Estación zombie 2: península

A sharp drop in quality when compared to Train to Busan, this standalone sequel to the 2016 South Korean zombie horror discards everything that was impressive about its predecessor, and is an incredibly generic & downright derivative follow-up chapter that unfortunately has no idea or understanding of what really made the first entry stand out from the norm.

Co-written & directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the story takes place four years after the events of the first film but Peninsula doesn't even feel like it belongs to the same universe. The premise is action-oriented, the characters are mere caricatures, and in an attempt to go bigger & louder this time, Yeon completely forgets to bestow the script with a strong emotional core & compelling set of characters.

The film takes inspiration from almost every forgettable Hollywood sequel that's driven by empty spectacle & cash-grab mentality. The post-apocalyptic elements are uninspiring, tension & suspense is virtually absent, the action is devoid of any substance and is further marred by awful visual effects. And the cast render their thinly-sketched characters with zero interest. In short, there's nothing that works.

Overall, Peninsula is inferior to Train to Busan in every imaginable manner and is by all means a dull, boring & lacklustre chapter that opts for a more playful tone, is devoid of any substance, and is severely lacking the verve, heart & passion that made the previous entry a thrilling delight. Still, it does turn into a somewhat fun ride during the final chase despite the predictable route it takes yet all in all, this is sappy, sloppy & shoddy work.

Not thrilled at all n not scary at all. Not touching at all as well. It's becoming similar to maze runner story a bit but worst. Too much graphics throughout the movie. Doesn't feel its a zombie movie anymore. Was expecting a nice sequel from part 1 which was superb well done.

Peninsula is an extremely fun movie to watch. It packs virtually all genres possible, the movie is way too much but very entertaining. You have zombies (although they are not really threatening and felt more like a tool used to advance the plot), you have Mad Max-like car chases, you have wild insane people enjoying the Purge, you have a hint of a comedy and a whole lot of soap opera drama. At one point I was convinced the characters would start dancing Bollywood-style! While Train to Busan was character-driven and emotional film, Peninsula is a wild, action-packed movie which has almost nothing to do with the former. It would fit perfectly into Zombieland universe and the reviews here would be much better then. In other words, it is a bad movie if you expect Train to Busan continuation but a good Zombieland 3. Plot-wise, Peninsula leaves even more question unanswered, if you think about characters' background or some story details you'll notice a lot of inconsistencies, plot holes and unclarities. But this movie is not made to think, so don't take it seriously, don't expect much and just enjoy whatever nonsense is going on on-screen.

When Train to Busan hit theaters, it became a sensational hit for the right reasons. It manages to become an enjoyable blockbuster yet with smart social commentary and emotional moments that (I need to admit) made me cry. 4 years later, Peninsula - the sequel - hit the theaters with high ambition but fail to reach the height of its predecessor as it falls into the ordinary sequel trap.

4 years after the events of Train to Busan, a former marine, Jung-Seok (Gang Dong-won) must return and retrieve something at now-abandoned Korea in order to be accepted by the society outside their homeland. I really appreciate how they took a new approach to the zombie sequels with a new setting. However, bigger doesn't always mean better as the world-building lacked in the concept details of that never reach the tension felt in its predecessor.

Perhaps the above reason can't be blame due to its small yet important component: characters. A large number of characters also resulted in less screen-time, making it hard to have in-depth sympathy with the characters. The characters also felt flat with its two-dimensional personality, making it hard for the characters to be likable even when the actors have given their best to portray them. As a result, it lacks emotional attachment and even scares to deliver.

Still, I can't deny on how much entertaining Peninsula has to offer. Yeon Sang-ho's use of camerawork and how he directs the action sequence make the film watchable. I preferably like the first chase scene with zombies and the survival game. The survival game especially, really showcases his direction with his one-take. The visual style could be deemed as unique as well, showing abandoned Korea as dirty and chaotic yet beautifully eye-catching. Although I need to say that the CG in its car scene is extremely rough that you somehow looking more of a video game than a live-action film.

Overall, Peninsula is could never reach its predecessor quality as a smart blockbuster with a high emotional level. However, its entertainment value, if almost, could still reach what it had left 4 years ago. Just don't expect too much to use your brain and have fun as you visit Peninsula.

If this film would have been a standalone action movie, I would have rated it average, maybe above that. However it was marketed as the sequel to Train to Busan, which was very well done not only on the technical level, but also the personal one. Characters were complex, dialogues well written and the zombies, as in any good sci-fi story, were just the setting.

Now here comes this production, which is more like a video game from the Resident Evil franchise, without the cool monsters and special effects. And while it has its good parts, a third of it should have been cut in editing and the money used on decent CGI. Compared to Train to Busan, it sucks! And that's kind of weird, as the same team did both movies.

Bottom line: no matter how many enthusiasts want to play zombies in film, you need to have a better story for the movie to be good. This wasn't it.