Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 15, 2020

Has there ever been a film other than Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula that features the title of a previous film (in this case the South Korean blockbuster Train to Busan) in what amounts to a producer credit or at least production entity credit? It’s a very odd way to title a film which could have just as easily been called Train to Busan 2 or perhaps more accurately Boat From Busan or any number of other alternatives that would have just as easily, and perhaps much less clunkily, referenced this film’s progenitor. But, there’s the rub: Peninsula wants desperately to be another Train to Busan, but it never quite musters the innovative feel of Train to Busan simply because it is a sequel, and therefore unavoidably deals in both plot elements and presentational approaches that are going to be “old hat”, at least for those viewers who flocked to Train to Busan several years ago. Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula picks up after the events of the first film, with South Korea a veritable wasteland overrun by zombies and with news reports full of stories about a mysterious virus which has led to disaster (sound familiar?). The film kind of oddly omits characters from the first film, something that could have ostensibly tied it to its predecessor, and instead introduces a glut of new folks on the run from the zombies. The film is kind of split into two parts, with an introductory section devoted to a Marine Captain named Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) who is attempting to get his sister’s family to safety aboard a large freighter which is docked and awaiting uninfected folks to get them out of Korea. Jung-seok actually succeeds in his mission, but not before driving right past a panicked family begging for him to pick them up and get them to safety, too. Those attuned to the vagaries of modern screenwriting will probably be making a mental note as to when at least one of these characters might be returning later, but in the meantime the first part of the film actually mimics Train to Busan the most directly by having a zombie outbreak afflict the ship, something that results in Jung-seok having to make some troubling decisions involving his family members.

Suffice it to say that the whole ship aspect is simply a prelude, setting up the main part of the story, wherein years later Jung-seok and his brother-in-law Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) are tasked with getting pack to the, well, Korean peninsula, in Incheon to be exact, where hordes of zombies have overrun everything, but where there is a truck containing a sizable fortune in cash that needs to be retrieved. It's here, however, where Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula may start to try to work in too many competing plot elements. There's already a kind of quasi-Escape from New York feeling, with a hero in a former metropolis now overrun with bad guys (and/or zombies), and with something very valuable at stake, but instead of leaving "well enough" alone with regard to zombies being the main nemeses, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula offers a "secondary" set of villains, in this case a rogue military unit which is running what amounts to a Fight Club pitting zombies against humans.

For those who have been waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of the previously introduced characters left abandoned in the film's opening sequence, rest assured that the frantic mother from that scene, Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun), of course makes a heroic return and doesn't treat Jung- seok with same (probably understandable, all things considered) churlishness Jung-seok showed her and her family years previously. A whole secondary (tertiary?) subplot ensues involving Min-jung and her kids, as well as other charges she's assumed responsibility for.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula makes a number of frankly odd choices in both its narrative as well as some of its presentational aspects. There's a weird comedic undertone to some scenes that seems positively ill advised, given the grimness of much of what happens. But the film repeatedly offers pretty shoddy looking CGI car chases where, for example, an SUV piloted by Min-jung's daughter Jooni (Re Lee) takes out marauding zombies by engaging in all sorts of stunt maneuvers which don't just defy the laws of physics, they bring a degree of unreality to the proceedings that may deflate any suspense.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists Arri Alexas as having digitally captured the imagery, and some online data (which I don't consider necessarily authoritative) alludes to a 2K DI. There's a somewhat peculiar (especially for a contemporary digitally captured outing) video-like quasi-filtered look here at intermittent times, where things like skin pores seem to magically evaporate, noticeable in moments like the opening shots detailing the refugees' attempts to get to safety on the freighter. Otherwise, though, detail levels tend to be very good to excellent when lighting conditions allow and when frequent "jiggly cam" isn't being used. In terms of lighting, though, the vast majority of this story plays out in darker environments, environments which are frequently further shaded by some grading choices on the blue end of the spectrum. As such, a good degree of murk can intrude and detail levels can falter (see screenshot 19). The CGI here is not always believable, adding to the slightly cartoonish ambience of some supposedly shocking moments.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula features a nicely detailed Dolby Atmos track in the original Korean. This may not consistently utilize overhead effects, but they're noticeable in many sequences, including some of the relentless car chases (which also provide some of the best panning effects in the mix) and even in scenes of zombies marauding through humans, as in the "fight club" sequences. If there may not always be a maximum amount of verticality, there is certainly immersion to spare, with the side and rear channels regularly engaged throughout the many outdoor scenes, and with ominous LFE helping to create angst during several attack scenes. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making of and Interviews

  The Sequel (1080p; 1:43)

  
  

  The Action (1080p; 2:31)

  
  

  The Director (1080p; 1:29)

  
  

  The Characters (1080p; 3:04)

• Teaser (1080p; 1:35)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:55)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the supplements have been authored to follow one another automatically (so that clicking on The Sequel featurette is essentially a Play All button). After the Trailer for this film plays, the disc has been authored to automatically move on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases (including the kind of intriguing looking Possessor, which should be arriving in my review queue soon). Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula is way too derivative for its own good, but even worse, it's ridiculously repetitive after a while. There are still moments of tension, to be sure, but the film struggles mightily to get to the same emotion levels the first film seemed to achieve with much less effort. Video has a few hurdles to overcome, but audio is great, for those who are considering a purchase.