What's YOUR favourite K-zombie film? Watch FULL Train to Busan movie with my commentary at wewatch.best/spikima

Train to Busan is one of the examples of "DO NOT ADD A SEQUEL TO A PERFECT MOVIE"

What I find scary about Train to Busan is the idea of being in a closed space where you can’t easily escape with a dangerous threat. It mimics the penetrating and claustrophobic fear you get in nightmares where you’re trying to escape a dangerous person or creature but you’re both in an enclosed space where you can only keep hiding or running around to escape.

K-Zombies actually have some characters into them, every single infected you see actually feels like a threat. As much as i loved The Walking Dead, considering that the show is about Zombies, ain't none of the walkers felt as menacing or even terrifying cause all of them felt the same, they all felt bland. There's literally not a single walker that made me scream "WHAT THE FUCKK!" throughout TWD series, unlike All Of Us Are Dead when the nurse started turning that alone was unsettling or Train to Busan what the soldiers started attacking was fucking terrifying.

I certainly noticed that one of the things I enjoy about Korean cinema is the silence. Body language is our first language and it shines in Korean cinema.

During the quarantine, my dad and I got into “Kingdom,” which I have to say, is one of the best shows I had ever seen in a while. I do hope it returns soon.

It's interesting you point out the formalities in Korean speech that get lost in subs/dubs. I've always thought color-coded/distinctive ENG subtitles would go a lot further in helping non-Korean speakers understand the true depth of the dialogue. It can go a lot further too, e.g. accents/dialects can maintain a translation more in faith to the true meaning instead of the interpretation being butchered by whoever happens to be transcribing the movie.

Another thing I like is that by starting slightly after the initial outbreak it's early enough to where people still hold onto their normal personalities before they become "survivors" like a Walking Dead type situation but it also doesn't back load the story with RND or science stuff relating to the virus like a Resident Evil since how we got there doesn't matter, we're here and have to deal with it

Coming from Hong Kong, one thing I found especially terrifying about Train to Busan, which I haven't seen in western zombie media, is the sense of crowdedness. The train is very fully packed, and in the scenes after they get off the train at the station and on to the station, the main source of terror is from the vast number of zombies all rushing towards them like an unstoppable force of nature. I think this comes down to how overcrowding is a bit problem in many Asian cities, on a scale that western cities don't really experience.

What i like about Korean movies is they capture the core of the genre and the sub-genre of the story very well being its a horror with zombie take or thriller with mystery but what makes them special is definitely the human drama... and Korean culture just adds another layer to the story, as the western cinema gets more lost in political translations, Korean movies deliver better understanding and balance...

It’s been years since I saw train to Busan, and I still started to get teary just *remembering* some of those scenes and characters, that’s how deep it cut for me. Great analysis too, the collectivist mentality of Korean zombie movies is what got me back into the sub genre. You just feel more for characters who struggle to protect people instead of just instantly reverting to their basest survival instincts.

You showed Shaun of the Dead during the gun section, so I just wanted to say that guns are illegal here in the UK too. Our police rarely carry them 🙂

It’s crazy because I’ve been saying for quite a while that Korean zombie movies are great, I was just talking about it yesterday, this is perfect timing.

One of if not the best film critic commentary channels on KZfaq.

4:42 Yeah, I did notice this collectivisim you talk about in the movie. There is a difference in the standoff-ish attitude in American zombie movies where people are portrayed as more as paranoid loners who are very leery of large groups or authority figures. In those movies, the army/goverment is usually a really repressive force, maybe worse than the actual zombies. But in this movie, people are really willing to help each other. Even in real-life, with this recent pandemic, I was surprised to see how helpful people were to each other.

I sobbed the first time I watched this movie, and as soon as you started showing part of the goodbye scene I started to tear up again!! This is a phenomenal movie.

"When a character remains by his zombifying friend or when a group risks everything for one person, there is an inherent credibility in their actions because they're Koreans in Korea." Based Koreans.

a sense of collectivism is definitely something i'va always wished i saw much more in zombie media.

Train to Busan is my favorite zombie film of all time, it gets the pacing and tension exactly right imo

The reason why this movie was so good is not because it is "Korean", the actual reason is because it is well written and well acted. Hollywood and western media in total has kinda forgotten how to just write good and Im tired of seeing people ignore that fact.

