'Train to Busan': EW review (original) (raw)

Published on August 24, 2016 05:09PM EDT

Photo: Well Go USA Entertainment

With its restrained, un-shlocky title, this South Korean movie could, say, detail the strained relationship between a father and his young daughter as they journey via rail to visit his estranged wife. And so it does—but with zombies! Starring Gong Yoo as a Seoul-based hedge fund manager and Kim Su-an as his offspring, writer-director Sang-ho Yeon’s film borrows heavily from World War Z in its depiction of the fast-moving undead masses while also boasting an emotional core the Brad Pitt-starring extravaganza often lacked. One notable nail-biter of a highlight finds our passengers disembarking from the train to explore a seemingly safe station which turns out to be apocalyptically overpopulated. But, really, the result is first-class throughout. B+