Peninsula (2020) User Reviews

Typical zombie flick, with some nice action scenes, but unrelated to Train to Busan

[siderite · 6/10 · 6 September 2020]

If this film would have been a standalone action movie, I would have rated it average, maybe above that. However it was marketed as the sequel to Train to Busan, which was very well done not only on the technical level, but also the personal one. Characters were complex, dialogues well written and the zombies, as in any good sci-fi story, were just the setting.

Now here comes this production, which is more like a video game from the Resident Evil franchise, without the cool monsters and special effects. And while it has its good parts, a third of it should have been cut in editing and the money used on decent CGI. Compared to Train to Busan, it sucks! And that's kind of weird, as the same team did both movies.

Bottom line: no matter how many enthusiasts want to play zombies in film, you need to have a better story for the movie to be good. This wasn't it.

To fast to Zombie 2

[kennys-97585 · 4/10 · 16 August 2020]

If your going into the cinema expecting "Train to busan" quality, you will be surprised. Its the typical sequel trap. They throw in way to much Hollywood wannabe actioncrap, try way to hard to include every genre into one, to pretend this is something else then it should be.

I really loved Train to Busan, it was an awesome and unique Zombie flick with high quality. Emotional ride with fear, stress and good story. Was glued on the monitor whole movie through, it was that good. Korea really made a classic with that one.

This is the complete opposite. Its plain stupid. Zombies seems pretty harmless cgi placeholders only meant to fly in the air and get hit by cars. U never feel any kind of fear och horror in this movie, its just dumb action with stupid lines. Story is crap, writing is crap, very low character development, plotholes, timejumps, stupid characters, actors who overact and make a fool out of themself.

If you take Transformers, mix it with Zombieland on drugs, add Fast and the furious... ehm... and then add World War Z cgi zombies on a budget then u get this. But worse then all those movies ofcourse.

The carchases are computer generated, and it looks like a PC-game. Also most of the Zombies are just cgi, ragdolls flying all over...and it really shows its fake. Its World War Z style, but cheaper ripoff. When the end comes closer, they even try to switch the pace from rollercoaster action to emotional cry drama and it just falls flat like a pancake... u end up laughing cause its so silly.

Plus, the plot armour on the soldier is of epic proportions, he cant miss, hits only headshots, zombies throw themself on him, but he got his anti-bite armor on so they cant touch him, he got time to think a few seconds now and then, even if he is surrounded by soldiers or zombies on every direction... cause they wont do anything to him while he feels sad.... boohoo....

Stay away from this at cinema, its not worth the money. Look at it some day at home when your really bored and want some brainless entertainment.

Train to Nowhere

[Athanatos173 · 4/10 · 25 August 2020]

The unfortunate truth of this sequel is that it has absolutely nothing of what the original movie had. There is no real emotional connection with the main characters.

They rely on horrible CGI way too much which really takes you out of the scenes when all the car scenes and most of the zombies just look so fake.

And as for the car scenes, for a moment I thought I was watching the wrong movie and was actually watching a Fast & Furious zombie sequel.

To sum up, the plot is simplistic and ridiculous, the action scenes are for the most part lacklustre, there is no real connection from us the audience for the characters, though they heavy handedly try their best, unsuccessfully I may add, and the CGI is horrid.

Not Recommended.

Does not even come close to Train to busan

[adunamalik · 3/10 · 24 August 2020]

I'll make it simple.

If you like Invunrable cars, basically a car can drive through 1000 zombies and not even get a dent or brake a side mirror.

If you love Kids driving cars better than anybody in fast and furious franchise has ever driven

If you cant get enough of plotholes and Terrible cgi cars

I mean even sharknado is more realistic than this....

Loved train to Busan, sadly i Hated this.

Disappointing.

