‘Bullet Train Explosion’ Netflix Movie Review - Delivers What the Title Promises, But Is That Enough?

A Tokyo-bound Hayabusa 60 Shinkansen will explode if its speed drops below 100 km/h. Among the passengers, there is Yuko Kagami (Machiko Ono), a "Sugar Mama" politician; Mitsuru Todoroki (Jun Kaname), a well-known influencer; Yuzuki Onodera (Hana Toyoshima), a student; and a man with a face mask whose identity I won't reveal here. Among the staff members, we have Chika Matsumoto (Non), the train driver; Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), the train conductor; and Keiji Fujii (Kanata Hosoda), who is...young and very excited. The basic plot of Shinji Higuchi's Bullet Train Explosion (aka, Shinkansen Daibakuha) will remind you of Speed, Nightsleeper, and the 1975 Junya Sato thriller, which is also titled Shinkansen Daibakuha (English: The Bullet Train). Writers Kazuhiro Nakagawa and Norichika Ōba have, in fact, remade Sato's thriller for Netflix, and their production can be a bit hit-and-miss. A movie like this depends on two key things: Suspension of disbelief and zippy editing. The first part is fairly easy to accomplish. No one will watch Bullet Train Explosion to learn about the daily routine of the Japanese railway employees. The second part - the editing - helps to create an accelerated pace that keeps the audience on the edge. This is precisely what's missing from Bullet Train Explosion. It doesn't leave you stressed - you never gasp for air. It's like watching a comedy without jokes, a horror without a menacing atmosphere, a drama without conflicts, and a thriller without suspense. The very soul of the genre is missing from this Netflix adaptation.

Nonetheless, Bullet Train Explosion manages to look like a decent disaster flick during the scenes where the high-speed train explodes or crashes. The emphasis here is on heroism in the face of overwhelming circumstances, which is what most disaster flicks convey to the audience. The ordinary worker who saves all the civilians just happens to be incredibly dedicated to his profession. Keanu Reeves's Jack Traven risks his life and hops on the bus to rescue the trapped characters. Takaichi does whatever he can to control the situation. He also chooses to save a life instead of sacrificing it to defuse the bomb. Takaichi is a man of high moral principles, and you are a little moved by his actions when you see him smiling towards the end as others say thank you to him. Bullet Train Explosion says that, sure, the world looks fucked up right now, but not everything is lost. There are people out there who still care about humans. The movie celebrates the victory of an optimist - the cynic is (emotionally) defeated. Given the current circumstances, watching a film like this doesn't seem like a bad idea. Higuchi's thriller does grow on you as it progresses, but it's far from a satisfying cinematic experience. Sequences that should be nail-biting, like a risky rescue operation, don't make you hold your breath. You are always aware of the visual fakeness - the green screen elements.

The computer effects are serviceable, but they don't suck you into the moment. Speed had actors like Reeves and Sandra Bullock, who exuded so much charm that you ended up rooting for them. No such actors are present in Bullet Train Explosion. Something inside you warms up when Matsumoto asks Takaichi to help her release her hands from the main controller, but none of the actors leave a lasting impression. Higuchi uses them mainly to fulfill the demands of the plot - a task that's carried out with sufficient commitment to make this 2 hours and 14 minutes film pass by without much inconvenience. Still, the film ultimately feels like those "inspirational" Instagram posts that tell you to be kind and be good. The world is burning, collapsing, and slowly dying, and the profusion of negativity around you can turn you into a pessimist or an angry geezer. But the filmmakers, through Bullet Train Explosion, want you to have faith in humans. "All you need is love" could be the subtitle of this film. "Intentions alone do not make a movie awesome" could be another subtitle.

Final Score - [4/10]
Reviewed By - Vikas Yadav