PENINSULA : Tuesday 25th August 2020.

'PENINSULA' which I saw at my local multiplex cinema earlier this week is a MA15+ Rated South Korean post zombie apocalyptic action horror film, is the standalone sequel to 2016's 'Train to Busan' and is Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who also Directed that first instalment. This film was selected to be shown at this years Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently cancelled for reasons of COVID-19. And so the film was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, went on limited release in Australia two weeks ago and in the US last week. The film cost US$16M to make and has so far grossed US$48M with US$27M of that haul coming from its local audience. It is also the first time since mid-March that the total global Box Office for a new film release has achieved over US$1M. The film has generated mostly mixed or average Reviews so far.

Set four years following the total decimation of South Korea in 'Train to Busan', we learn through an American chat show that the entire Korean peninsula has been quarantined from the rest of the world, and following the zombie outbreak it took just one single day for the government to collapse as the apocalypse spread rapidly through the nation. We then join Marine Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) at the wheel of his car attempting to drive to a port so that he, his sister, her husband Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) and his young nephew can board an evacuation boat bound for Hong Kong. En route he passes a family with a young child in desperate need of a lift, and pleading with him for a pick-up. Jung-seok ignores the woman's cries for help and keeps on driving, focused on arriving at their destination safely and in time. Having boarded the ship, sometime later crammed in like sardines, Jung-seok is alerted by one of his men that Hong Kong is now refusing entry of their ship, and as such they are being diverted to Japan. What Jung-seok doesn't realise is that one of the other passengers on the same deck where his sister, her husband and nephew are sitting is infected, and quickly turns zombie. In the ensuing chaos, the young nephew becomes infected and is being cradled by his mother. Jung-seok returns to the deck, kills as many of the marauding zombies as he can and is forced to leave behind his nephew and his mother. Chul-min returns from fetching something for his family to eat, only to be prevented from entering the cabin by Jung-seok, instead watching the horror unfold from behind a closed glass door.

Now four years later we find Jung-seok and Chul-min living in the ghettos of Hong Kong. Jung-seok is woken from his slumber by four heavies who demand that their boss wants to meet with him. It seems that the boss man has an offer for the two of them plus two others to return to the port city of Incheon on the peninsula to locate an abandoned food supply truck that contains a stash of US cash dollars amounting to twenty million bucks. On the promise of a half share of the proceeds for bringing back the cash, the gathered four agree and the next day are on a boat bound for Incheon. The next evening, they arrive under cover of darkness and are able to locate the abandoned truck after some searching in the general vicinity of where the boss man gave his instructions as to its approximate whereabouts. The four are able to escape in the truck, after being chased down by a horde of zombies.

Believing that it's now a simple journey back to the port and the awaiting boat to take them back to Hong Kong and a new life of wealth and freedom, the four are ambushed by a rogue militia outfit known as Unit 631, led by the ruthless Sergeant Hwang (Kim Min-jae). Jung-seok gets thrown out of the truck, while Chul-min hides in the back. The other two die from the ambush. Jung-seok is then rescued by two sisters - Joon (Lee Re), who is very adept at high speed, fast manoeuvres behind the wheel of a 4WD drives the car away from the scene, and her younger sister Yu-jin (Lee Ye-won).

The three arrive at a hideout, where the children live with their mother Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun) and grandfather Elder Kim (Kwon Hae-hyo). Jung-seok quickly comes to the realisation that Min-jung is the lady that had asked for a hitch four years ago, but for now he doesn't divulge this.

The truck, now in the possession of Unit 631, arrives at the militia's compound. Chul-min is then discovered hiding in the rear and is taken prisoner, and forced to take part in an arena cat & mouse game of zombie survival with a group of other captives. Private Kim (Kim Kyu-baek) a lowly supply operative and Captain Seo (Koo Kyo-hyun) the head honcho of Unit 631 discover the stash of cash in the truck, and secretly devise a cunning plan to get themselves off the peninsula with the truck, while keeping their escape plans from the belligerent Hwang. Meanwhile, Min-jung learns from Jung-seok that there is a ship at Incheon Port waiting to extract him. She then decides to steal the truck from the compound so that the five of them can escape the peninsula together. At this point Jung-seok comes clean that they had met before. Min-jung tells him not to worry as she can't remember him, as thirty-one cars passed them by that day without stopping. The next evening after sundown (because these zombies have limited vision in the dark), close to Unit 631's compound, Joon, Yu-jin, and Elder Kim are explicitly instructed to wait in the car, while Jung-seok and Min-jung sneak inside, where they discover the truck and encounter Private Kim.

Jung-seok learns from Kim (held at gunpoint by Min-jung that Chul-min is alive in the compound and seeks to rescue him. Inside, the arena zombie survival game is in full swing with Chul-min in the middle of the fray. Jung-seok kills numerous zombies, and sets up a smoke screen so that he and Chul-min can make their escape, killing several Unit 631 soldiers in the process. Chul-min is however, shot and killed in a gunfight by Hwang. 