So glad this popped up on my recommended! I didn't even realize how much Korean Zombie content I was consuming, but it really is a category all on its own. There's a webtoon comic called Surviving Romance that combines the zombie genre and another popular genre of a main character realizing they're inside a story and learning to navigate within that story. It did the same thing as Train to Busan did for me by making the zombies terrifying and making me care about the characters. Even Walking Dead was more about finding out what happens next and less about me wanting the characters to make it out alive/have a happy/satisfying ending.

im OBSESSED with zombie/infected media. tlou, train to busan, twd, shaun of the dead, dawn of the dead, zombieland, highschool of the dead, world war z, reality z, #alive, all of us are dead etc and i really think it’s the best genre. you get to examine characters on such a deep level, how they think, cultural aspects, age, personality, how smart they are, what they find important, who they love. i really enjoyed this video! kzombie media is killing it and im excited to see other examinations of cultures interacting with the genre

The first part is really cool. As a westerner I only got a general sense of distance and a too busy father, and the finer parts of Korean formal/informal language were lost on me. Thanks!

In Canada and France, Train to Busan is consired as one of the greatest Zombie movie ever made, this is a massive hit !

I was just so thankful that I've seen this film in the theaters with my friends. Going in blindly with just the recommendation of one of my friends. It was definitely one hell of a ride watching it.

I am a big fan of the zombie genre and will almost watch anything related to it. As usual, people have often asked me to watch The Walking Dead and I did give it a try, but left it because I felt they were unnecessarily killing characters at one point. I then proceeded to watch other shows like Z nation (which I liked better than TWD because it was comedic until the plot turned to a shitshow) and Black Summer but felt something was missing. Enter the K-Zombie Genre, and I was HOOKED. What I especially like about them is the community aspect, be it Train to Busan, All of Us are Dead, Alive....there is a certain trust between characters that I feel the Western Zombie film characters lack...they just completely distrust anybody and everybody aside themselves and will start killing any strangers or wanderer they meet. Also, as you mentioned, weapons make a huge difference, when the community as a whole come together to plan and kill zombie rather than relying on fire weapons it makes the situation even more intense.

I love Train to Busan ! One of my top favourite Zombie movies.

I found your channel recently and I love it SO SO much. You've really helped me bring a whole new appreciation for films I already loved. I was never able to really express the reason for it.. it was just a feeling? So having someone else put it into words helps a lot.

holy crap wewatch is SO COOL??? i can't wait to binge movies with you!!

I love it cuz they ain’t scared to get ugly. Like the women aren’t out there looking like models with perfect makeup and hair but they actually look like they are going through a zombie apocalypse. It’s realistic - from their mindset to their actions. They ain’t scared of looking “ugly” either, It’s human and it beautiful. Might be the bare minimum but as a woman I like to see the realistic approach to things like apocalypse. Cuz people often tend to put themselves in those situations and discuss what they would do it is was them, and Korean zombies movies shows you that perfectly and unbiased. Cuz I don’t like how the western zombies movies dumb down the women. It’s frustrating.

WE NEED KINGDOM SEASON 3 IN NETFLIX ASAP PLS 😭😭😭😭 ohh and btw i like zombie series which took a more darker phase and character development such as kingdom and black summer and this 2 is the only zombie series i only binge on

Man, I love Train to Busan, there was just something about the zombies that actually made me think this was the kind of movie where everyone dies in a tiny train car, the suspense leading up to the main attraction of the movie was one of my favorites, "Calm before the storm" moments a lot of zombie movies portray but never quite had me on the edge of my seat. The cramped nature of the movie was the most interesting parts of the movie with the outdoor shots seeming large and able to fit all the characters onscreen really sold the picture of loneliness before the horde of zombies, these zombies felt fast and bloodthirsty when they kept climbing over one another and managing to outpace the characters that unfortunately manage to take out some of the cast. (some I liked some I didn't) Overall, one of the best zombie movies I've ever had the pleasure of watching. It was like taking a fresh breath of air.

To add up to this entire video viewpoint as to why Korean zombie films works, we can look at the exact opposite of the spectrum: Train to Busan neglected deform brother, Peninsula. That film goes against literally everything that’s addressed in this video, and that further proves how well made this video essay is, bravo

the fact that kingdom parasite cure the whole time was simply (cold) water really makes you realise how they could have avoided the entire spread if only they knew...

I watched Train to Busan while riding a train, which I found to be a very fun experience! A little freaky, but I loved it

It's always a good day when Spikima posts. This was great to watch 😊

This is the first time I've ever had chills watching a movie commentary video Well done!

Really enjoyed this video and your WeWatch commentaries! Hope you get the chance to make more.

I can't believe we watch is free!!! I love hearing your in depth takes. As a biotech major I don't get to analyze art/language/etc so I really don't know how to. It's been very helpful to see how you break down films and it's actually helped me to better analyze some of my favorite films. Thank you!

