BY YONG SHU HOONG

HAEUNDAE: THE DEADLY TSUNAMI (PG)
Action/106 minutes
***

DISASTER movies, like The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974), used to be all the rage back in the 1970s.

Presented as entertainment, destruction prevailed on land, sea and air through every combination of bad luck, natural catastrophe and human oversight possible.

But what viewers found equally captivating was how the victims fought for survival, sometimes against one another, in the face of harsh adversity.

There are human drama and the expected technology-aided scenes of mass destruction in Haeundae: The Deadly Tsunami, which taps on our fear of rising water in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and, more recently, typhoons and floods that have taken many lives in Asia.

In the film, the Korean tourist resort of Haeundae is obliterated by giant waves triggered by a massive undersea earthquake.

But just as there is usually a lull before the storm, the film takes its time to set up the story and develop the characters before disaster strikes.

So, one by one, you get to meet the line-up of people who will eventually be caught up in the impending mayhem.

Firstly, you have Man Sik (Sul Kyung Gu), a former fisherman who is still guilt-ridden over the death of a fellow crew member, who happens to be the father of Yeon Hee (Ha Ji Won), a girl Man Sik is in love with.

You'll also meet handsome coastguard Hyung Sik (Lee Min Ki), Man Sik's younger brother, who befriends a young beautiful vacationer from Seoul (Kang Ye Won).

Then there's dedicated marine geologist Kim Hwi (Park Joong Hoon) who tries in vain to warn the authorities of the tsunami threat.

On a separate thread, he has some delicate issues to resolve with his former wife (Uhm Jung Hwa), who is in Haeundae on business.

While director J K Youn (Sex Is Zero) weaves his story well with the help of good actors, one hour and 15 minutes of setting up is probably too much of a test of viewers' patience.

But they should have no complaint when the special effects take over, with killer waves sweeping over streets, buildings and frantic masses in spectacular fashion and, in a more innovative scene, popping containers off an overturned ship like corns on the roast.

As the film had help from Hollywood CGI experts, who had worked on The Perfect Storm (2000) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004), you can be assured of top-notch realism that dazzles on the big screen.

For fans of disaster flicks, this film certainly satisfies the sadistic need to witness suffering and misery - that is, as in any disaster film, before the tenacity of the human spirit triumphs.

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