Haeundae (Tsunami) (Tidal Wave) poster & wallpaper
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Seol Gyeong-gu, Ha Ji-Won, Joong-Hoon Park, In-kwon Kim, Min-ki Lee ... see more see more... , Uhm Jung-hwa , Ye-won Kang

A marine biologist races to warn Korean beachgoers that a massive tsunami is headed for Haeundae, and discovers that he has a daughter he never knew about when he attempts to alert his ex-wife to the ... read more read more...danger. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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50% liked it

1,038 ratings

R, 2 hr. 9 min.

Directed by: Yun Je-gyun, Yun Je Gyun

Release Date: August 28, 2009

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DVD Release Date: May 11, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (209)

  • WrenchLT
    June 21, 2011
    WrenchLT
    Korean made disaster flick about an impending Tsunami which is to strike the sunny coastal city of Busan with most unaware except for a determined geoliogist. It has all the features of a successful disaster blockbuster: human drama, likable characters and awesome special effects... read more. The first hour is all about character development and the science behind the tsunami, which is all welcome and it manages to be entertaining and quite funny too. Then the tsunami hits and it looks brilliant and terrifying as it smashes into the city, one of the best tsunami scenes I've seen in a movie. Definitely one of the most enjoyable disaster films I've seen in a while.
  • deano
    January 23, 2011
    deano
    I found this film really good at a disaster genre movie to come out of South Korea.
    This movie is a good alternative to the usual comedies and horrors movie that mostly come out of Korea. It also takes up some real life issues about tsunamies.
    The tidal wave doesn't enter the sc... read moreene until over 70 minutes in, and at least 30 of those minutes could go. The story introduces a large cast of characters (and it's sometimes hard to figure out who's who), puts them in place in Busan, South Korea, and then unleashes the water.
    Probably the best scene is a large set piece on a bridge after the first wave has struck. A slacker survives the deluge, then is caught up in catastrophic events involving flying guy wires that snap loose from the bridge, falling vehicles, and finally a huge fireball. Imagine Chuck Jones directing WILE E. COYOTE IN HELL with the forces of water and gravity replacing the Road Runner.
  • kiriyamakazou
    July 29, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Flaunted as Korea's most expensive movie and the countries first venture into disaster movie territory. I was both excited and worried about this film. The trailers looked spectacular but I was concerned about the melodrama. I'd also read that the effects were not very impressive... read more. It built the suspense really well. With disaster movies you know what's coming, the trailers pretty much give you the third act. Therefor, it is the job of the screenwriter, actors and directors to make us care about what is going to happen. Haeundae does this well by unfolding as a drama. People have their own problems, especially a close-knit community that suffered tragedy during the 2004 Asian tsunami. All this drama is handled well and connects us with the characters. Even the usual generic scientist that warns everybody has a human story going on concurrent to his explanations and discoveries. Once the tsunami comes we are treated to a wide range of set-pieces, each one more spectacular than the last. Only one scene, on a bridge, goes TOO far, using the comedic relief character as a catalyst for a huge explosion. In some places the film does too much, towards the end we have a large number of slow-motion crying sequences and reached out arms as people stare at their doomed love ones. It does work, a few times, but then just feels intrusive. The slapstick comedy is also overused. Hitting people can only be funny for a certain number of times in 2 hours and when it constantly happens to the same character, it loses it's effect. These are all pretty minor flaws for a disaster movie. The effects were fantastic, especially given the budget. On the big screen this was a very powerful film in all regards. This is truly a summer blockbuster, exciting entertainment, thrilling action, moments to make you laugh, moments to make you cry and moments to make your jaw hit the ground.
  • John2223
    June 6, 2010
    John2223
    This is a disaster movie that is DISASTROUS with plot holes of the size of the waves of the tsunamit, very melodramatic, poor directing and script BUT no everything is bad because it is entertaining, the acting is fine, there are some funny moments, the special effects are good ... read morethough nothing amazing and you will have to wait to the last part or 40 minutes to watch it.
    A bad disaster movie that will leave you at the end disappointing and it would only be good when you are left with nothing better to watch.
  • phaup55
    May 23, 2011
    phaup55
    The problem with most American disaster films is that characters tend to be two-dimensional cliches used to anchor down typically thin plots. It doesn't matter what the budget or how many awards the film wins the story is pretty much same. Although this Korean effort doesn't enti... read morerely avoid this it does take some trouble to establish story and deeper characters than most of it's US contemporaries. In short the special effects, mediocre as they are, are largely secondary to the personal stories throughout.
  • GhostShadowX
    April 3, 2011
    GhostShadowX
    A valiant effort for South Korea, but I got more of a dramatic comedy/love-story from it than a natural disaster movie. It was just an awkward feel, like a Korean drama with a slow and almost non-existent building of a natural disaster throughout the movie. Still, with a bit more... read more focus on building on the high intensity of the main plot of the movie and this movie could have been waay better, and I would have given it a better rating.

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Critic Reviews

Simon Foster
August 9, 2010
Simon Foster, sbs.com.au

(Je-gyun Yun's) epic, silly tidal-wave melodrama follows the template of the Western disaster opus to the letter. Full Review

Christian Toto
May 20, 2010
Christian Toto, What Would Toto Watch?

Roland Emmerich had to be behind Tidal Wave, right? Full Review

Sean Axmaker
May 15, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

... if this South Korean blockbuster... has anything to teach us, it's that the only thing cheesier than American disaster flicks is foreign disaster flicks. Full Review

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