Spot on analysis, as always. Your videos always get me so hyped to watch these films again with fresh eyes. Every time I find myself nodding along like "omg wow he's so right" Thank you for sharing your passion with us

Brilliant analysis, as always. I’m glad to see your channel grow more, because you deserve it. Also, I love how you’ve used music (drums) at the background. It’s so subtle, but well placed. Great job!

I think it's so important to be able to differentiate between informal and formal speach to be able to properly appreciate korean media. Even if you're not able to tell the difference between haeyo-che and hae-che, or hasipsio-che and haera-che, knowing what to listen for to know if someone is using banmal or jondanmal makes a huge difference in comprehension and appreciation of the depth. Formality levels in speech does so much unspoken context. An easy way to do this without needing to know how to speak Korean, is to know that sentences are ended in specific ways that show their formality level. Listen for the sentance ending in "-imnida " ( ㅂ니다 ) which detonates a formal speech level. The ending "-yo ( 요 ) detonates a police speech level, where banmal, or informal, speech, doesn't use a specific verb ending.

Dude, i love your video's and the whole wewatch thing is even better, so intresting watching you point out things that i wouldn't even see myself and makes me enjoy movies and your content so much more! Big love

Fascinating analysis. I really enjoyed "Train to Busan" and you brought up lots of new aspects to ponder.

They know how to add fear and tension when it comes to story writing. Plus giving every character to shine as well.

I’m so excited to try WeWarch-you’re my favorite reviewer. Your commentary is so informative and insightful. I’m psyched to have access to more!

I love how you calmly depict things and tear them apart-- it's amazing to see the subtle things that we might've picked up on only subconsciously

I am so glad I stumbled on this glorious channel. Subscribed. I am a massive fan of K-zombies. The physical interpretatin of what zombies are - the sheer chaos and disregard of the confines of the human body as it relates to movement. Terrifying. TERRIFYING.

I’m surprised there wasn’t more mention of kingdom. I Feel like it used the overall commentary of the social system in Korea and perfectly nailed the storytelling of corruption while using zombies!

Loved Train to Busan. All Of Us Are Dead was also really enjoyable, I’m curious to see what they do with Season 2.

부산행은 따분했다고 생각하는 사람이지만 다른 나라사람의 관점에선 오히려 매력으로 다가오는 점이 신기하네요 한국영화가 해외에서 나름 좋은 반응 받는 거 보면 뭔가 뿌듯한 것도 있고 ㅋㅋ

That remembers me a little bit on "all quit on the western front". Despite getting an Oscar in a foreign country it was torn apart by a lot of german critics.

Ayyyy. I just thought about you man. Nice to see you upload Spikima. Keep up the good work.

You know a movie is great if it can make you tear up again watching a video about it!

I just found your channel and you’ve given me a lot to think about and digest as a cinephile and filmmaker

Hey Spiki, I am late to the but Wewatch is fantastic news, especially regarding Train To Busan, which was my favourite 2016 movie. All the best to you 😊

I watched the first 2 minutes of this video, all 2h of Train to Busan, then the rest of this video. Thank you for introducing me to it, that was an amazing movie I am going to think about it a lot.

daaaaaaaaaaamn. this is the first time ive ever seen your content and i gotta hand it you, this was a fucking masterpiece bro. the resolution and your knowledge of film writing came thruuuuu. Im subbed and belled after this, this shit was great man.

I love these and ,though it's not a zombie film it has similar themes, sweet home. Series like this have me crying and attached so so often

Train to Busan's ending really made me think a lot about things. Stayed in my nightmares too

I’m literally scared of K-Zomb movies, and, I want to know more of your observations! Can’t wait to watch it with you at WeWatch! I’ll keep the lights on, hahaha!

Kingdom not getting a season 3 should be a crime

This was a great video. Solid.

This reminds me of Cargo, starring Martin Freeman. If you haven’t watched that, I recommend it. It’s gripping, tragic, emotional, all because of the human element. The zombies are secondary. This is NOT a spoiler, as it’s either in the movie synopsis, or established within the first 10 minutes, but it’s about a new mother and father, to a little baby girl, during a “zombie” outbreak. The mother is very connected to their daughter, and the daughter is very deeply connected to the mother in return, but the father is having trouble connecting with his daughter, as she always seems to cry for her mother even if he’s there for her. The virus will convert anyone into a zombie within a 48 hour window. Injuries and wounds can speed that along. The wife ends up being bit, and is lost to the virus. Tragically, the father ends up contracting the virus himself, as well, and he has to find somewhere for his baby daughter-somewhere she can be raised to live a happy, healthy, and SAFE life, in the midst of an apocalypse, before his time runs out. This is only a very mild spoiler, as it’s a development that anyone would assume would happen given the details I’ve already shared, but now, in this tragic scenario, along their perilous journey together, the father and daughter end up growing that strong connection the father had been missing. This makes the film even more powerful. Anyway, I recommend Cargo if you want a zombie flick with an intense dimension of humanity-in the form of love and utter desperation-leading the way.

