Train to Busan: A Ride You Don't Want to Miss - Review

Ever see a movie that you just loved so much, that you want to shout to the whole world, ‘See this film!’? For me, Train to Busan was that movie. To me, it is simply the greatest zombie/virus movie ever made.

Now, granted, unless you like end of the world films or are a zombie enthusiast, you’re not going to feel the same way. But if you like zombie or virus movies … this one is epic. E-P-I-C

Train to Busan is a Korean film, and yes, there are subtitles, however, I implore you not to let that influence your decision to watch. I promise you, fifteen minutes in, you’ll be like, ‘what subtitles’. It’s apocalypse, dialogue is minimal and as my son put it, the actors were animated in delivery and the dialogue went with the action, you didn’t need to read it.

The premises, a father (Yoo Gong) takes his daughter (soo-an Kim) on a train to see her mother. Unbeknownst to them, the outbreak has begun and it’s on the train, their destination may be one of the only safe places remaining …if they can get there.

The movie is about what people will do, and how far they would go for those they love and strangers. The film covers a wide range of characters that act and react a certain way to the danger and stress. Each character could be someone you know.

The acting is top notch and I fell in love with Don Lee’s (Ma Dong-Seuk) character. He’s tough, believable and he does an amazing job. His chemistry with his pregnant wife and the others is instant, and he provides a lot of comic relief when it is so desperately needed.

Let’s not forget the little girl Soo-an, she’s outstanding and delivers a performance never seen in this genre.

The focus is on the people, and you care about them, really care about them. Yes, we see some really cool zombies or infected, but the gore is actually PG rated, really, very little blood and violence. Your fear comes from the point of view of those on the train. It pulls no punches and will emotionally rip your heart out. Yeah … you’ll cry during a zombie film.

I have heard it compared to 28 Days later and World War Z, while the infected are similar, Train to Busan crushes them both. Another comparison … Snowpiercer. Yeah, good movie, it has nothing on this one. There is no down time. In fact, unlike those two films, on my third time watching Train to Busan, I had no desire to hit a fast forward over slow scenes … there are none.

I don’t want to give too much away, because you deserve to watch this film. I’m telling you to watch this movie. You’ll thank me for it. Just a heads up, in the beginning, once you see the father and daughter in the car going to the train … buckle up, it doesn’t stop from there.