Train to Busan (2016) and Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020) 4K UHD Reviews

4 star crisp and colourful zombie action.

Train To Busan is a 2016 South Korean action horror film co-written by Joo-Suk Park (Project Silence) and Yeon Sang-Ho (Seoul Station, The King of Pigs), who also directs.

Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula is a 2020 South Korean action horror film, the sequel to Train to Busan and the third film in the franchise (Seoul Station is the animated prequel). This film is co-written by Ryu Yong-Jae (Parasyte: The Grey) and again directed by Yeon Sang-Ho.

Both films will be available to own on 4K UHD for the first time in the UK from 27th May 2024, courtesy of STUDIOCANAL.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have much information, other than the fact that it started out of a bio-factory in South Korea. It’s unclear how this unidentified virus initially began to spread.”

Train to Busan sees divorced workaholic father Seok-woo (Gong Yoo – Squid Game, The Age of Shadows) taking his young daughter Soo-an (Kim Su-an – The Battleship Island) to Busan on the train to spend her birthday with her mother. They board the KYX 01 at Seoul Station to begin their journey.

Also aboard are Sang Hwa (Ma Dong-seok – The Outlaws, Eternals) and his pregnant wife Seong Kyeong (Jung Yu-mi – Sleep, Psychokinesis), plus a high school basketball team along with many others. As they board the train, a woman jumps on board and begins to attack the other passengers, who then go rabid and in turn start attacking others.

The passengers escape from that carriage and soon learn that an epidemic is spreading up the country. The belief is that Busan is a safe place to go, but can these unlikely allies survive the journey to get there on a train full of zombies?

“Good riddance. Always giving to others instead of to yourself. Why did you live like that? What was the point? What a load of cr*p.”

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula is set four years after the events of Train to Busan in the same universe and tells us the story of Jung-Seok (Gang Dong-wan – Broker, Master). When the epidemic first hit, he fled on an evacuation ship with his sister, her husband Chul-Min (Kim Doo-yoon – Concrete Utopia) and their young son. Unfortunately, an infected got aboard and only Jung-seok and Chul-min made it to Hong Kong, after which the island was quarantined.

Now they are shunned by the locals, and when Chinese mobsters enlist them to go back to Korea to recover a US truck containing $20 million dollars, it sounds like easy money. What they haven’t taken into account is that there are still people living there, hoping to be rescued, as well as gangs who have taken the law into their own hands. Everyone concerned will do almost anything to get off that island.

“No-one ever came to rescue us in four years, but some chump change was all it took?”

Train to Busan was a revelation upon its initial release, with its unique blend of horror, action and emotional storytelling. This 4K release shows a considerable improvement in quality and is certainly worth the upgrade for fans of the franchise.

The same goes for Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, while being totally different in tone to the first film, this still holds plenty of enjoyment for any fan of zombie action, and this 4K release is an excellent version of it. The audio on both releases is also excellent. Strap in, hold on to your hat and enjoy the ride.

“Hey, a**hole. Felt good to see your kid thanks to me? Are you grateful or what?”