4:25 theres not even any audio from the movie but i started sobbing just from seeing that scene again

Still, and forever, grateful you're taking the time to explain the cultural details for my wee lil brain operating at Idiocracy-levels of global awareness 😂

이런 채널이 있었군요. 그토록 찾아해매던 채널을 드디어 찾은 기분이네요. ㅎㅎ 깊이있고 영화를 배울수 있는 좋은 채널이라고 생각합니다. 이런 좋은 영상을 만들어 주셔서 감사합니다.

After wathich Korean content for almost 6 years now, I finally understand the cultural nuances, which makes the movie easier to understand, and the importance of certain cultural references is further enhanced. I believe there are a lot od things that get lost in translation for every language. People rarely talk about this. Loved your take on the movie

And Kingdom reached perfection...

I would also like to mention the korean zombie series "happiness". a masterpiece imo. it realistically portrays what actually might go on when an apocalypse strikes, with the government and military getting involved, and how there's food and water shortages, quarantine procedures and power cuts. the characters feel so real and hardly over exaggerated. what makes the series scary is not just the zombies but the /humans/ , since most of the characters are selfish, conniving and frustrating to be around; and although as a viewer you might find it ridiculous, it's actually a close portrayal to what people might actually be like if an apocalypse did break out; our primal instincts where we selfishly care about ourselves going so far as to hiding the fact that we've been infected just so we aren't kicked out of the safe group (yes this happens in the series) is its strongest in situations like this. an amazing series that I HIGHLY recommend

Oh my god the drum soundtrack is perfect. Like it literally seems like it was composed for this video.

Ifunny when people compare the zombie kdramas on previous zombie sub-genre back last 10 years.. people are missing alot from this category.

10:25 It's kind a ironic, considering majority of Korean male know how to use a gun 😂

Wow, you spoke my mind and also added many details I overlooked. I would like to add, I think that choosing the “breakout time” actually is a safer route, it’s the time when surprise and fear dominates the scene, humans use adaptability skills to survive and reach the main objective that comes as an instinct, finding stability and a sense of safety. Thus the breakout moment is the best to show off the survival skills of each characters and how they react to critical situation (which may come as a surprise sometimes since the spectators already unconsciously judge the characters during the presentation, example: Making a seemingly weak person useful, by adding hidden information sounds like a great idea). But after this stability is found, even in an apocalyptic environment, they return to a more or less stable daily life, so unless some sudden event happens, making it dramatic may be harder, unless they actively search for a cure (reason why I love the last of us). And the thing about guns lmao, the majority of zombie movies are based in America, before watching kdrama, I always wondered how the rest of the world would handle the crisis. As for the subtitles, I always prefer to watch whatever movie in the original language, sometimes I may be lucky and understand a bit, so that mistranslation doesn’t always fool me (Japanese after years of watching anime lol), some other times all thought I don’t understand the original language, I think that not only words but the way it’s conveyed matters (not trying to look down on voice actors and translators job, they are amazing, but the cultural difference is tricky to deal with). A few times I would settle to watch it translated so that I can share the experience with others,…the way I cringe and have to watch the original later, ugh.

No one is talking about how heart wrenching the final scene with soo an and her father is. I've watched this movie several different times, showed it to friends who haven't ever seen it, and every single time, that entire scene makes me ugly cry. It's uncontrollable and one of the absolute best acted out scenes in film history. Breaks my heart.

I have a simple theory. "If Don Lee is in it, it's a good movie." 😄

Bro this movie was a fucking masterpeicethis commentary is giving me flashbacks for realthanks for the video!

Great video as always. But one thing though, for me at least, your trumbnail and title has mislead me. i went in the video expecting you to cover the kzombie genre as a whole, like train to busan (of course), Kingdom, all of us are dead, and other kzombie that i might have missed or forgotten and elaborate on why kzombie genre is on a rise (like the title suggests) compared to other zombie content. But then this video just 80% about train to busan, with some and little general reasons for the rise of kzombie. Like maybe as i'm writing this comment i now understand what you are going for, using train to busan as a prime example of the kzombie genre and why it's different from other zombie movie/series. But again as i said, i clicked this video hoping for you to cover the kzombie as a whole with kingdom and all of us are dead (both series that i love) and not just train to busan. Or maybe i'm just not smart enough to understand what you are going for.

