WhenTrain to Busancame out in 2016, theSouth Korean zombie moviereceived critical acclaim for bringing something new and fresh to the tired genre. The genre had become almost overwhelming in the 2010s,thanks toThe Walking Deadtelevision seriesand the movies that tried to play into similar storylines. However,Train to Busanmade things more personal. Instead of following groups of hardened warriors trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, this followed a man on a train trying to protect his young daughter.
This was similar to a movie that came out 14 years earlier. In 2002, the British zombie movie28 Days Later was praised for doing something differentwith the genre. In this case, the film turned the normally slow-moving zombies into fast-running, rage-fueled killing machines. This was so innovative that Zack Snyder did the same thing for his more traditional zombiemovie remake ofDawn of the Dead. However, whileTrain to Busanand28 Days Laterare innovative zombie movies, they also have a disappointing comparison.
The Two Sequels Ignored What Made The Originals Great
Train to Busanand28 Days Laterwere both highly praised zombie movies that received stand-alone sequels that never matched the level of their predecessors. FortheTrain to Busansequel, there was an animated sequel that came out the same year, but theofficial sequel was titledTrain to Busan Presents: Peninsula.However, the movie took what made the first movie so special and changed it to a more traditional action-packed zombie movie, disappointing anyone hoping it would continue to innovate and do something different in a crowded genre.
The first movie followed a father who wanted to protect his daughter at all costs on a train that was beginning to fill with zombies. However, the stand-alone sequel didn’t have anything nearly as personal. Instead,Peninsulawas disappointingbecause it replaced the story of a father and his daughter with a story full of action but light on anything personal. It still tried to deliver a gut-punch ending, but it was just all-out zombie, military action, and light on characters anyone cares about.
Critics agreed it lacked the humanism of the original, which was the exact problem with theTrain to Busansequel.
28 Days Laterwas also a franchise that had a stand-alone sequel,28 Weeks Later.It ignored what made the first movie so great.When the film came out, critics said the opening was the best part, which makes sense because it was the only part directed by original filmmaker Danny Boyle. While not as critically derided asPeninsula,28 Weeks Laterwas still disappointing. Critics agreed it lacked the humanism of the original, which was the exact problem with theTrain to Busansequel.
Will Train To Busan 3 Mirror 28 Years Later?
28 Years Later Narrows The Focus Again
In 2025,28 Days Laterreceived its second sequel,28 Years Later.In this film, the survivors learn how to live in the world of the zombie apocalypse almost three decades after it wiped out most of humanity. The biggest thing to note about the new movie is thatthe primary focus is on a father and his sonas they leave the safety of their island to go to the mainland, where the actual zombie threat lies. This relationship sounds very similar to the originalTrain to Busan. The most significant change is narrowing the focus on characters again.
Train to Busan 3must do this if it wants to regain the critical and fan acclaim the first movie received.An American remake calledThe Last Train to New Yorkis in development, but a third movie in the South Korean series is supposed to follow the story ofPeninsula.There is some good news. Yeon Sang-ho has said this third film will restrict things to smaller locations and not rely on action like the second movie (viaGame Rant), and that is the best way to regain the magic of the originalTrain to Busan.
