I've seen many Korean movies in the last year and Train to Busan is on my favourite zombie movies list and i've been eager to watch the sequel ever since there was some news about this happening. Today, I finally managed to watch it somehow...
Without wasting too much of your time, I feel the original movie was better overall and if you haven't watched it, check it out. The sequel was interesting and definitely entertaining but it didn't match up to my expectations.
If you're bored on a weekend and want to watch something to waste time then this will do the job. But given my expectations for the sequel after the sensational predecessor (IMO), this was mildly disappointing.
The actors do a fine job but there's a lot of CGI to give the movie a dystopian feel of sorts. It feels like a video game at times and hence, rather fake.
They could've left the franchise and set out with an animated version itself given how much CGI fills the gaps in this one. It also feels like a low-budget Korean attempt at mad-max during some of the action sequences but with zombies thrown in the mix.
The character development was lacking so I felt a certain disconnect with them even as the actors did their jobs with their roles and the action sequences seemed well executed. The zombies seemed better in the predecessor too.
From an emotional standpoint it fails to connect in the ways its predecessors did. I think it's common for many sequels to disappoint as movie makers try to milk the audience for their money by launching sequels for no good reason other than box office collections–Fast and furious anyone?
I re-watched Train to Busan recently so perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on the sequel or maybe I am on point–I leave that to you to decide after watching the movie.
While this is certainly enjoyable but considering where they ended the previous movie, there was a lot they could've done with the plot for the sequel and it feels like a wasted opportunity. 5/10 is my rating and that's as high as I would go.
If you enjoy Korean movies or want to try some here's my previous post where i've listed around 20 movies worth a watch so you can pick and choose what you like from this and other recommendations in the comments on that post.
Have a great weekend ya'll!
