Director Yeon Sang-ho revolutionized the zombie genre with Train to Busan, but he made an underrated superhero movie in 2018 that’s also worth checking out. Sang-ho’s 2016 zombie masterpiece became an overnight international sensation, and it helped to breathe new life into the waning horror subgenre. It had a classic feel while also adding new wrinkles to the old ideas.

By the time the movie came out, zombies had become mᴀssively overexposed, and franchises like The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ dominated popular culture in the 2010s. Train to Busan changed all that with a fast-paced plot, and a wholly unique approach to zombie storytelling. An animated prequel arrived the same year, but the 2020 sequel was mostly a disappointment.

The long-awaited Peninsula took the franchise in a more action-centric direction, but it lost a lot of the emotional impact that made Train to Busan such a classic. In between installments in the zombie franchise, Yeon Sang-ho has been consistently busy, and has dabbled in various other genres.

Even if Peninsula was a miss, he has prove himself to be a deft director in other movies. Jung_E continued the filmmaker’s fascination with science fiction, while 2025’s Revelations hearkened back to the classic Korean thrillers from the 1990s and early 2000s. During that stretch, Sang-ho also tried his hand at the superhero genre, and delivered an underrated gem.

Train To Busan’s Director Also Made The Superhero Movie Psychokinesis

Yeon Sang-ho Directed Korea’s First Ever Superhero Movie

Just two years after Train to Busan, Yeon Sang-ho would direct his second live-action feature film in the form of 2018’s Psychokinesis. The film is important from a historical standpoint because it was actually Korea’s first superhero movie ever. It premiered on Netflix in international markets, but didn’t catch on like Train to Busan had.

The plot follows a father who gains superpowers from a mountain stream, and uses his abilities to help his daughter fight against an evil corporation that wants to buy the neighborhood. The story feels like it was ripped straight from the pages of a Golden Age comic book, and it’s quaint compared to American superhero movies from the same period.

The simplicity of the story allows for Sang-ho’s usual social commentary, and it’s a lot like Train to Busan in that respect. Both films take a tried-and-true film genre, and use the tropes to explore ideas like class and social status through a uniquely Korean lens. Furthermore, a father/daughter relationship is the heart of the story.

Redemption is a theme in both of Sang-ho’s first two live-action movies, but Psychokinesis never feels like it’s borrowing from its more famous predecessor. Instead, the fun and fast-paced superhero story has its own approach, and introduces new ideas too. Shin Seok-heon isn’t just protecting his daughter from evil, but is also fighting a societal problem.

The greedy corporation that serves as the antagonist is representative of real-life issues with housing in Korea, and the movie finds an interesting way to examine the problem. Preserving neighborhood culture is just as important as repairing the bond between father and daughter, and Psychokinesis implies they might even be connected.

Though the movie is a pale imitation of American superhero movies when it comes to grandeur, there is a depth to the plot that those films often lack. It’s not a perfect movie, but Psychokinesis is certainly a worthy follow-up to Train to Busan, and proof that Yeon Sang-ho was not a one-hit-wonder.

Why Psychokinesis Works While The Train To Busan Sequel Didn’t

The Drama Is The Most Important Part Of The Story

Yeon Sang-ho was on a roll with Train to Busan, its animated prequel, and then Psychokinesis. Unfortunately, Peninsula was a notable stumble, and the Train to Busan franchise hasn’t returned in the five years since its release. While his superhero film isn’t nearly as famous, Psychokinesis soared while Peninsula sank.

The most obvious reason for Peninsula‘s failure was that it was simply too disconnected from Train to Busan. None of the characters returned, and it was merely set in the same universe. The turn toward action was also jarring, and it stripped away a lot of the scares. However, Peninsula had other major problems that derailed the sequel.

Train to Busan and Psychokinesis are actually more similar than the aforementioned sequel, and therein lies the movie’s biggest issue. Peninsula didn’t need to copy the exact details of its predecessor, but a focus on a character-driven narrative would have made the movie much better. Psychokinesis has a heart, and it instantly makes the forgotten film more likable.

Peninsula actively avoids slowing down for character moments, and that stops the zombie sequel from having any intrigue. Viewers need a reason to care about the characters, and the action-heavy plot was too narrowly focused to allow for anything real or heartfelt to slip through. Train to Busan was an impossible act to follow, but Psychokinesis did a decent job.