Respond to these rapid questions in our Peninsula quiz and we will tell you which Peninsula character you are. Play it now.
“Train to Busan” was a taut, effective zombie action film that has only grown in popularity in the four years since it was released, thanks in part to the fact that it is now available on virtually every streaming service in existence. A clever hybrid of influences, Yeon Sang-film ho’s succeeded in part because of its focus, which included a sprinkling of morality play but spent the majority of its energy on a train full of zombies headed for what could be the only safe place on the continent. “Zombie Train” was released in Korea on March 31. As if in an attempt to broaden his artistic horizons, Yeon attempts a more expansive canvas with “Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula,” and as a result, the overall project suffers from the fact that it is nowhere near as taut as its predecessor. When it gets to the middle of the song, it meanders and throws so many influences into the blender that the result feels less urgent overall. We’ve seen most of this before, and it’s been done better, despite the fact that there are a few extremely well-executed action sequences here. However, while there is undeniably a sophomore slump in this franchise, Yeon’s skill with action keeps it from dipping too low that we should give up hope that he will be able to get back on track in a subsequent installment.
The main character, Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), is attempting to flee South Korea with his family in the days following the apocalypse. Two parents and a child beg for a ride as they flee the mainland, but the blood on the father’s shoulder frightens Jung-seok, who continues driving. In that quick moral decisions have consequences, the first theme of “Peninsula” is revisited immediately in this second theme. When the boat they’re on is discovered to be carrying an undead stowaway, Jung-sister seok’s is forced to make an even more tragic decision, and before you know it, “Peninsula” has flashed forward four years to a drastically different landscape.
In “Peninsula,” Jung-seok, now a shell of his former self, is approached about a business opportunity, and for a brief moment, it appears that the film might be a cross between “Wages of Fear” and a George A. Romero film (I would totally watch that movie, by the way). Similarly to the masterpiece by Clouzot, a group of people is tasked with navigating a truck through treacherous terrain. In this particular instance, the truck is carrying $20 million, and it just so happens to be located behind enemy lines on the Korean peninsula. Can this group of four drop in, get the truck, and make it to safety without being attacked by zombie waves and having their brains eaten? It sounds focused and enjoyable, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, this is not that film.
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When our heroes discover that there is a lot more than zombies left on this side of civilization, “Peninsula” quickly devolves into a completely different film. A culture reminiscent of “Mad Max” has already developed, complete with its own Thunderdome, in which humans are pitted against zombies in a flooded pit of blood. (I would have thought that four years would be too short for a situation like Fury Road, but the last six months have made me reconsider.) In this hellscape, Jung-seok finds survivors too, of course, and “Peninsula” eventually returns to the original’s roots in the sense that it becomes about trying to get to safety as urgently as possible, there just happens to be more gun-toting bad guys chasing them than any zombie movie needs.
Peninsula Quiz
Yeon’s visual sense in relation to zombie action is showcased to its best advantage during the course of “Peninsula.” The intensity of train cars filling with zombies that may then come tumbling through windows gave “Train to Busan” its energy, and the intensity of train cars filling with zombies that may then come tumbling through windows gave “Peninsula” its power. People will remember “Peninsula” for the waves of zombies that rushed the heroes through a dark tunnel, falling from a bridge, or even being caught in the moonlight through a window.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Peninsula quiz.
Because it’s almost certain that it won’t be the characters. Gang Dong-won does a good job with the limited rage he’s asked to summon here, but “Peninsula,” despite the fact that it attempts some of the same emotional beats as the first film, lacks the same depth of character as the first. The father-daughter dynamic in the original gave it a bite that is lacking here, and even the supporting characters became interesting in the original version. Sacrifices made in “Train to Busan” had an impact, without giving anything away. Everything feels distinctly more superficial in “Peninsula,” which makes it easier to forget.
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By destroying the world of this franchise, Yeon reveals his flaws in terms of plotting and character development as well. Worst of all, he doesn’t seem to understand what it was about the first film that was so successful. After the first half of the film, “Peninsula” is no longer even a zombie film, instead becoming more of a post-apocalyptic action film, complete with a few zombie vs. car scenes that are more reminiscent of “Fast and Furious” than Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later.” This is something I’ll never fully comprehend: how “Train to Busan” became a franchise where children divert zombies from eating them by demonstrating some wicked drifting in lengthy sequences with shoddy CGI is something I’ll never fully comprehend.
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A common criticism leveled at sequels is that they are merely rehashes of the original film. As a point of distinction, Yeon Sang-ho did not simply pull a “Speed 2: Cruise Control” and apply the same concept to a different moving vehicle. Despite the fact that fans may wish he had.
For more personality quizzes check this: Promising Young Woman Quiz.
