The disaster movie goes global in “Tidal Wave,” proving you don’t need has been celebrities – or Roland Emmerich – to bring mankind to its knees.
The South Korean import, just released on Blu-ray, traffics in the same theatrics as its American peers.
But there’s one big difference. “Tidal Wave” asks us to endure more than an hour of setup before the water comes to shore.
And while it’s nice to get to know the people who will soon be running for their lives, you’ll be rooting for the gushing waters to take some of them far, far away.
“Tidal Wave” follows a loosely connected group of citizens in Busan, South Korea who are unaware that a major tsunami has them in its sights.
Man-sik (Sol Kyung-gu) and Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won) are one of those couples who belong together but neither of them is brave enough to admit it.
Geologist (Park Joong-hoon), who may be the one person who sees the tsunami coming, is distracted by an old flame (Uhm Jung-hwa) and their daughter.
Many other characters shove their way into the narrative, and director Yoon Je-kyun ladles on the broad comedy to keep us engaged. The physical humor has a go for broke quality that makes up for the near misses, and the fealty felt by several key characters to an orphaned young woman – and to senior citizens in general – is touching.
Some gags show the cultural divide between U.S. and Korean audiences. A fine example is the extended – and unnecessary – sequence at a baseball game featuring Man-sik melting down when the team’s star player chokes.
Once the water reaches the shore “Tidal Wave” picks up considerably. The effects, overseen by Hans Uhlig of “The Day After Tomorrow” fame, rival U.S. based frightmares.
It’s an impressive display of mayhem, and the film’s humor isn’t completely washed away in the assault. Consider a sly sequence in which one of our heroes dodges one piece of falling debris after another.
But hearing our love birds dissect their relationship while holding on for dear life is a tragedy of a different kind.
“Tidal Wave” shows other countries can make disaster films as relentless – and corny – as anything out of the Hollywood dream factory.
The film’s copious Blu-ray extras include a gag reel, deleted scenes, a “making of” featurette and a look at the computer effects which made the titular tidal wave possible.
(Photo: The South Korean smash “Tidal Wave” comes to American shores courtesy of the Blu-ray – and DVD – format. Magnolia Home Entertainment)
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
‘”Tidal Wave” shows other countries can make disaster films as relentless – and corny – as anything out of the Hollywood dream factory.’
I suppose this is a sign of [cultural export] progress….
D