[SALADKlNG · 6/10 · 22 July 2020]

As much as I love the first movie, I expected more from this sequel but I have to admit that it was a bit boring in my opinion. there's not much action like the first one where they were being chased by the zombies. as this movie takes place 4 years after the first one, it is more about human vs human, just like how it is when u watch the walking dead. they moved on from fighting zombies.

They shud have focused more on the rat king zombies. Nevertheless, a fast paced action film.

[Fella_shibby · 7/10 · 25 August 2020]

Did i say action n not zombies? So as a stand alone, it is a good action film but nowhere close to Train to Busan in terms of zombie stuff. The story takes place four years after the events of part one. A guilt ridden Korean soldier now living as a refugee in Hongkong is sent along with four fellas to retrieve a truck full of money from the quarantined Korea now inhabited by zombies. Comparison to Mad Max, Doomsday, Fast n Furious will crop up everywhere. But the point is, is it entertaining? O yeah! Tons of car chase n gun action sequences. Fans of Train to Busan like me will b disappointed. The social commentary, the emotions, the characters n most importantly the zombie stuff is missing here. The climax scene in slow mo with melodrama gets on ur nerves. Watch out for the UN's major Jane. Her dialogue delivery n the way she runs is hilarious. So far actor Geoffrey Giuliano was the top choice to play white actor's role in Thai films n finally he landed a role in this film too.

Tried too hard to copy Hollywood

[MrNeurosis · 2/10 · 20 July 2020]

The reason first movie worked was because it had a heart. It's almost cruel how much the film tugged at your heartstrings.

Train to Busan wastes no time getting to the point, the build up only takes a few brief scenes, then the madness captivates the rest. We see the outbreak from beginning, middle and end within the narrative's run time. You have time to develop empathy for each character, their backstories, and connections to one another fleshed out in small bursts throughout the film. While the human condition is in question, the narrative also explores societal themes, which are all perfectly juxtaposed with gory yet skillfully crafted action sequences.

This movie on the other hand may as well be directed by Michael Bay with pointless action and explosions. It tries too hard to be like Hollywood action movies and it shows. I will pretend this movie never happened.

Everything at once

[TheFinalGirl13 · 6/10 · 24 July 2020]

Peninsula is an extremely fun movie to watch. It packs virtually all genres possible, the movie is way too much but very entertaining. You have zombies (although they are not really threatening and felt more like a tool used to advance the plot), you have Mad Max-like car chases, you have wild insane people enjoying the Purge, you have a hint of a comedy and a whole lot of soap opera drama. At one point I was convinced the characters would start dancing Bollywood-style! While Train to Busan was character-driven and emotional film, Peninsula is a wild, action-packed movie which has almost nothing to do with the former. It would fit perfectly into Zombieland universe and the reviews here would be much better then. In other words, it is a bad movie if you expect Train to Busan continuation but a good Zombieland 3. Plot-wise, Peninsula leaves even more question unanswered, if you think about characters' background or some story details you'll notice a lot of inconsistencies, plot holes and unclarities. But this movie is not made to think, so don't take it seriously, don't expect much and just enjoy whatever nonsense is going on on-screen.

Fast and Furious: Korea Drift to Incheon

[juliusandresmanzano · 3/10 · 24 July 2020]

That should be the title. I am VERY surprised this was selected for Cannes. This movie still got the K-Drama vibe but lacked the thriller and shock value of the first one - even for a tiny bit. Nada. It's like they tried too hard to appeal to western viewers and ended up producing a film that the Hollywood fanatics themselves would stomp on. It was just horrible. But I expected too much because you know, 4 years from Train to Busan!

I suggest that if you don't want anything to do with the first movie and want some human to human plot with zombies on the side then you can probably sit through this movie. I just lingered on hoping something interesting will happen but the whole miserable 2 hours just failed me. Really disappointed and sad that they weren't able to live up to the first movie. I hope we can all just pretend this movie never happened and wish they will make a part 3 which is more connected or has the feels of the first one. But I guess when you kill Gong Yoo in the movie then it's all downhill from there.

