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In 2016, Train to Busan became a massive hit among critics and audiences by taking the already tired premise of zombies and giving it a strong emotional core via its two main characters. Perhaps knowing that lightning won't hit twice, director and writer Yeon Sang-ho has once again, given a bit of a spin to the genre, although with more mixed results.
Set a few years after the original zombie outbreak, Peninsula follows Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a former captain that is haunted by the guilt of not being able to save his sister and nephew. While living as a refugee in Hong Kong, he is recruited by some mobsters to enter the quarantined South Korean peninsula, which is now overrun by zombies, to retrieve a truck full of cash.
Much like Aliens did with Alien, Peninsula veers more into action territory. Of course, it still has horror elements, but the main beats are that of a typical action/heist film as Jung-seok is forced to not only fend off zombies, but to also deal with a rogue militia that now controls the area. In the process, he is rescued by a family of survivors that still live in the city ruins.
For the most part, Peninsula is a competent enough action/horror film with some pretty solid action setpieces. What it lacks, though, is the strong emotional anchor of the first one. Gang is a solid lead, but he never manages to evoke the same attachment that the leads of the original did. In addition, the reasonings for him to go back aren't that strong, and feel like what they are: an excuse to put our lead character back in the fray.
Finally, there is a lot of focus put into car chases, as several characters race for survival around the streets of South Korea. However, not only are most of these scenes visibly CGI, but the probabilities of these abandoned streets to be so clear that characters can endlessly race at 100mph, it all ends up feeling distracting. But again, the action is solid enough, so if you approach it with that expectation, you might have fun with it too.
Grade:
PENINSULA
(2020, Yeon)
Freebie
(2020, Yeon)
Freebie
"Dad told us we should help the weak before he went to heaven. You looked weak."
In 2016, Train to Busan became a massive hit among critics and audiences by taking the already tired premise of zombies and giving it a strong emotional core via its two main characters. Perhaps knowing that lightning won't hit twice, director and writer Yeon Sang-ho has once again, given a bit of a spin to the genre, although with more mixed results.
Set a few years after the original zombie outbreak, Peninsula follows Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a former captain that is haunted by the guilt of not being able to save his sister and nephew. While living as a refugee in Hong Kong, he is recruited by some mobsters to enter the quarantined South Korean peninsula, which is now overrun by zombies, to retrieve a truck full of cash.
Much like Aliens did with Alien, Peninsula veers more into action territory. Of course, it still has horror elements, but the main beats are that of a typical action/heist film as Jung-seok is forced to not only fend off zombies, but to also deal with a rogue militia that now controls the area. In the process, he is rescued by a family of survivors that still live in the city ruins.
For the most part, Peninsula is a competent enough action/horror film with some pretty solid action setpieces. What it lacks, though, is the strong emotional anchor of the first one. Gang is a solid lead, but he never manages to evoke the same attachment that the leads of the original did. In addition, the reasonings for him to go back aren't that strong, and feel like what they are: an excuse to put our lead character back in the fray.
Finally, there is a lot of focus put into car chases, as several characters race for survival around the streets of South Korea. However, not only are most of these scenes visibly CGI, but the probabilities of these abandoned streets to be so clear that characters can endlessly race at 100mph, it all ends up feeling distracting. But again, the action is solid enough, so if you approach it with that expectation, you might have fun with it too.
Grade: