When a mysterious virus breaks out across South Korea, the infected transform into the murderous undead in wildly successful 2016 thriller TRAIN TO BUSAN, an official New York Times Critic’s Pick that Slant Magazine credits with scare tactics “among the most distinctive the zombie canon has ever seen.” As terrified travelers fight for their lives on a bullet train from hell, the result is a gory high-speed collision between the rich and the poor, the living and the undead, and the best and worst of human nature. When some among them prove willing to sell their soul for a shot at survival, trust may prove to be a luxury even the richest passengers cannot afford.

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Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Train to Busan offers a pretty decent uptick in quality over the already impressive accompanying Blu-Ray first released over five years ago. When compared to Blu-Ray, the 4K version allows for more depth, clarity and stability to the image. Facial details are especially strong and natural among all of the cast members. The image is as wonderful as the source material will allow, but it does not make the occasionally lacking CGI any stronger. The film has a very stylized digital look, and this transfer honors the artistic intent to the best of its ability.

The HDR/Dolby Vision is one of the areas of improvement that stands out the most. Some of the color grading choices seem less oppressive than before in a way that makes the film aesthetically more pleasing. There are a few instances of specific colors making an impression among the more desaturated world. The improvement in the black levels are strong in this presentation, easily outpacing the weaker Blu-Ray. The highlights are balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. This film is never going to be a showcase due to the nature of the original capture, but fans will really appreciate the strong bump in quality this new 4K UHD disc offers.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a formidable Dolby Atmos presentation in the original Korean that handles the action incredibly well. The disc also comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that sounds good, but should not be considered a valid option since the original language is always the way to go. The track offers tremendous immersion into the chaotic environment so that even the subtlest elements are represented. All of the speakers are subjected to a sonic throttling throughout various moments of the presentation while providing a fully fleshed-out world to sink into.

The Atmos presentation takes full advantage of the expanded channel allotment. The height channels are used to unsettling effect when things really start hitting the fan. Directionality of sound is never an issue with this track, and dialogue is reproduced with supreme clarity. All of the sounds are balanced well during the kinetic sequences in all regards. The low end is represented with force in a way you will not soon forget. The audio presentation is just as impressive as the visual one. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Behind The Scenes: A 13-minute featurette which acts as a fly-on-the-wall showcase of the creation of various scenes. There are some interesting moments that fans should appreciate being able to see.

That’s A Wrap: A nearly five-minute piece which offers similar footage as the previous supplement from near the end of the shoot.

Trailers: A two-minute trailer is provided for Train to Busan. There are also trailers provided for Operation Mekong, Tunnel, Phantasm: Remastered and The Wailing.

Final Thoughts

Train to Busan was praised quite a bit when it was first released overseas which led to sky-high expectations once it finally made its way to America. This is one of the movies where the hype is justified, as it instantly established itself as one of the greatest zombie films of all time. The carnage is thrilling and captured so effectively from beginning to end, and the supporting characters elevate themselves above common zombie fodder. The emotional moments help push this one over the edge as something great since you actually care about what is happening to these characters. Well Go USA Entertainment has provided the film with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a most excellent A/V presentation along with a couple of extras. If you are a fan of spry zombie carnage, you will eat this one up and start asking for more. Recommended

Train to Busan is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Well Go USA Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.