Hard to Think What to Title This, Its a Zombie Movie

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2017)

Zombie movies are very samey,there is no denying this. There is rarely anything that strays from the zombie formula, rarely do you see anything but the immediate start of the outbreak or the recent aftermath. Train to Busan doesn't break from this tradition and doesn't bring anything new to the genre but what it does it does very well.
The setting is perfect for a zombie outbreak, a confined space where there is nowhere to run but still provides better security than being outside. It makes the initial slaughter more plausible, the people that are immediately infected aren't just gawking as the first person is attacked, they're actually trapped and picked off in a domino effect. As they try to flee down the cramped isle, they are picked off by a constantly growing number of zombies until they could reach the relative safety of the next car only for it to fall to a similar fate. Its only when the front of the line manage to put some distance between them that they are able to secure themselves in the first class car. Since the train is almost constantly moving, they are safe from the zombies outside as it searches for safe haven but they can't just get rid of the zombies they have since they control the coupling. And when a small band of survivors are trapped in the rear, the train becomes an convincing gauntlet Te zombies themselves aren't much to look at, they are the usual bullet to the head zombies alas the Of The Dead series and there isn't much to differentiate them from normal people other than glassy eyes and possibly the injury that converted them so cosmetically they aren't the most interesting to look at. The outbreak was too recent to for them to undergo any purification so their makeup is minimal. In motion however they have a lot more going for them. They are quick when motivated and chase their prey with single minded determination but when left alone they meander about like they were in the Thriller video. It is kind of hokey but its seeing them get up more than makes up for it. Rather than just climbing to their feet they contort and twist their bodies until they're on their feat. The process is unnatural and unnerving to watch and is really all there is to set it apart from most zombie movies.
Characters are done well but are pretty much what one would expect from the genre. Just about everyone fits into an archetypal role, the cowardly antagonist, the caring father, the too good daughter, the plucky young man and his girl, and the like. Everyone fits into two terms I could borrow from wrestling, the baby faces and the heels, and they fit them well. The faces are likable, even when they do have their faults they are genuinely good people and learn from them. You route for them and mourn when they fall short. The heels are detestable, they wallow in their inadequacy and are genuinely hate-able people that you feel glad when they receive their comeuppance. It is generally the response you would want from the audience, there aren't mixed messages that the hero is secretly a terrible person. And they drive one of the main themes of the movie home well, the sacrifice of the father for the good of the family.
The downside, it falls for the same trappings as most zombie movies. I mentioned the gauntlet earlier, it is a great idea but with some thought it seems completely unnecessary. The small party were in a safe-ish part of the train, with a little work they should have been able to secure it better and just hunkered down. They could have even contacted the main party and given them updates on their situation, running the gauntlet only puts themselves at greater risk, had they just remained there almost all of the later deaths could have been avoided. But alas, it is a zombie movie and careful strategics has no place when suicidal pro-activity is an option.