Jung-seok is then saved by Min-jung and the two quickly escape the compound in the truck with many Unit 631 soldiers, including Hwang and Seo, giving chase in their own souped up vehicles. Meanwhile, Joon, Yu-jin and Elder Kim have arrived to lend support in their 4WD to Jung-seok and Min-jung by helping them to out manoeuvre and out run the militia vehicles. In the ensuing chase, Jung-seok notices a glass tunnel in which are trapped a large horde of zombies, that he had observed when he first arrived. He deliberately shoots and shatters the glass panelling, freeing the horde inside, which then quickly overrun Hwang's vehicle, killing Hwang and his driver. 

The five then continue their journey onto Incheon dockside to rendezvous with their boat. Seo however, rams into Joon's 4WD and then holds her at gunpoint. Elder Kim is critically shot by Seo as he is defending Yu-jin, and in the fray Min-jung is shot in the leg by Seo, as he makes his getaway in the truck aiming for the boat and now his share of half the proceeds of the US$20M haul. He hurriedly drives the truck up into the cargo hold of the ship, to be greeted by the Hong Kong henchmen who brokered the deal with the original four. Thinking he is home and hosed, Seo is shot at point blank range by one of the henchmen who unloads his pistol into him. As Seo is slumped over the steering wheel bleeding out, he musters the strength to slam the truck into reverse, hits the accelerator and reverses the truck onto the cargo holds gate, so preventing it from closing. In rush a horde of zombies, who in no time have killed everyone inside. 

The four still grieving over the death of Elder Kim, then spot a United Nations military transport helicopter on approach, and using fireworks to donate their location, direct it to land on the port. Min-jung asks that Jung-seok bring Joon and Yu-jin to the helicopter, while she clears the path of zombies. Min-jung then traps herself in a truck and presses on the horn repeatedly, so as to attract the zombies to her and in turn sacrifice herself so that the three can escape. Jung-seok recalls that he left Min-jung standing four years earlier, and won't let that happen a second time, so returns and kills the zombies trapping her inside the truck. She quickly makes the run to the helicopter, and Jung-seok covers her by shooting the zombie horde. The four board the helicopter and escape the peninsula.

I have to say that I had higher hopes for 'Peninsula' off the back of 2016's stand out 'Train to Busan', but those hopes went largely unrealised. 'Peninsula' certainly looks the part in all its post-apocalyptic dystopian gore inducing glory, but this film borrows extensively from 'Mad Max : Beyond Thunderdome', 'World War Z' and the more recent 'Fast & Furious' instalments with a heavy reliance on obvious CGI effects for the high speed car chase sequences that look as though they were pulled straight out of early versions of the video game 'Grand Theft Auto'. Whilst its predecessor set the bar very high, this stand alone sequel fails to reach those dizzy heights instead relying on standard genre tropes, a predictable plot after the initial set up, and an ending that you can spot from a mile away. That said, it has enough sustained action to maintain the interest, I did feel invested in the main characters and the film is entertaining enough to warrant your attention if this type of fast paced CGI heavy zombie gore fest is your thing.

'Peninsula' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 13th August 2020.

In the past few weeks I have reported on a number of major studio films that have had their planned release dates pushed back because of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent halting or delays experienced by movie production houses, and only the partial reopening of cinemas worldwide. Those films rescheduled have been 'Tenet', 'No Time To Die', 'Wonder Woman 1984', 'The Conjuring : The Devil Made Me Do It', 'The French Dispatch', 'A Quiet Place : Part II', 'Top Gun : Maverick', 'Halloween Kills', 'The Eternals', 'Antlers', 'Ghostbusters : Afterlife', and 'Fast & Furiuos 9'. This week to keep you ever in the loop, I update you on another four major films that have seen their already publicised release dates pushed back.

'MORBIUS' - this American superhero film is Directed by Daniel Espinosa, the Swedish film maker whose earlier credits take in 'Safe House', 'Child 44' and 'Life' in 2017. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name this will be the second instalment in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters after 2018's 'Venom'. Here Jared Leto stars as Michael Morbius with Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson and Adria Arjona with Michael Keaton too. Initially scheduled for a 31st July 2020 release, this has now been delayed until 19th March 2021.

'LAST NIGHT IN SOHO' - is a psychological thriller film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Edgar Wright whose previous Directorial credits include 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', 'The World's End', 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' and 'Baby Driver' in 2017. Here Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomas Harcourt McKenzie, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp star in this film which was originally slated for a 25th September 2020 release, but has since been pushed back until 23rd April 2021.

'SPIRAL : FROM THE BOOK OF SAW' - here we have the ninth film in the 'Saw' horror franchise that is this time Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman whose previous film making outings mostly in the horror genre include 'Saw II', Saw III', 'Saw IV', 'Mother's Day', '11-11-11', 'The Barrens' and 'Abattoir'. Here Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols star in this follow on to the earlier films but with a fresh perspective. Originally intended for a 23rd October 2020 release this was then moved forward to a 15th May 2020 release date, and this has now been rescheduled to 20th May 2021.