The car racers who likes to scare themselves to sleep with thoughts of zombie outbreaks will probably love this though.

A Sappy, Sloppy & Shoddy Sequel

[CinemaClown · 2 September 2020]

A sharp drop in quality when compared to Train to Busan, this standalone sequel to the 2016 South Korean zombie horror discards everything that was impressive about its predecessor, and is an incredibly generic & downright derivative follow-up chapter that unfortunately has no idea or understanding of what really made the first entry stand out from the norm.

Co-written & directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the story takes place four years after the events of the first film but Peninsula doesn't even feel like it belongs to the same universe. The premise is action-oriented, the characters are mere caricatures, and in an attempt to go bigger & louder this time, Yeon completely forgets to bestow the script with a strong emotional core & compelling set of characters.

The film takes inspiration from almost every forgettable Hollywood sequel that's driven by empty spectacle & cash-grab mentality. The post-apocalyptic elements are uninspiring, tension & suspense is virtually absent, the action is devoid of any substance and is further marred by awful visual effects. And the cast render their thinly-sketched characters with zero interest. In short, there's nothing that works.

Overall, Peninsula is inferior to Train to Busan in every imaginable manner and is by all means a dull, boring & lacklustre chapter that opts for a more playful tone, is devoid of any substance, and is severely lacking the verve, heart & passion that made the previous entry a thrilling delight. Still, it does turn into a somewhat fun ride during the final chase despite the predictable route it takes yet all in all, this is sappy, sloppy & shoddy work.

Not as good or original as Busan, but still an entertaining zombie action film!

[Joejoesan · 8/10 · 10 August 2020]

The rumours are true: Peninsula can not be compared to its brilliant predecessor, Train to Busan. Subtleties make way for non-stop action and the movie also has a big Fast & Furious vibe. But especially on the big screen it's also a very exciting and entertaining film. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. . The story is similar to the upcoming Army of the Dead by Zack Snyder: a group of people must go back to zombieland to retrieve some bags containing lots of money. It looks like an easy mission at first (those zombies are harmless in the dark!), but of course it all goes wrong very soon. Welcome to hell! . Some things that struck me while watching the film: .

• Peninsula looks amazing on the big screen (the destroyed city). However there is a lot of CGI and because of that it sometimes feels like watching a videogame
• The story begins during Train to Busan and makes a timejump of four years.
• There are some English spoken scenes in the movie and frankly they're terrible. I can accept that Asians speak English with an accent, but there are also "English" or "American" characters in it and they act very badly. The interview scene in the beginning - telling us what happened in the last four years - is embarrassing
• Some emotional scenes are really over the top, but I guess that's the Korean way of drama
• There are no actors of Train to Busan in the sequel
• The film only costed about 16 million dollars to make. That's low budget in the States. World War Z had a budget of 190 million

. No, unlike Train to Busan Peninsula doesn't add anything new to the zombie genre. It is however a fun and entertaining ride and the first 20 minutes are awesome. I also liked the ending.

Can't wait to watch it again.

8/10

Different beast

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 12 October 2020]

While it is marketed as Train to Busan 2 and generally the promotion, I reckon especially internationally, tries to enamour people to watch this, it does a bit of a disservice to the movie. Yes this is losely connected to Train to Busan, as it plays years after that event (mostly). But it is not the same movie and it does not pander and just rehashes what the first one was. This is more of an action adventure with zombies. And some pathos and (melo)drama thrown in for good (or bad) measure.

Not everything is great here of course and if you'd ask me which of the two movies I liked better, I'd go with the first one. Still and even though this has its flaws, it is more than entertaining. If you let yourself enjoy it and don't compare it too much or let some drama ruin it. Especially the ending may really make some people at least annoyed. Predictable as it is, it looks and sounds good and is the zombie ride anyone who doesn't mind some explicit gun violence on their screens.

