"Seoul Station" Tears Into The Korean "Train To Busan" Zombie Mythology

Traditionally, an animated extension of movie mythology tends to come off like a cash grab. Some straight to video, seemingly rushed media meant to appease the fandom of a license and perhaps keep the love alive until the next "serious" project is completed. It's not been long since American audiences were treated to the Korean zombie epic "Train to Busan" (aka Znakes on a Train) and the overwhelmingly positive chatter had just been quieting when we heard an animated prequel was on the way. Of course, we instantly though "cash grab". We'd be wrong.

The "Train to Busan" animated prequel "Seoul Station" is an hour and a half of gut wrenching zombie survival with a completely unprepared populace being overrun by sprinting, enraged, extra bitey zombies who appear to stop at nothing to sink their teeth into living flesh. In "Seoul Station" we are taken very close to the beginning of the zombie outbreak as the homeless are the first to be fed upon, a message not lost on a world audience in these troubling times. Since we've trained ourselves to ignore the homeless, the (zombie) problem is allowed to escalate at an alarming rate until it very literally comes back to bite a large section of the city in the ass.

Wrapped within our tale of carnage and viral apocalyptic outbreak is a story of desperation, with a young runaway, now regretting her life choices, and her boyfriend who seems to think pimping her out is the solution to all their problems. Fortunately for her, zombies put the kebash on the girlfriend experience. We follow the girl and boy separately as they spend the bulk of their time mostly fleeing their now ravenous neighbors in a series of tense situations that will make the length of the film flash by quicker than you can say "George Romero's giant glasses".

Horror fans will note that while the zombies of "Train to Busan" exhibited some fantastic horde physicality, often flying over the top of objects to reach their prey, the snapping z's of "Seoul Station" take on almost creepier form as the animators create a twitch an actor could probably not replicate and a signature blazing eye each creature possess when in pursuit that no human being could possibly duplicate. Still, the animation draws a line in the sand in regards to gore, something I thought they might make up for in contrast to their not so visceral live action brother.

"Seoul Station" is an excellent companion to "Train to Busan" and, hopefully, will remind studios that other well-crafted mediums can compliment their major theatrical projects and help to feed a rabid fan base hungry for more tales that co-exist within an established universe. The film hits iTunes TODAY, so go grab it!