Director: Yeon Sang-Ho
Screenplay: Yeon Sang-Ho, Ryu Yong-jae
Starring: Gang Dong-Won, Lee Re, Koo Kyo-Hwan
Country: South Korea
Running Time: 116 minutes
Year: 2020
Whereas director Yeon Sang-Ho framed Train to Busan as a disaster film, he ramps up the ambition in sequel Peninsula. This time mixing zombies with a gory heist movie. As either a sequel to the peerless Busan, or as a heist, it doesn’t stick the landing. The focus is too loose, making the last film look like a chamber piece. It seems to try too hard, or at least too quickly, to leverage the same emotional hook that Train to Busan handled so well. Maybe it’s simply that we the characters are stretched too thinly. Last time around, the train passengers were allowed to be just that, with lives and intentions beyond fighting zombies, until they couldn’t ignore the impossible. The dead were coming back to life.
Peninsula starts four years on from that train journey. None of the original characters are featured, which is fine, but these newbies are survivors, with teeth permanently gritted. A new order within the fragile safety of the Peninsula has been established. It’s harder to care so much when it’s now unrelatable to our own concerns of simply getting home.
However, that new order does have its benefits, similar to Romero’s post-infection sequels. Taken on its own terms, Peninsula is great fun. It moves quick and has great ideas; the arena games using infected as sport is hilarious and horrifying in equal measure. The set pieces are still fantastic, Yeon’s action beautifully contrived, and the characters are strong, despite jostling for attention deadening their arcs somewhat..
What it lacks in nuance, it pummels with gut-wrenching action. A well directed indulgence, at its best, Peninsula brings a “hold my beer” attitude to a genre that still refuses to die. On the contrary, there remains some gory wriggle room yet with directors like Yuen continuing to dig graves.
VIDEO
This is a phenomenal example of a modern UHD transfer. The colours and sharp detail are astonishing, even more so than Train to Busan somehow (also released this month). With some scenes apparently taking place during the morning Golden Hour, Peninsula positively gleams, so much so it almost seems hyper-real, especially when some CGI gets a little too exuberant.
It might lack Train to Busan‘s sharp eye, but it’s never less fun than it is ridiculous, looks gorgeous and is thoroughly entertaining.
EXTRA FEATURES
A strong video release like Train to Busan UHD package, is similarly let down by a set of making-of features and interviews that do little to unpick the production.
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