Disappointed, feels like its a graphic action movie then a horror movie 🤔

[shibal-00902 · 5/10 · 16 July 2020]

Not thrilled at all n not scary at all. Not touching at all as well. It's becoming similar to maze runner story a bit but worst. Too much graphics throughout the movie. Doesn't feel its a zombie movie anymore. Was expecting a nice sequel from part 1 which was superb well done.

Peninsula: An entertaining yet Disappointing of a Smart Sequel

[acinemalens · 5/10 · 15 July 2020]

When Train to Busan hit theaters, it became a sensational hit for the right reasons. It manages to become an enjoyable blockbuster yet with smart social commentary and emotional moments that (I need to admit) made me cry. 4 years later, Peninsula - the sequel - hit the theaters with high ambition but fail to reach the height of its predecessor as it falls into the ordinary sequel trap.

4 years after the events of Train to Busan, a former marine, Jung-Seok (Gang Dong-won) must return and retrieve something at now-abandoned Korea in order to be accepted by the society outside their homeland. I really appreciate how they took a new approach to the zombie sequels with a new setting. However, bigger doesn't always mean better as the world-building lacked in the concept details of that never reach the tension felt in its predecessor.

Perhaps the above reason can't be blame due to its small yet important component: characters. A large number of characters also resulted in less screen-time, making it hard to have in-depth sympathy with the characters. The characters also felt flat with its two-dimensional personality, making it hard for the characters to be likable even when the actors have given their best to portray them. As a result, it lacks emotional attachment and even scares to deliver.

Still, I can't deny on how much entertaining Peninsula has to offer. Yeon Sang-ho's use of camerawork and how he directs the action sequence make the film watchable. I preferably like the first chase scene with zombies and the survival game. The survival game especially, really showcases his direction with his one-take. The visual style could be deemed as unique as well, showing abandoned Korea as dirty and chaotic yet beautifully eye-catching. Although I need to say that the CG in its car scene is extremely rough that you somehow looking more of a video game than a live-action film.

Overall, Peninsula is could never reach its predecessor quality as a smart blockbuster with a high emotional level. However, its entertainment value, if almost, could still reach what it had left 4 years ago. Just don't expect too much to use your brain and have fun as you visit Peninsula.

Adequate enough, but didn't live up to the expectations...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 25 August 2020]

I really enjoyed the 2016 "Train to Busan" (aka "Busanhaeng") and so I was really excited when they announced that they were making a sequel, and I was anxiously awaiting to get to see it.

Now came the time that I got to sit down and watch "Peninsula" (aka "Train to Busan 2"). And I must admit that I am left here with a sensation of 'was that really it?'. This movie was lacking the intensity, excitement and entertainment value that the first movie had. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that "Peninsula" is a bad movie. No. No. It just wasn't as good as the previous movie.

The storyline in the movie was adequate, although it was bordering on being a bit too far stretched and out there. I mean, set four years after the events that took place in "Train to Busan", you'd think that writers Sang-ho Yeon and Ryu Yong-jae would come up with a more plausible storyline than what they. Sure, the movie was watchable, but the storyline was weak. And the movie also suffered from being very generic and predictable.

The characters in the movie were adequate, and they definitely had a good ensemble of casted actors and actresses to perform in the movie. Just a shame that they were sort of held back by a lack of proper storyline and script.

The special effects in the movie were good, but not great. I mean, four years after the epidemic outbreak, and the zombies milling about were still just dirtied up people in tattered and dirty clothes, with bloody mouths? Come on. The movie was lacking gore and mayhem. Where were the zombies with the traumas, the ghastly wounds, the missing limbs? They were simply nowhere to be seen, and that was something that took away a great deal of enjoyment from the movie. It just didn't come off as being what you would expect.

"Peninsula" is a bit too much focused on cars, driving and chases, where it started to feel like writers Sang-ho Yeon and Ryu Yong-jae were trying to mix the "Fast and Furious" movies into the zombie movies. I am sure that someone out there enjoys that. I found it fun at first, but the numerous car scenes quickly wore down and became too much.