Wow great job picking up the language formality at the beginning. As small kids my sister and I addressed our parents informally, like mum and dad. When I turned 8? My dad being a traditional bloke asked us to address him formally, calling him ‘father’ and use the formal language, this immediately changed things I think. We still called and talked to mum the same way and it was easier and she was more approachable while it was difficult to talk to dad. There are other elements of course like dad working all the time to provide the family, hence not seeing him that much and mum always home looking after us. But it definitely created distance.

Without a shadow of a doubt 'Kingdom' is my favourite K-Zombie show. This is partially due to the amalgamation of zombie show crossed with period drama which is an interesting mix, however Kingdom pulled it off beautifully. Hopefully a third season is released soon. Train to Busan for me will always be incredible to me as it showed me what a zombie film/show should be like. As Number 9 pointed out, the zombies actually have character.

Did you catch The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale? That's my favourite K-zombie film.

"Rock on Korean zombies..." needs to be put on some merch.

daaamn, nice koRn hat. amazing video as always!

I find you content super engaging me and my boyfriend love seeing you post

I think the success of TTN also had a lot to do with the writing. A lot of Asian films tend to focus a lot on characters and their relationships (largely felt but unspoken) towards other characters. American cinema rarely does this; everyone's character or relationship is stated and out in the open so that there can be no chance for misinterpretation. It's the fear of having the audience not figure out something because you think they're too stupid to figure it out so you flat out tell them. It's the hallmark of bad writing. Also, the confined nature of the the train in TTN makes for some really suspenseful scenes that are crafted with a lot of forethought as well as a lot of well placed cowardice/heroism from the characters that, had this been an American production, likely would have been poorly written.

what's great about them is about the writing of the characters and the zombies were like the icing on the cake

not all of em, train to busan and kingdom are the only ones i didnt turn off after 10 min.

I liked World War Z for similar reasons. The struggle to find answers and the desperation were felt throughout the movie. Plus it was nice to see that a cure was found and possible. In reality it probably would have taken years instead of months like it appeared. But it was more realistic then a lot of movies. Some criticized it because it wasn’t scary enough. Well not everyone likes jump/scare movies. In WWZ the desperation throughout the movie and the “are they going to make it “ scenes are enough to keep a person on the edge of their seats. Oh I watch a lot of Asian movies and series on KZfaq and the translation in the close captions are definitely confusing sometimes. Most I can reword in my head so it makes sense.

The thing i like about korean zombie movies is that the zombies feel like a threat to everyone, not just the adult, main characters best friend because the movie needs to kill someone off. Korean zombies are scary as hell

I think Korean apocalypse/thriller/horror movies tend to do such a great job at incorporating antagonists or scenarios where they evoke emotions of helpless rage in the audience. I have no idea how to describe the word in english.. but its the word '억울하다' or '괘씸하다'. Which is when good people in the movie gets helplessly mistreated and overpowered by the antagonist. But its usually very realistic and relatable. Not fictional or anything... Idk why that specific aspect of Korean horror/thriller movies stand out to me the most, but it's something that always affects me the most emotionally.

I’m so sad you didn’t talk about Zombie for Sale. I loved that movie!

Hi, good video. I wish you choose a better fit sound track in the background as you have been using for many of your videos and this time the sound become so noticeable to the extend that I could not focus on your voice any more. Off beat. ❤🎉

Also my favorite k zombie piece of media is probably the sadness

I never really looked at it like that when watching it. My main draw to train to busan was how terrifying the zombies looked and acted. But seeing all these subtle details makes me appreciate it a lot more

you should check out hideaki anno’s ritual

the wii product placement tho

I know you probably don't do requests, but I just thought of something. What about Snowpiercer? The differences in morality displayed in the movie from a Korean trying to describe a western point of view vs how it might actually be from a western point of view? I feel as though the movie is an expression of a western caste society system, no matter how much we deny there is one, and yet it still shows the very thing foundation of what western society likes to hold over other countries, the right to fight off your shackles when facing human injustice.

Excellent, as always. What´s your take on I am Hero?

It's the acting and emotion that made korean zombie movie amazing

You should check out ‘cargo’, it’s another zombie movie set outside the US and focuses on indigenous Australian culture