Released worldwide by Netflix on December 19, 2025, the South Korean film "The Great Flood" (Daehongsu), directed by Kim Byung-woo (The Terror Live), is one of the most ambitious and divisive productions of the year.
Although the trailer and title suggest a conventional disaster film (in the style of 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow), the work is actually an existentialist science fiction thriller that uses a "time loop" to explore artificial intelligence.
1. Synopsis and the Big Twist
The plot begins with An-na (played by the excellent Kim Da-mi), an AI researcher, desperately trying to save her son Ja-in from an apartment building being submerged by an apocalyptic tsunami. She receives help from Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo, from Round 6), a security agent with mysterious motivations.
The Twist (Mild Spoiler): The film reveals that the disaster we are witnessing is not immediate physical reality, but rather a computer simulation repeated thousands of times. An-na's research aims to "teach" real human emotions to an AI so that humanity's consciousness can be preserved in synthetic bodies after Earth's extinction.
2. Strengths: The Visual and Technical Spectacle
Aquatic Realism: The work with practical effects and CGI is impressive. The feeling of claustrophobia inside the flooded building and the force of the water are palpable and distressing. Performances: Kim Da-mi carries the emotional weight of the film, delivering an exhausted yet resilient performance that keeps the audience engaged, even when the plot becomes confusing.
Genre Innovation: Director Kim Byung-woo defies expectations by transforming an action film into a philosophical meditation on what makes us human (the "emotional engine").
3. Criticism and Controversy
The film's reception was mixed due to its complexity:
"Bait and Switch": Many viewers felt misled by the marketing, expecting a linear survival film and receiving a dense plot about transhumanism and time loops.
Fragmented Narrative: The repetitive structure (the loop) can be tiring. The film demands total attention to detail to understand which "version" of the simulation we are in.
Scientism vs. Emotion: Critics point out that, in its effort to appear intellectually profound, the script sometimes loses the simple emotional connection that the disaster subgenre usually offers.
Expectation vs. Reality
What the trailer promises What the film delivers
Global disaster film Psychological thriller in a confined location
Fight against nature Fight against human obsolescence
Frenetic action Cerebral and repetitive science fiction
Final Verdict
"Daehongsu" is a film for those who enjoy complex science fiction like Interstellar or Dark. If you're only looking for adrenaline and collapsing buildings, you might be disappointed by the second half. It's a film about memory and the human capacity to love, even when the world (or the code) is crumbling.
Interesting Note: The film ends with a post-credits scene that suggests the fate of "New Humanity" in space, raising ethical debates about whether AI clones can truly replace the human race.
Although the trailer and title suggest a conventional disaster film (in the style of 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow), the work is actually an existentialist science fiction thriller that uses a "time loop" to explore artificial intelligence.
1. Synopsis and the Big Twist
The plot begins with An-na (played by the excellent Kim Da-mi), an AI researcher, desperately trying to save her son Ja-in from an apartment building being submerged by an apocalyptic tsunami. She receives help from Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo, from Round 6), a security agent with mysterious motivations.
The Twist (Mild Spoiler): The film reveals that the disaster we are witnessing is not immediate physical reality, but rather a computer simulation repeated thousands of times. An-na's research aims to "teach" real human emotions to an AI so that humanity's consciousness can be preserved in synthetic bodies after Earth's extinction.
2. Strengths: The Visual and Technical Spectacle
Aquatic Realism: The work with practical effects and CGI is impressive. The feeling of claustrophobia inside the flooded building and the force of the water are palpable and distressing. Performances: Kim Da-mi carries the emotional weight of the film, delivering an exhausted yet resilient performance that keeps the audience engaged, even when the plot becomes confusing.
Genre Innovation: Director Kim Byung-woo defies expectations by transforming an action film into a philosophical meditation on what makes us human (the "emotional engine").
3. Criticism and Controversy
The film's reception was mixed due to its complexity:
"Bait and Switch": Many viewers felt misled by the marketing, expecting a linear survival film and receiving a dense plot about transhumanism and time loops.
Fragmented Narrative: The repetitive structure (the loop) can be tiring. The film demands total attention to detail to understand which "version" of the simulation we are in.
Scientism vs. Emotion: Critics point out that, in its effort to appear intellectually profound, the script sometimes loses the simple emotional connection that the disaster subgenre usually offers.
Expectation vs. Reality
What the trailer promises What the film delivers
Global disaster film Psychological thriller in a confined location
Fight against nature Fight against human obsolescence
Frenetic action Cerebral and repetitive science fiction
Final Verdict
"Daehongsu" is a film for those who enjoy complex science fiction like Interstellar or Dark. If you're only looking for adrenaline and collapsing buildings, you might be disappointed by the second half. It's a film about memory and the human capacity to love, even when the world (or the code) is crumbling.
Interesting Note: The film ends with a post-credits scene that suggests the fate of "New Humanity" in space, raising ethical debates about whether AI clones can truly replace the human race.
Was this review helpful to you?
