Train to Busan: Peninsula Review – Dumbed-Down and Disappointing

Train to Busan wowed the entire world with a character-driven and inventive zombie movie at a time when the genre itself has become a zombie. Unfortunately, for some reason, the writer and director decided to do a complete 360-turn for its sequel.

There’s a decent enough backdrop here to promise an entertaining action movie. This is not the kind of sequel you would expect based on the quality of the original, but the prologue is interesting enough to continue watching. Unfortunately, all you’ll get is a cliched and cheesy story.

Peninsula is a predictable and wearisome thriller that relies on forced melodrama, forgettable action, and flat CGI. Think Escape from New York with zombies.

The characters are one-dimensional but made tolerable by the great performances of their actors. The car chase truck scenes are brought to life by shoddy CGI that made everything look cartoonish. The plot sets up contrived emotional moments that all zombies here are just a nuisance.

Considering this movie as purely a zombie action thriller doesn’t give you much either. There is no sense of urgency and a real threat. The car chases get repetitive that it’s like watching a cut scene from a video game. An SUV that runs like a Fast and Furious prop quickly wears off its novelty.

In the end, anyone who has loved the original will find nothing worthwhile here. Anyone who starts the franchise with this sequel is better off skipping it for the original.