--- title: "Train to Busan: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/train-to-busan/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/train-to-busan" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Train to Busan (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 14 reviews: 11 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics welcome Train to Busan as an energetic zombie thriller whose confined setting gives the action focus and urgency. Praise clusters around the close-quarters set pieces, the fast-spreading infection and the clear staging of survival sequences through the train. The reviews also frequently credit its humanity: the father-daughter relationship and characters worth caring about give the mayhem emotional weight, while class divisions provide more to consider than who gets bitten next. The spread is fairly wide, though firmly weighted towards approval, with social commentary the main point of disagreement. What many find sharp or effective, others consider obvious, softened for mainstream appeal or dependent on contrivance; there are also reservations about length. Slant Magazine admires the inventive frights but finds the family and capitalist messaging heavy-handed and conservative. The Playlist dissents more broadly, finding familiar genre devices, a thin plot and little of the heart that most critics praise. ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2016. The critic praises the film's propulsive action, innovative zombie design and set pieces, and emotional family focus as making it one of the best horrors of the year. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/train-busan-review/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2016. Yeon Sang-ho’s live-action debut delivers on its delicious premise of zombies on a train. The film stages thumping close-quarters action while managing deft, affecting manoeuvres with characters from a cross-section of Korean society. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/27/train-to-busan-review-korean-zombie-thriller-yeon-sang-ho) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 July 2016. The critic praises the film's energetic zombie action and class warfare critique on a bullet train, highlighting the spastic, break-dancing-like zombies and the director's gleeful dive into social commentary. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/movies/train-to-busan-review.html) ## Little White Lies — Mike Tsenti Rating 3/4/4. 27 October 2016. The critic finds the film an entertaining and heartfelt zombie thriller with strong character arcs. It singles out the class commentary and the effective, fast-spreading zombie mechanics for praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/train-to-busan) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 28 October 2016. The film is almost everything you could want a zombie movie to be, with characters you care about, social commentary, and lashings of bloody mayhem. Its greatest strength is its surprising humanity amid the chaos. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/10/28/train-to-busan-is-almost-everything-you-could-want-a-zombie-movi/) ## Variety — Maggie Lee Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 May 2016. Festival review. The critic highlights the film's relentless momentum as a zombie allegory of class rebellion and moral polarization, noting its unpretentious fun alongside a watered-down nihilistic vision for mainstream appeal. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/train-to-busan-review-busan-haeng-1201772922/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2016. Festival review. The critic describes it as an entertaining ride with solid genre thrills and political commentary on class and government response. It singles out the confined train setting and zombie survival sequences as working best. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/train-to-busan-cannes-review/5103624.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2016. Festival review. Yeon Sang-ho's first live-action feature is a solid zombies-on-a-train horror thriller that blends gore, paranoia and low-key social critique. It excels at spatial clarity and set-piece staging but feels like a step toward the mainstream compared to the director's earlier work. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/train-busan-bu-san-haeng-894153/) ## The Times — Kate Muir Rating ★★★☆☆. 28 October 2016. Fans of the undead horror genre will savour this fresh bite from South Korea. It is a smart horror that contrasts the hyper-cleanliness and efficiency of South Korean life with bloody, neck-biting chaos, though the journey may be a tad too long for normal passengers. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/train-to-busan-5ps0tt5vs) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 3/5. 24 October 2016. The critic calls it an enjoyably brutal and thrilling zombie movie that delivers strong action sequences. It singles out the obvious social messaging and contrivances as weaker elements. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/train-to-busan) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating ####. 17 July 2016. The film earns praise for its distinctive, jump-scare-free zombie mechanics and taut set pieces that blend horror and disaster tropes. However, its heavy-handed conservative messaging about family and capitalism undercuts the otherwise inventive frights. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/train-to-busan/) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2016. The critic highlights the film's relentless pace and clever use of the train setting to build tension, along with its mix of action, social commentary on class divides, and strong emotional core in the father-daughter relationship. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/train-to-busan-2016-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) ## HeyUGuys — Luke Channell Rating 4/5. 29 October 2016. The critic praises the film's kinetic energy and unique premise of zombies on a high-speed train, noting its blistering momentum, emotional character moments, and effective blend of action, humor, and social commentary. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/train-to-busan-review/) ## The Playlist — Kevin Jagernauth Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 22 July 2016. Festival review. The critic finds the film lacks thematic depth and visceral impact compared to similar works, criticizing its reliance on genre tropes, thin plot, and absence of heart or fresh insight into humanity amid crisis. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/korean-zombie-thriller-train-busan-needs-brains-review-20160722/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/train-to-busan.md