Peninsula

Peninsula (2020)

Runtime: 116 minutes

Directed by: Yeon Sang-Ho

Starring: Kang Dong-Wan, Lee Jung-Hyun, Lee Re, Kwon Hae-Hyo, Kim Min-Jae

From: Several South Korean companies

A few years ago, I was lucky to see Train to Busan on the big screen... even if there was a bad audience experience attached to it. The movie was a blast as there was plenty of action and horror mainly set on a train. Later I saw the animated prequel Seoul Station and that was rather disappointing. Even though I also heard bad things about Peninsula (or as it's known in the United States: Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula) this is in many of the largest cineplexes in the United States so it was an obligation to give it a shot.

Regrettably, while Busan was an exciting thrill ride with engrossing characters and had heart to spare, this was like a dumb mindless modern Hollywood blockbuster-with pretty lousy CG to boot. This time around it's several random characters looking to retrieve 20 million dollars (American) from a truck in Incheon. There is a reason why: via a clumsy exposition dump, the movie is set four years after the events in Busan... most of the country is abandoned and those that escaped to other countries are looked at derisively-probably like those in other countries view Americans. As these movies are about a virus, of course everyone will think of The Black Plague we have now... and also note how some Americans would think of a zombie plague as a hoax.

Besides this being a dopey film revolving around characters I couldn't give a damn about, there's also personal opinion of fatigue over various cliches concerning Korean cinema in the 21st century. There's been plenty of movies which have a young girl and invariably she ends up crying by the end; guess what... Peninsula managed to squeeze that in! Several times while at the screening I sighed at the cliché moments or the stuff that was especially stupid. This has several driving scenes and both Fast & Furious and Fury Road are blatant inspirations... the crap CG and lower budget are but a few reasons why those don't work. In addition, the person whose driving skills would put Lewis Hamilton to shame, their identity makes their abilities utterly preposterous.

Others deriving more entertainment from this is understandable; personally, those old-hat tropes, the world not being explained at all (who is still making gasoline? That is even more egregious than some places having electricity, as there are generators... which need gas to run) and how this was a follow-up to a great action/horror picture made me quite unsatisfied with the end result.