Train to Busan

Train to Busan is one of those films that I do not know how I got by without seeing it, as it is one of the more talked about zombie survival movies. Released in 2016 it is a South Korean film that is presented with English subtitles for those that cannot check off speaks Korean on their job application. A father and daughter board a train to visit their wife/mother who lives in Busan, while they are getting on the train another person has boarded at the last minute unknowing to the porters and that person is infected. Eventually all hells breaks loose on the train as the zombies start increasing in numbers rapidly. Together the father and daughter team also connect with a husband and his pregnant wife as they fight their way to a safe car and try to come to terms with what is occuring around them. Of course along their journey to Busan there are obstacles to overcome such as a false sense of security stop along the way, which just picks off more of the survivors and brings on a bigger hoard of zombies. What I enjoyed most about this film is outside of a few times when the train goes through tunnels, it all takes place during the day where many of these zombie films its at night time, this allows us to see the action, have a larger sense of realism and it allows for the unique strategy that tunnel hopping provides. I am going to be front out honest and say I have no clue who any of the actors are, I am sure those better versed in South Korean films may recognize some, I think a couple were in Parasite don't hold me to that. Overall I did enjoy it quite a bit, maybe not to the extent some have raved about, for me there are a couple times that it felt a little dragged, I mean how many different ways can you fight through a zombie filled train car. The effects and creature designs worked well, for me they stand out enough from other zombie films, my favorite though [Spoiler Alert] was the deer that gets hit at the beginning of the film ad how it pulls its self back up and walks off, I want that story I want a family hiking in the woods that come across this zombie infested deer. But now that comes to a plot problem I found, the guy hits the deer, kills it and it comes back to life. Does this imply like the beginning of the movie that there was a chemical leak of some kind is it in the water or airborne, if so why does it spread through human bites, did the first human eat the deer or drink the water the deer did. Always had that problem with zombies, you can get covered in the blood and let them grunt and drool over you while you keep from being bit, but none of that outside from actually being bit will infect you. From a survivability stand point, the actors on the train are getting about as much information as the audience, except the audience we know there is something out there and we know a stranger is on the train. These are regular people thrust into the situation and having to adapt as they go and learn about their enemy, making mistakes along the way and some being life ending bad decisions. Its also shown how in a situation it will go from everyone helping each other to starting to form survival groups and the every person for themselves mentality. There is a sequel that is coming out soon and I don't know I watched the trailer, not that excited to me it seems they are putting themselves at risk to go out into the infested world where this one it was they found themselves unknowingly trapped and its looks like to goes into more of the zombie tropes that this first one avoided, I'll still see it if I have the opportunity in theaters being the completionist that I am if not I'll catch on VOD.