I’ll be honest. I’m not a fan of zombie movies. George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” is still a classic, but even that movie didn’t exactly thrill me. To me, zombies tend to be boring. The slow, gaited walk—despite the overwhelming numbers—just made them less imposing than they should be.

“Train to Busan” not only gives us an absolute thrill ride, but it also does what Korean filmmaking has been so good at over the years; it gives us food for thought and for people to decide what’s really important. Who else could put such a message, and do it effectively, than the Koreans? In short, this is the first zombie movie that I’ve seen that has heart and depth.

I will say that this is the best zombie movie I’ve ever seen. The zombies don’t do the stupid walk in this film. They run. They chase in a relentless frenzy that begs the viewer to ask, “how in the world did they film that?!”

Seok Woo (wonderfully played by Gong Yoo) is a workaholic father who has little time for his daughter, who begs him to take her to Busan to see her mother. Seok Woo is a man so disconnected from his daughter, Soo Ahn, that he doesn’t realize that he’s bought her a birthday gift that she already has. He finally agrees to take her.

In the meantime, a massive outbreak of “infected” people begin to take over, and of course, it only takes one as an infected woman jumps aboard the train just as it’s leaving the station. What transpires after this is an absolutely incredible survivor movie and what becomes of human nature when lives are on the line. There are those who believe in doing right by people, and there are others who believe that survival by any means necessary is justified. Interestingly enough, Seok Woo starts off as a man who believes that saving himself and his daughter is all that matters, leaving one man to rebuke him harshly for his selfish behavior.

Once the pursuit is underway, you have a good idea of who is most likely to survive, but there are still questions regarding the other characters and whether or not they will make it. And on a deeper level, what will these people do in their last moments, which brings us some very compelling moments.

On the one hand, this is a survivor movie worthy of “Titanic” or “The Poseidon Adventure” or “The Towering Inferno.” And on the other hand, it also begs the viewer to ask questions that could easily be used in a university philosophy class.

Performances are stellar across the board, but Kim Soo An really impressed me as Seok Woo’s daughter. The last few minutes of the film are heartbreaking and heart wrenching.

There isn't much music in the film, which adds to the effect, but when it kicks in, you know that you-know-what is about to hit the fan!

There really isn’t an element of this film that I can say came up short. From story to characters, to cinematography, this movie excels in every category. I see why this film is already considered a classic, and it’s the only zombie movie that I plan to add to my collection!