Train to Busan (2016)

IMDb plot summary: While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.

Directed by Sang-ho Yeon. Starring Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jung, Dong-seok Ma, and Su-an Kim.

Zombie movies are everywhere, but I find these zombies absolutely terrifying, coming to life with a viscerally unpleasant bone-cracking sound as their joints twist into unnatural-looking positions, and the speed and fury with which they charge at their victims only adds to that terror. It's hardly the first film to do fast zombies, but I think it does do them particularly well. The characters are also frequently intelligent, coming up with smart ways to survive long enough to get from point A to point B. The movie has a pretty powerful emotional center over all, though when it falls, it falls HARD, with a couple of almost cringeworthy sentimental moments -- for example, at one point the small child lectures her father with, "You never think of anyone but yourself. That's why Mommy left!" But these are short-lived missteps, and the film definitely regains its footing and ends on a strong note. This and other disease-themed movies certainly hit differently in 2020 than they would have 2016, and I find myself reacting more strongly to the message of camaraderie being both risky and necessary for survival. Overall, I liked this quite a lot and am glad I finally got the push to watch it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Train to Busan > Broken Embraces

Train to Busan > Chronicle

Train to Busan > Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Train to Busan < Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Train to Busan > Ernest & Celestine

Train to Busan < Babe

Train to Busan > Bicycle Thieves

Train to Busan < A Ghost Story

Train to Busan < Across the Universe

Train to Busan > Chaplin

Train to Busan > Guardians of the Galaxy

Train to Busan < Pygmalion

Final spot: #272 out of 3244, or 92%.