PLATFORM: CINEMA, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, BLU-RAY, DVD | RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 6TH (THEATRICAL), NOVEMBER 30TH (HOME VIDEO)
Four years after Train to Busan, this second sequel (following Seoul Station) strives to do something different with the franchise but flounders under the weight of its underdeveloped characters, concepts, and subplots. The script follows a group of Koreans living in Hong Kong who return to a quarantined, zombie ravished Incheon to retrieve a truck containing $20 million. Naturally, their path is beset with the salivating undead but it’s more than just zombies the gang should watch out for.
The plot, led by established protagonist Jung-seok (Don-Wong Gang), splinters into several strands which, when combined make it muddled and chaotic. Potentially interesting supporting characters are introduced but are not developed enough to lend weight or resonate. A prologue provides context and compels momentarily but emotional/character arcs are sacrificed for synthetic CG laden set-pieces that unravel like glitching screensavers.
The lawless, post-apocalyptic Incheon and its survivors, led by an ex-military dictator-like sergeant Hwang (Min-Jae Kim), provide the backdrop for a gawkily woven second half which connects family dramas to the cash stash and a separate rescue mission, not to mention the zombie apocalypse itself which saturates the milieu like a franchise anchor, stunting both character and narrative growth.
Act 1 amuses along with later rambunctious set-pieces yet Peninsula feels panic-fashioned to be epic and distinct, resounding as a protuberant cash cow drained to enervation. Peninsula adheres to contentious franchise characteristics and tries to do, and be, too much at once. Despite these grand ambitions, this (hopefully) final entry is a superfluous zombie clotted CG kerfuffle and discombobulating VFX smudge that’s a sometimes fun but frequently unfocused victim of its own branding.
