Tidal Wave [Haeundae]

Professor Kim, a marine geologist, recognizes the impending danger of a mega tsunami headed straight for Haeundae, a popular vacation spot on the south coast of Korea. He desperately attempts to warn authorities and alert the unknowing vacationers of the 500 MPH destructive force of nature headed their direction

This movie was getting some pretty bad reviews on Netflix but I generally watch them stuff and make up my own mind about them.  This movie wasn't as bad as everyone else was saying. One moron gave it a one start review because he didn't "like reading the subtitles because then couldn't focus on the movie." That review doesn't exist to me because if they tell you the movie is in a different language, going in you should expect subtitles. I really don't understand people who watch foreign films then their biggest issue with the movie is the fact it is not voiced over in English.

So here's my take on this movie.

A South Korean scientist kept trying to warn everyone he could about what would happen if a piece of an island breaks off during seismic activities in Japan. He told them it could cause mega tsunami but no one would listen - not his colleagues or his ex-wife (mother to his daughter who didn't tell his daughter she had a father).  They

didn't declare a disaster in time and soon it was too late. A giant tsunami - I'm talking massive is bearing down on Korea and the town of Haeundae is right in its path.

To make matters worst, the characters are going through all manner of issues from one brother falling in love with a wealthy man's daughter and having Hench-men beat him up, to another who manages to cause this elder man to die and now must take care of the man's daughter and his son (who by the way the mother walked out of his life and left him to be a single father) and his mother is a certifiably nutso. Then he had to deal with his uncle, who's trying to buy him out so they can build some state of the art condo/mall thing on their land--their private lives were hell.

This movie doesn't deserve a one star rating.  Sure, its not perfect and not a five start but its a three star at best. The emotional journey these characters went on just broke my heart. It was written in a way that was so real. If someone got hurt too bad they died and some characters were created just to die - there was no other possible outcome if the story was to work. It was raw and scary and after a while I kept thinking "OMG these writers are trying to kill me!"

There was some laughter and a lot of tears but all in all it was a pretty decent movie.  There was a strange humanity about this piece that shocked me. The way it ended wasn't all nice and sweet. It was a sort of happy ending but not the kind you'd think. If you like disaster movies - not MILLION dollar movies but a good disaster movie with great acting and raw emotion then watch this.  You might just enjoy it.

Kato