'VENOM : LET THERE BE CARNAGE' - is the sequel to 2018's 'Venom' which grossed US$856M off the back of a US$110M production budget making this follow up instalment inevitable. This time Andy Serkis Directs and this will be the third film in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters following on from 'Morbius'. Here Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock/Venom with Woody Harrelson starring as the antagonist Cletus Kasady/Carnage with Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott and Stephen Graham. Originally intended for a 2nd October 2020 release date this was subsequently pushed back to 25th June 2021.

This week there are four new release movies showing at your local Odeon. We launch with a disaster film of post zombie apocalyptic proportions in this South Korean standalone sequel to a hugely popular and successful 2016 film, that sees a group of four soldiers return to a zombie infested wasteland to retrieve a stash of cash and get out alive . . . easy! Next we turn to another disaster, but this one brought about by a hurricane event, and a cop trying to organise the evacuation of an apartment tower in which lives a former cop now suffering ill health, as a gang of thieves close in intent on stealing a huge stash of cash hidden in said apartment block. We have next a comedy drama about an estranged father and son who embark on journey to Tuscany to visit, fix up and sell a run down old villa left to them by their late wife and mother; before closing out the week with a French offering about a man whose life long marriage is on the slide but he's given a chance to kind of 'time travel' by a stage company and so he revisits the place where he first met his future wife over forty years prior.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'PENINSULA' (Rated MA15+) - this South Korean post zombie apocalyptic action horror film is the standalone sequel to 2016's 'Train to Busan' as is Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who also Directed that first instalment. This film was selected to be shown at this years Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently cancelled for reasons of COVID-19. And so the film was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, goes on limited release in Australia this week and in the US next week. The film cost US$16M to make and has so far grossed US$29M with US$27M of that haul coming from its local audience. It is also the first time since mid-March that the total global Box Office for a new film release has achieved over US$1M.

Set four years following the total decimation of South Korea in 'Train to Busan' Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation with two simple objectives : retrieve an abandoned food truck containing a stash of cash amounting to US$20M and survive in the process. When his team unexpectedly stumbles upon survivors, their lives will depend on whether the best or worst of human nature prevails in the most deadly and dangerous of circumstances. Also starring Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Re.

'FORCE OF NATURE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American action film Directed by Michael Polish whose previous Directing credits include 'The Astronaut Farmer' in 2006 with Billy Bob Thornton, 'The Smell of Success' in 2009 with Thornton again, 'Amnesiac' in 2014 with Kate Bosworth, '90 Minutes in Heaven' in 2015 with Bosworth again and 'Nona' in 2017 with Bosworth once more. And here he teams up with Bosworth again for the latest hurricane heist set drama. And so here policeman Cardillo (Emille Hirsch) and a former cop suffering declining health Ray Barrett (Mel Gibson) married to Troy Barrett (Kate Bosworth) battle a gang of thieves led by John the Baptist (David Zayas) as they search for US$55M inside an evacuated building during a hurricane. This film seems to have divided Critics who have largely bestowed negative Press on the film, and audiences who have seemingly praised it. The film was released at the end of June on digital, DVD and Blu-Ray, gets a theatrical release in Australia this week, cost US$23M to produce and so far grossed US$150K.

'MADE IN ITALY' (Rated M) - this comedy film is Directed and Written by the English Actor James D'Arcy in his feature film making debut. Darcy has notched up nearly eighty film and television acting credits to his name in a career spanning twenty-five years. Here Robert (Liam Neeson) is estranged from his adult son Jack (Micheal Richardson), but they reunite to travel to Tuscany, Italy in order to sell the house they inherited from Robert's late wife. When they arrive they discover a run down largely dilapidated villa, that they must first set about restoring before they can even think about selling. As the renovations don't go quite according to plan, the father and son soon find themselves at odds with one another. Robert's obvious lack of DIY experience leads him to seek advice and assistance from some of the more colourful locals including the no nonsense Kate (Lindsay Duncan), an ex-pat who earns a living selling villas who also quickly captures his eye. For Jack, the state of the house seems to echo his search for memories of happier times with his mother. He soon falls for Natalia (Valeria Bilello), a vivacious young Italian chef, who restores both body and soul with culinary delights from her local trattoria, but her jealous and angry ex-husband may come between them. As Robert and Jack gradually restore the villa to its former glory, so too do they begin to heal their relationship.

'LA BELLE EPOQUE' (Rated M) - is a 2019 French romantic comedy drama film Directed and Written by Nicolas Bedos in only his second feature film making outing, although he has acted and written in various films and TV series over the years. The film first Premiered out of competition at the May 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was then released in its native France in early November last year to generally favourable Reviews. Here, Victor Drumond (Daniel Auteuil) is a man in his sixties whose forty or so year marriage to Marianne (Fanny Ardant) is on the rocks. When Victor meets Antoine (Guillaume Canet), the owner of a company which allows people to perform a version of 'time travel' by visiting a stage where the company acts out a staged historical reenactment, he takes the opportunity to revisit the moment when he first met Marianne on 16th May 1974 at a cafe in Lyon called 'La Belle Epoque', in the hope of reigniting his love for her. Also starring Doria Tillier and Michael Cohen.

With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-