Bullet Train Explosion feels like a blockbuster made for adults — or let’s say, not for a lowest-common-denominator audience — where the priority is throwing challenges and complications at smart characters instead of sparking conflict with cheap narrative shortcuts and bad, even dumb choices.
Despite remaking much of that film (Taisei Iwasaki and Yuma Yamaguchi’s tense score being one of the most successful throwbacks), Bullet Train Explosion abandons the complicating human factors that gave the original its soul. It makes the same mistake as so many modern blockbusters: confusing bigger, louder, and simpler with better.
With Bullet Train Explosion, you get a straight-down-the-line crowdpleaser, replete with duty-bound authority figures in well-pressed uniforms, anxious and often self-absorbed passengers, Macgyver-like problem-solving, seat-of-your-pants close calls, that sort of thing. There are no real surprises here, just what you’d want from this sort of cheeseball entertainment.
Even as the Shinkansen decouples some of its cars at full speed and performs death-defying track changes in order to avoid crashing into other trains, it never really feels like anything is meaningfully at risk, and Higuchi’s setpieces are seldom intense enough to offset the lack of danger that’s baked into this project from the start.
It could innovate more thoroughly and ground its antagonistic plot with stronger internal logic, but it's a solid action outing that's well worth any audience's time.
une tension permanant, on ressent très bien la vitesse et on est impressionné des monstres qui sont les Shinkansen. Avec de très bon acteur et une très bonne vf on est servie
Action is okay. Contains some japanese trash factor, like some scenes/dialoges and side-story. There are many similiar movies which are better.
观影体验还挺好的，虽然特效什么的跟好莱坞差距很大，但够用就行了。两个多小时的影片基本毫无尿点，在我这已经非常优秀了。凶手以及犯罪动机在揭晓前是真猜不到。
Bullet Train Explosion (2025) is an interesting ride that tries to bring back the disaster-thriller vibe but falls a little short on the human side of things. The directing by Shinji Higuchi feels like it cares more about showing the technical process of running a train than about telling a story through its characters. You can tell a lot of work went into the production itself, especially with the practical effects, model sets, and tight editing that really keep the tension high. The problem is, while everything looks good and feels intense, the characters end up feeling like background noise rather than the heart of the movie. It feels more like you are watching a really well-made simulation than being pulled into a story. The acting is decent, especially from Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, who manages to bring some presence even without a lot of material to work with. The script, though, feels a bit thin, like it was written just enough to move from one tense scene to another without really digging into who these people are. The cinematography is clean and sharp, with some really impressive shots during the action sequences, and the sound design does a solid job of keeping you in that high-stakes atmosphere. The score is there but not very memorable, mostly serving the moment without standing out. Overall, it is a movie you can enjoy for the tension and visuals, but if you are hoping to get attached to the characters or dive deep into the story, it might leave you wanting more.
The producers deserve congratulations for bringing a breath of originality to something that in the hands of Gerald Butler or Jason Statham would have been just another run-of-the-mill action thriller. The plot keeps the viewer glued to the seat and chomping at the bit until the very last minute. Arigato!
Bullet Train Explosion offers a visually stimulating experience with its rapid pacing and action sequences. However, despite a diverse cast, the film's characters lack depth and development. From a rookie assistant train manager to a high school student, none of the characters undergo meaningful growth or redemption. Its antagonist's motivations are underdeveloped and fail to evoke genuine tension and an overemphasis on style make it a forgettable ride rather than a memorable cinematic journey. For those seeking a film with depth and substance, Bullet Train Explosion may leave you stranded at the station.
A classic reboot of 1972 "Bullet Train" film which becane quite popular at the time of its release due to its top notch thrilling suspense, amazing cinematography and its editing, has now shown the same result which bring back some old memories how cool were the 70s Japanese action movies. Quite an achievement over its pacing, its gritting story about the bombing plot by the mastermind with its thrilling suspense when it turns out to be a highschool girl behind this plot which was really a rollercoaster ride.
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