busan does nothing original. Nothing within it is new or innovative and yet, despite being a by the numbers zombie film, it does everything so well that it surpasses so many that came before it.
A father and daughter get board a train, taking a birthday trip to see his wife and her mother. But when passengers begin behaving erratically, biting and tearing at those around them, what was once a quiet trip rapidly descends into a blood soaked fight for survival.
As I said before, Train To Busan doesn't have an original bone in its body. Well, that isn't entirely true but for the most part it is. The characters are the archetypes one might expect, the hero, the coward, the crazy, the zombies are, well, zombies. They bite you and after a bit you become one of them. The government tries to pass it off as riots, you know the deal. But put all that on a train with some genuinely good actors and a solid director and you've got yourself what might be the best zombie movie wince 28 Days Later.
Without that acting and direction you'd have something more akin to World War Z, a mildly interesting but ultimately forgettable movie about a man and his daughter trying to survive. But with it you get a compelling tale of sacrifice, loss and a pace that grabs by the collar and drags you along right until the credits role.
It isn't perfect and it isn't new, but that doesn't mean it can't be excellent. If you like your zombies, check it out. Train To Busan won't be forgotten any time soon.
Comments