Monday, November 7, 2016

Seoul Station (서울역) (HIFF 2016) - Movie Review


Seoul Station, an official selection of the 2016 Hawaii International Film Festival, is an animated feature and predecessor to the smash hit Korean zombie action film, Train to Busan, both of which were written and directed by Sang-ho Yeon. The film, which shows the original zombie outbreak that leads the events of Train to Busan, features voice acting contributions from Seung-ryong Ryu, Franciska Friede, and Joon Lee.


The Review:
Gotta be honest, I was pretty excited to see this film since Train to Busan blew me away and is sure to be one of my favorite films of the year. This, of course, is a completely different type of movie in just about every way and it goes down a much darker path than the follow up feature. Director Sang-ho Yeon really digs into some social and political commentary while also hinting at a possible corporate scheme being behind the otherwise unexplained outbreak. The animation itself isn't really anything to write home about and is just sort of dull and drab although I suspect that was intentional to match the dark and dreary outlook of the story.


The Verdict:
Seoul Station is an intense story of survival although it does go down a really dark path towards the finish which seemed excessive after everything else the main characters had already gone through. The film overall is a solid entry into what could be categorized as animated horror although it doesn't really bring anything new or innovative to the table.

Check out the movie's official Hawaii International Film Festival page for dates and show times.





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