It’s no surprise that the studio and filmmakers wanted to return to the Train to Busan well after its initial success. And crafting a sequel that’s less an immediate sequel but more of a story in the same universe taking place four years after the original sounded intriguing. But a bigger budget and expanded scope doesn’t always mean better. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Train to Busan series with a conversation about Yeon Sang-ho’s 2020 film Peninsula.

The film starts with a great premise. We’re following two survivors, now living in Hong Kong four years after South Korea was taken over by zombies, as they’re recruited by criminals to return to the country and find a truck full of money. Once they get there, however, things start shifting in ways that bring the story down. The plot contains many elements that are there simply for convenience. Even their own zombie rules, established in the last film and (mostly) adhered to, seem to be used as needed. With all of that, it seems like things aren’t great but passable for a genre zombie film.

Unfortunately, it goes downhill from there. We’re introduced to some young daughters who drive like Dominic Toretto in sequences that are on par with video game action. We get the rogue militia catching survivors and running their own zombie survival games. The characters in the first film were archetypes, but largely felt human. Here, they feel like poorly written and performed video game characters. 

We do have a few that stand out and pique our interest. Our protagonist, for one, is easy to enjoy and watch go through this story. The political leader of the militia makes for an interesting psychological study, along with his sidekick. Even the mom who survived the attacks and made it this far with her daughters and father makes for an interesting story.

Unfortunately, they’re all saddled with a sloppy story and weak effects that just makes the whole thing a struggle. Still, it’s awfully fun to talk about. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

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