I must say that I was disappointed with what this 2020 sequel turns out to be. Sure, if you haven't seen the 2016 "Train to Busan" movie then you'll enjoy "Peninsula" a whole lot more. But if you, like me, have seen that predecessor and were looking forward to the sequel, then chances are that you will be sort of disappointed and disillusioned.

My rating of "Peninsula" is a six out of ten stars. While it is a zombie movie, it just doesn't have that particular outstanding zombie movie atmosphere and feel to it.

The Worst Movie that Came Out of South Korea

[osman_teket · 1/10 · 8 August 2020]

I have no idea how this movie takes itself seriously. I can understand the bad CGI or weird acting, but why is this movie thinks it's telling a good (or consistent) story? Things are ridiculous from start to finish, and it feels like a bad copy of a Fast & Furious movie. And at the end, they try to create some drama, but you will not be able to hold your laugh. It felt like a cash grab attempt on the citizens of the countries where the theatres are open.

I still cannot believe the movie has 6/10 in IMDB. Are people watching another movie?

A lot of valid criticism in the reviews I have read

[simonize850 · 6/10 · 8 August 2020]

I was one of three patrons of a local theatre showing this film, which opened yesterday, Friday, August 7. Plot wise the story contunues to highlight family, in this instance a captain and the brother in law he is estranged from, and a second anchored by an aging grandfather who could easily been dismissed as senile, his very strong daughter and her two girls. Throw in HK gangsters and a dishounored former military unit doing its best to survive in Inchon. Shake and stir. The action is non stop, which actually distracts from the adversaries' character development and any actual suspense or mystery. Everyone is too well armed, quite the contrary to TRAIN TO BUSAN which was pared down to just the necessary. Its characters served a purpose that propellled the story along, and those characters were of interest, so their demise was felt. I did not know the lead actor, though I have seen enough Korean films. I would not place to much blame on his shoulders. If i wanted to see a Mad Max clone, I wouldn't, I would watch the originals.

it's more a video game

[ady_ghe · 5/10 · 17 September 2020]

90% of the movie it's a poor CGI, looks like a video game...

fast and furious zombie edition but still a good one

[harleyyyyyy · 7/10 · 17 October 2020]

Feels like watching fast and furious zombie edition, anyway it's still good especially if you're a fan of action packed movie , the last 10 minutes gave the biggest impact for me, so nerve-wracking yet still have the heart- touching moment (i almost cry) as for the actors, gang dong won as usual, has always impressed me with his incredible acting, same goes to lee jung hyun, it's my first time watching her in a movie, and lee re too, her character is so cool and lowkey badass,. can't wait to see her next project, and also koo gyo hwan, it's my first time hearing his name but he really did a good job bringing alive his complicated character captain seo

I came back to lower my rating

[rickmozessohn · 1/10 · 25 August 2020]

I lowered my rating from a 3 down to a 1.

Worst movie of 2020 by a wide margin. Terrible acting, terrible story, terrible CGI (special mention, worst CGI I've ever seen), terrible everything.

I loved the first film, I hated the second. The first film had a small budget & a big heart, the second had a big budget and wastes 94 minutes of your life. I would have preferred to spend that time counting the leaves on my nectarine tree.

Gosh damnit.

If you want to waste your time and money...

[lorcas · 21 July 2020]

Generally it is a movie about driving skill instead of zombies.

Bit of a rollar coaster

[aovannor · 7/10 · 26 August 2020]

This movie will mess with you a bit, especially if you've seen Train to Busan.

