The Korean thriller Train to Busan took the world by storm when it rolled into cinemas in 2016. It managed to win over fans because of its unusual-for-genre focus on the human element within a zombie apocalypse.
It wasn’t just about clubbing the undead and trying to survive, but rather showed the nuances of self-sacrifice, betrayal and courage.
Now the film's writer-director Yeon Sang-ho is ready to show us the next episode of his apocalyptic story with Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, which is set four years after the events of the first film.
Peninsula was initially set to show at the Cannes Film Festival in May. However, the festival was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and the film's release was postponed.
It was theatrically released in South Korea last month, making more than $4 million (Dh14.6m) in the first two days of its release. But the rest of the world has still been waiting to catch up.
Now, as Peninsula gears up to hit theatres across the UAE this weekend, we talk you through five things to know about the film.
It's not a direct sequel
Despite its official English title referring to Train to Busan, the film isn't a direct sequel but rather a standalone film that takes place in the same zombie-infested universe as the 2016 zombie action thriller.
Peninsula features a new cast with little-to-no ties to the first film. So, if you're expecting to find out how the surviving characters in the original film are faring in this apocalyptic landscape, you might be disappointed.
There's a new composer
Jang Young-gyu's sombre piano and lush violins made a perfect heartfelt score for the first film. However, Peninsula now has a different composer at the helm.
Professionally known as Mowg, Lee Sung-hyun has composed the scores for more than three dozen films in the last decade, including the critically-acclaimed 2010 thriller I Saw The Devil and the 2011 drama The Crucible.
Mowg has raked in a number of awards for his compositions, including the award for Best Original Score at last year's Miami International Film Festival for Burning, and the award for Best Music at the 2016 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for The Age of Shadows. So there's little doubt that we'll be getting a top-notch score for Peninsula.
There are guns
Part of what separated Train to Busan from other zombie thrillers was the fact that not a single gun was used throughout the film. Sure, we see them a number of times, particularly in the scenes with the undead military horde, but none of the guns ever actually fire.
Just from the trailer, you can see Peninsula is going to have lots and lots of firepower. This is partly due to how the focal point of the story is different.
In Train To Busan, our primary characters were civilians commuting between two Korean cities when the zombie outbreak occurred. But in the sequel our protagonist is a marine captain, who told to return to the quarantined area and retrieve bags of cash left in an abandoned food truck while trying to survive in a zombie-packed peninsula.
It has twice the budget
Train to Busan had a budget of $8.5m. Sure, it is a modest sum when compared to Hollywood projects but the film still managed to send burning trains and a horde of disjointed, milky-eyed zombies our way that seemed more realistic than in zombie flicks with three times that budget.
It also raked in more than 10 times that sum at the box office. Banking on the success of the first film, Peninsula has a budget of $16m. It broke even within the first few days of its theatrical release in South Korea last month.
'Peninsula' broke records in South Korea
Even with a pandemic hindering its theatrical release, Peninsula broke a number of records when it hit cinemas in South Korea. In its opening day, it took in more than $2.4m from 2,338 screens, making it the most lucrative South Korean film of the year so far.
Peninsula went on to make $13.2m in its first five days in South Korea, so it's safe to say that when it comes out in the UAE, fans will have high expectations.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Under-21 European Championship Final
Germany 1 Spain 0
Weiser (40')
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E77kWh%202%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E178bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E410Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C150%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20loss%20of%20sodium%20chloride%20in%20our%20sweat%20can%20lead%20to%20confusion%20and%20an%20altered%20mental%20status%20and%20slurred%20speech%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBody%20temperature%20above%2039%C2%B0C%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHot%2C%20dry%20and%20red%20or%20damp%20skin%20can%20indicate%20heatstroke%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EA%20faster%20pulse%20than%20usual%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDizziness%2C%20nausea%20and%20headaches%20are%20also%20signs%20of%20overheating%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIn%20extreme%20cases%2C%20victims%20can%20lose%20consciousness%20and%20require%20immediate%20medical%20attention%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
