Peninsula is the sequel to one of the best Asian horror pictures to come out last decade, Train to Busan, which I watched for the first time at the beginning of the lockdown in March, oh so long ago. That movie shook my pandemic-virgin psyche (warning: It contains explicit examples of why not to touch public doorknobs) and was a ride I’ll never forget.
I highly recommend it, but the good news is you don’t need to have seen it to enjoy its follow-up. None of the characters are held over from the original — except maybe the flesh-eating hordes of aggro ghouls, but I don’t think they’re played by the same actors.
In much the same way that the tense and self-contained Alien paved the way for the more popcorn-munching, shoot-’em-up Aliens, Peninsula succeeds Busan with the full intent of pure entertainment. The basic plot is that a group of refugees with nothing left to lose, led by Seok Jung (Gang Dong-wan), head into the godforsaken territory of the Korean Peninsula to retrieve a truck full of money and return it to Hong Kong, where they’re promised a lush life — rich and zombie-free.
From the moment our gang touches down, the movie evokes a tang of some of the best post-apocalyptic films ever made: The gauntlet-running of Escape From New York, the cabin fevered military vs. civilian dynamics of Day of the Dead and, yes, sweet St. Francis of Rome, the octane-a-go-go madness of Mad Max: Fury Road.
To give more away would do neither you nor me any good. Just know that there’s hardly a dull moment within its fast-paced, two-hour run time and plenty to keep you glued to the screen. And it’s not just the action, either. There are some great turns by a couple of sisters (played by Lee Ye-won and Lee Re), who are both wholly charming and will definitely survive the zombie apocalypse longer than you or I, plus some utterly despicable military personnel you can’t wait to see get their comeuppance.
I wouldn’t say that Peninsula shares the uniqueness of Train to Busan’s story or the way it’s portrayed on screen, but thanks to Yeon Sang-ho, the director of both films, Peninsula rises above your run-of-the-mill action film — or, usually worse, action/horror — to truly grab you by the blood-pumper. Furthermore, it makes you feel those raw emotions that separate us from the flesh-eating hordes: love, fear, guilt, loss and sometimes, hopefully, selflessness. If you cried at the end of Train to Busan, your tissues are now getting a sequel.
Available to rent starting Aug. 21 via Amazon Video, iTunes and other streaming services
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