At first, it seems a strong start but it doesn't take long for it to become something akin to Mad Max: Zombie Edition. This feels out of place considering how serious the first movie was. The action during this part is good and the Korean wasteland looks excellent. If you've played The Last of Us video game then you'll probably think they took inspiration from it, like I did, in terms of the visual style. But, the horror and emotion is kind of missing during this section of the movie and, as a typical Zombie movie trope, humans become the real enemy for a while. That's so cliche that I'm fed up of seeing it now. This part of the movie isn't 'bad', it's just probably not what you signed up for. It's still entertaining but in a different kind of way.

The ending is the real star of the whole movie though. They seem to throw all the emotion that the movie was lacking at you all at once. There's some very satisfying conclusions. It makes the whole thing worthwhile because without what came before, the ending wouldn't have been as impactful.

Absolute Garbage *AVOID THIS MOVIE*

[Ahn-Naemi · 1/10 · 17 July 2020]

Allowing this movie to air on the big screen, is an outright insult to the viewers. This is a half-assed, textbook case of milking a successful movie (Train to Busan) into a poor "sequel".

I can write a book about the plot holes, inconsistensies and the movies being impossible for the viewers to suspend their disbelief to take it seriously.

There are extended segments of painfuly edgy teen/toddler duo. Where they exchange one liners and run over infected in a "stylish" way. All the while they slam into other cars while drifting and grind against building/cars anime style. All the while, without sustaining as much as a scratch to the car's paint, and not even a splash of blood...

Even better, nearly 1/4th of the movie is composed of these EXTREMELY poorly made CGI sections and car chases (yay?). For some reason these scenes dominate the majority of the movie.

This is all so (masterfully ?) Integrated with an overwhelming amount of EXTENDED "sad" slow motion shots of "dramatic" situation about underdeveloped characters that you couldn't care less about, dying or "almost" dying but being saved at the last second. Rambo-style by the invincible main protagonist.

This movie is utter trash, unbelievably so. I can't recall the last time where i had such an overwhelming urge, to storm out of the theater, and demand a refund.

Do your a huge favour and dodge this bullet that i took for you. AVOID THIS MOVIE. Don't worry, the name aside, this movie has NOTHING to do with Train to Busan. So you are not missing out.

Not as good as the first film

[Gordon-11 · 1 September 2020]

This film is an adequate zombie film as a standalone film. However, it is not a really good sequel to the excellent first film. There is little contrast between good and evil this time, and the plot lacks the spark of humanity that made the first film great. The ending is very contrived as well.

Train to Busan beyond Thunderdome.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 2 June 2021]

Peninsula, the 2020 follow-up to the excellent Korean blockbuster Train to Busan, brings to mind Zack Snyder's more recent Netflix effort Army of the Dead, both films revolving around a mission to retrieve a vast sum of money from a city infested by zombies. Peninsula isn't anywhere as good as Train to Busan, but it's still superior to Snyder's bloated mess of a movie.

Set four years after the first film, this sequel sees a team of desperate Korean refugees hired by Hong Kong criminals to recover $20m from a truck abandoned on the quarantined Korean peninsula. When they arrive, they discover that zombies are not the only threat: the city is also home to a rogue military unit who prey on other survivors, pitting their prisoners against the living dead for entertainment.

The majority of Peninsula centres on the human threat, relegating the undead to a supporting role, the film feeling more like a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic movie than a traditional zombie flick. This fact seems to have irked many fans of the first movie, but I quite enjoyed the new approach. However, I do agree with this film's detractors who complain that too much of the film relies on sub-standard CGI action that make parts of the film feel like a computer game: I'm sure a digitally rendered car chase is easier to produce than the real deal, and a CGI zombie horde is cheaper than hiring and making up extras, but it looks terrible and pulls the viewer out of the film.

I also didn't like certain aspects of the final act: is it ever a good idea to lay down your guns when a villain holds someone hostage? And did we really have to have the happy happy joy joy wimp-out ending when the downbeat option would have been much more powerful?

Still, even with the video-game action scenes and the Hollywood happy ending, this kicks Snyder's film to the ground and tears its throat out. 5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.