Train To Busan (2016) - Movie Review

Train To Busan is a South Korean zombie apocalypse film that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. And being a huge fan of zombies, I had to watch it asap. The movie is about a group of people that are caught amidst a zombie outbreak while traveling on a train.

Now the movie has some similar zombie flick beats that one would expect, but along side with certain Korean cinema layer of flare, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. The movie starts out slow, with a typical build up of the main characters, and then shit hits the fan, after which it becomes a thrill ride.

The train being the main setting of this film, I really liked how the movie used it for different sequences. There were tense and chaotic sequences, and there were quite and claustrophobic ones, giving a nice mix of all around thrill. The thing I loved most though was the fact it wasn't a plain old gore fest. There wasn't even that much violence for a zombie film owing to the fact that no one had guns or weapons with them, so they all made do with blunt items, which was a nice change.

The zombies looked good for the most part. They had the World War Z feel to them, swarming up in speed and whatnot. The movements were sometimes quite freaky, and awesome. The CGI however, was shoddy when they fully used it, understandably so, given the budget.

The characters and the acting was a mixed bag. Some characters were fine, while some were too exaggerated to the point of being silly. Sometimes the acting was pretty good, but there were times where it was awful. Something would happen and people would be standing like lifeless dolls, or an emotional scene would become too over-dramatic.

Which brings me to the biggest issue with the film. Drama for Drama's sake. There were moments in the film where it just felt like the director threw in those sequences to add extra drama, and it didn't work for me. It felt forced and the movie could have done without it, especially in the last act. That's not to say there weren't any good ones, because there sure were, feels inducing ones.

A good zombie movie overall, which I would definitely recommend to any fan of the genre. Not breathtaking or amazing like the buzz had me believe, but a good watch nonetheless.

7/10

Comments

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - Movie Review

"Everyone creates the thing they fear. Men of peace create engines of war. Avengers create invaders. Parents create children, that will supplant them." It's the kind of movie that I had great time with, even though I will agree to it having tons of flaws. Lets start with the story, it was mostly a mess. Throughout the movie, it felt like so much stuff have been crammed into a runtime obviously not enough for it. Pacing was a hit and a miss. There were some stuff that was really rushed while other sequences dragged on. Ultron creation and character development in particular was rushed like hell, something that would have benefited greatly from getting more screen time. Also, whole thing between Bruce and Natasha felt forced and out of place. Their scenes really dragged on. It would have been better if they went with Natasha and Steve instead as they had great chemistry in Winter Soldier. It just felt like the whole movie needed more time to be polished out, smooth out

The Crown (2016) - TV Series Review (Season 1)

"We’re all dying. That’s what defines the condition of living ." The Crown is a series about Queen Elizabeth II and her early years as the Queen. Now personally, I don't really have that much interest in the subject matter and wouldn't go actively look for media showcasing it, but after hearing so many great things about it, I decided to give it a watch. To my surprise, I was hooked from the start. The series is so well made, the execution of everything is so exemplary, and its pacing is remarkably well balanced (for a series like this), that I couldn't help but have a wonderful time with it. I was intrigued by the inner workings of the royal household, and how the crown weighs on the bearer and the people surrounding them. The casting was damn good. Many of the actors do look similar to the personalities they are portraying in that time, and the acting itself was marvelous. Clair Foy is so lovely and plays as the queen with great beauty. John Lithgow

The Mummy (2017) - Movie Review

You know, I see people saying they're sick and/or tired of the whole shared universe style that has been the craze for the past almost decade or so. But I, personally, still enjoy it. Thing is, there is a correct way of doing it, and then there is a shitty way of doing. I don't know why Universal thought the shitty way was the path to be on. The Mummy should have been a movie about, well, THE MUMMY. But instead, it is an amalgamation of several poorly executed plot threads in an attempt to jump-start the new 'Dark Universe', with one of them being related to The Mummy. And it all comes together to create an incoherent messy movie. There are so many things going on with multiple changing rules that you just don't give a shit. Tom Cruise is the lead, and I will say that even in a movie like this, he still brings his charm and charisma to give somewhat of an enjoyable performance. His buddy in the movie made for some funzies as well. But even th

Reviews Reactor

Search This Blog