The past week, I've been hearing so many rave reviews about this Korean thriller, "Train to Busan." It opened quietly in Manila theaters a week ago, then it started a fever pitch. Now, cinemas are showing it in multiple theaters because of the huge demand.
Heck, Ali Mall only has 4 theaters, and 2 of them is "Train to Busan." That should mean something.
I wasn't the least bit curious about it until my students raved about it. So my thought was: "Fine, let's watch this film."
And boy, I'm glad I did! It's really an awesome film.
It's not the most original, actually. A chunk of it felt like "World War Z" mixed in with a bit of "Speed." But its shortcoming in originality was compensated with its engagement.
It's been a while since I've seen a film - a thriller at that - which engaged the audience to a great degree. Everyone around me was screaming and jumping off their seats in unison. (I didn't, but watching the people in my surroundings was fun.)
What's great about it is that it isn't a cookie-cutter thriller. It was actually quite emotional, and my seatmates were crying at some point of the film. And I thought, "A thriller that makes people cry. That's novel."
When we exited the theater, there was already a very long queue for the next screening. And the people going out were telling the people who were about to go in that the movie is well worth the price of admission. How's that for word-of-mouth-marketing.
It's no wonder that "Train to Busan' has gained traction worldwide. Talks of it being remade in Hollywood. is even in the works. Amazing for a small film from Korea.
This really is the little film that could.
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