Movie Review: Train to Busan

Train to Busan is a 2016 South Korean zombie apocalypse thriller film directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi and Ma Dong-seok. The film had its premiere in the Midnight Screenings section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2016. On August 7, 2016, the film set a record as the first Korean film of 2016 to break the audience record with over 10 million theatergoers. Since then, the film has grossed over $80 million worldwide.


The story goes like this: Sok-woo and his daughter Soo-ahn are boarding the KTX, a fast train that shall bring them from Seoul to Busan. But during their journey, the train is overrun by zombies which kill several of the train staff and other passengers.While the KTX is shooting towards Busan, the passengers have to fight for their lives against the zombies.

Train to Busan is of action, thriller, drama genre, which runs for approximately 118 minutes. It's Rated R-13 in most countries for intense sequences of violence, blood and gore. I'm not really into Korean movies but this was one hell of a great movie. It was like World War Z meets Snakes on a Plane kind of movie. While the story line is not something new especially for zombie apocalypse-themed movies, for a Korean film, it's quite refreshing. The effects used were realistic compared to most Hollywood movies that rely a lot on CGI. The acting of the cast was very commendable especially that of Gong Yoo (fund manager) and Kim Su-an (his daughter). But what I liked best about the film was the portrayal of different people reacting differently when in distress or during times of crisis and emergency. And yes, it was very sad and tragic but I won't spill the beans. Overall, I highly recommend this movie.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 STARS

Til then...

xoxo Nash