Peninsula (2020) [Film Review]

Peninsula; or, Never Let Me Go
     Thirty-one cars… passed us by. I thought the first car would pick us up… but there were 30 more passing by.
Peninsula is a sequel to the popular Korean zombie flick Train to Busan from 2016. While initially entitled Train to Busan 2: Peninsula, the first part of the title was quickly dropped and replaced with Train to Busan Presents. Indeed, Peninsula is a movie happening in the same universe as Train to Busan and Seoul Station (2016) anime, but with different characters and a brand new story. Let’s see how this new iteration of Koreans vs. bloodthirsty zombies holds up.
Release Info

Directed by: Yeon Sang Ho Starring: Gang Dong Won, Lee Jung Hyun, Lee Re, Lee Ye Won
Language: Korean, English Original Title: 반도 Runtime: 116 min

Synopsis
Four years after the outbreak of a deadly virus on the Korean Peninsula, Han Jung Seok (Gang Dong Won), an ex-military officer lives as a refugee in Hong Kong. His brother-in-law, Goo Chul Min (Kim Do Yoon), cannot forgive Jung Seok that he didn’t try hard enough to save his wife and child. Due to their low-life status, the two men are recruited by mobsters and given the following assignment: go back to South Korea and retrieve a truck loaded with 20 million dollars. Upon arriving there, the mission is interrupted by dangerous scavengers who built a little world of their own in the zombie city. Jung Seok and Chul Min are separated. Jung Seok ends up being saved by a family of survivors unaffiliated with the scavengers. He remembers that they are the same people whom he refused to help four years earlier. Together with Min Jung (Lee Jung Hyun), the mother of the family, Jung Seok sneaks into the scavengers’ camp to retrieve a satellite phone. The only chance for rescue...

Here We Go Again
I have to admit that I was a bit reluctant to check out Peninsula immediately after it premiered due to many unfavourable reviews which I read online. With incredibly low expectations, I finally watched the film and I was surprised that it is very much watchable.

Similarly to such films as Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and Aliens (1986) (two sequels to classic masterpieces), the dangers and stakes are already established, so instead of rehashing them, the filmmakers should build on them. This is very much the case with Peninsula. We do not have yet another train survival story, but extensive world building. I liked the premise that those who managed to escape Korea are looked down by the rest of the world. Nevertheless, there are also people who were left behind and managed to stay alive. Even North Korea is referenced as the zombie-free place (obvious wink at one of the scenes from World War Z (2013)).

What I like the most about the film are the characters and their dynamics. Jung Seok is a decent guy struggling with traumatic past, Min Jung is a super cool protective mother saving the day, whereas the children Joon Yi and Yoo Jin (Lee Re and Lee Ye Won, respectively) and the grandpa (Kwon Hae Hyo) provide a much needed comic relief in tense situations. I particularly enjoyed the witty remarks of Ye Won’s character; this kid is gold!

With the bigger budget than the previous film, Peninsula also cranks up the action aspect to the maximum level. However, while watching hordes of zombies getting killed in many ways is certainly enjoyable, the film also goes a bit too far in a few places. The subplot about the scavengers living in a dilapidated city resembled too many popular post-apocalyptic flicks. At times, I was genuinely convinced that Peninsula is remaking chunks of Max Mad: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and 28 Days Later (2002). In addition, the chase scene in the third act (lots of CGI) clearly drew inspiration from Fury Road (2015).

That being sad, Peninsula is not a bad film. I appreciated the pacing and also the significantly toned down melodrama (Train to Busan relied too much on harrowing moments). If you couldn’t come to terms with the ending of the first film, then the conclusion of Peninsula will certainly leave you satisfied.

With regard to performances, Lee Jung Hyun and Gang Dong Won certainly carry the weight of the picture. I remember Jung Hyun from Battleship Island (2017) and she is undeniably an awesome actress. As for Gang Dong Won, he obviously manned up after the last time I saw him in The Priests (2015). In addition, Lee Re and Lee Ye Won are wonderful as the children fighting the zombies.

At the end of this review, I think I should address the untimely coincidence that is repeated by other reviewers. That is to say, Peninsula is a movie (about a zombie virus) released in the year of the real global pandemic. Well, the movie is fiction and one should be able to differentiate it from real life. Peninsula was commissioned in 2018 and entered production in 2019, so it is not like director Yeon Sang Ho could see into the future and write a script based on the foreshadowings. If some people desperately want to see correlations between life and art, then I suggest watching Wolfgang Petersen’s Outbreak from 1995.

Recommendations
All in all, Peninsula may not be as good as Train for Busan, but it is still worth watching. I do not regret spending two hours on this film. It was a joyous ride, even though it was a one time experience. To be honest, I’m now waiting for the fourth instalment of the zombie saga in which North Korea steps into action. Please Supreme Leader, greenlit this film!Overall score: 7/10

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