Train to Busan  ★★★½

SOUTH Korea has delivered a hugely entertaining horror action movie in Train to Busan.

In 2013 the epic-scale zombie thriller World War Z featured a memorable 10-minute sequence where the undead attacked fellow passengers during a mid-air commercial flight.

Train to Busan goes much further, with almost the entire running time built around the passengers on a train from Seoul to Busan battling for survival against hordes of super-fast, animal-like infected.

I say almost because the film takes time during the mayhem to build some interesting stories, motivations and by-play amongst its main protagonists. These sub-plots result in conflicts that, at times, make fellow passengers as much of a threat as the marauding zombies.

The film also includes clear social commentary on aspects of Korean life and government, including censorship of public information, collective versus individual responsibility and  the impact of the work ethic on family and relationships.

But, overall, what you will most be struck by are the amazing sequences of zombies dropping from helicopters, smashing through rows of ceiling-to-floor glass panels, taking over entire rail cars and being dragged in a heaving pile behind a speeding train.

Amongst all the death and destruction, there is also a wonderful child performance by Soo-an Kim who displays great emotional range, particularly in the film’s final stanza.

Train to Busan is showing at Event Cinemas in Innaloo right now and there was a surprisingly good number of people at the screening I attended. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun with it.