Train to Busan: Peninsula (2020)
PeninsulaĀ isn't on the same level as Train to Busan. You canāt associate deeper meanings to the characters or their actions. Its characters are not as well developed as the ones we saw in its predecessor (whom this is a standalone sequel to). Thanks to a great chase scene and the film bringing something new to the genre by (essentially) crossing over the undead with Mad Max, I don't think you'll mind too much.
Four years after a zombie outbreak in South Korea, former Marine Corps Captain Jung-Seok (Gang Dong-won) and his widowed brother-in-law Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) are offered a life-altering job. Inside the undead-riddled Peninsula is an abandoned truck filled with US$20 million. Along with two more specialists, they must retrieve it at night when the ghouls will be unable to spot them and bring it to a rendezvous point. Once inside, they're shocked to discover survivors in the ruins.
I like this setup. Most zombie movies deal with that first wave. We've witnessed it already. What's next? A heist with zombies in it. This is something I wish more movies would do. Imagine kidnappers being chased by a determined special ops teamā¦ while a giant monster attacks the city. Mixing two genres might just be so crazy, it works. Ā But weāre not done introducing new elements. Once arrived at the peninsula, we meet the filmās real villains: Unit 631, a rogue militia group led by Sergeant Hwang (Kim Min-jae). It isnāt revolutionary to see survivors who have lost all sense of civilization and now entertain themselves with gladiatorial-like games - The Walking DeadĀ did it early on (but then again, after going on for 193 issues, what HASNāT it done?) but it does make this follow-up different from the first.
The biggest flaw with PeninsulaĀ is that even when it is doing something new for this āseriesā, it won't blow your mind and the filmmaking/storytelling isn't on a level high enough to fully make up for it. This time, we are following far more characters (in addition to the numerous villains, there are friendly survivors too, played by Lee Jung0hyun, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Re, and Lee Ye-won), in a bigger world, in a more complex story. All of these balls to juggle prevent writers Park Joo-Suk and Yeon-Sang-ho (who also directs) from making this more than what you see on-screen. This doesnāt prevent this sequel from being fun, however. Thereās a long chase sequence - very reminiscent of āThe Road Warriorā thatās fast-paced and exciting. Itās too bad the movie doesnāt end with it and instead goes for a dramatic conclusion that doesnāt come out of nowhere but feels forced nonetheless.
It isnāt that the good just barely edges out the bad in Peninsula, itās that compared to its predecessor, this is a letdown. Still, I wasnāt sorry to have sat through it, and for all the territory thatās being retreaded, there are enough novel little bits to make this worth seeing for the fans. (April 3, 2021)
