TIDAL WAVE MOVIE MOVIE
In the end, 'Tidal Wave' honors the disaster movie genre, and for me, stands out as refreshing because it holds back while displaying a culturally different landscape.
Small trims would have picked up the pacing, ensured a modicum of believability, and saved us all from some cringe-worthy acting. Also detracting from the film's climax are extended beats of heroism. Here they do admirably for the money involved, but fake effects tend to take you out of the moment. Again, as in ' The Perfect Storm' and ' Poseidon,' water is damn hard to replicate. The effects themselves range from perfect (mostly wider shots, featuring less moving water) where I only knew there were CGI elements thanks to the behind-the-scenes featurettes, to downright poor. The film's greatest strength is that it waits to deliver the goods, so I was actually concerned for the characters when the fit hits shan. With a budget this small, there's no way to compete with other movies costing ten to twenty times more. Because not everyone's sympathetic, it gave the film a sense of realism, despite the over-the-top melodramatics.Īs for the disaster elements themselves? Sadly, they're a mixed bag. Most wouldn't be featured in an American movie (note the rich girl who literally berates the lifeguard into a relationship with her). One of the character strengths here is that many are far from perfect or heroic, yet their struggles are universal.
Other reviewers have commented that these characters are thin and just as bad as their American disaster film counterparts, but I disagree. The tone is also quite quirky, jumping around from the tragic opening moments to comedic sight gags and fledgling romances. Not knowing too much about South Korea, other than having seen a handful of recent movies such as ' The Host,' it's fascinating to see how characters act and react in just about any given situation. There's a lot going on, but what makes it so engaging is the cultural differences. Professor Kim is estranged from his wife, who has been raising their daughter alone (the little girl doesn't know the professor is her father). Lastly, we have Professor Kim, the scientist who sees the increasing number of regional earthquakes as a potential lead up to a "mega-tsunami" which are giant tsunamis caused by large scale landslides. In another part of town, three rich girls on summer vacation meet three rich guys, only troubles arise when one of the young ladies falls for a lifeguard instead (this is a problem, much like Sun and Jin on 'LOST,' because they are from different classes). Man-sik, who was in charge of the fishing operations the night of that terrible tragedy, is a single father who drinks himself to death over his guilt while pining over Yeon-Hee.
The man's daughter, Yeon-Hee struggles to fish and support her small restaurant. Four years later, this lost fisherman has changed the lives of everyone involved.
Most of the men are rescued, save for one.
TIDAL WAVE MOVIE FULL
Where bigger budgeted disaster movies hurl viewers into a non-stop onslaught of the same action sequence over and over again (looking at you, ' 2012' - which is definitely a fun movie, but repetitive), 'Tidal Wave' gives audiences a full hour of character moments before putting them in jeopardy.Īs far as character goes: 'Tidal Wave' opens on Decemas a fishing boat sinks during the real Tsunami caused by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. Sure the plot's familiar - insert an ensemble of melodramatic characters, including a scientist trying to warn people, and eventually toss them into a cinematic blender that is a special effects driven "event" - but what makes 'Tidal Wave' feel new is the cultural variances between Korean and Hollywood cinema, and the filmmakers' decision to hold off on the mayhem. Billed as South Korea's first disaster movie and the country's biggest budget feature to date ($11 Million Dollars), 'Tidal Wave', or 'Haeundae' as it was originally titled, is a refreshing take on the genre.
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