Kang Ye-won (강예원)

'Haeundae' Manages to Be Entertaining

Source | 2009/07/20 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The anticipated summer blockbuster "Haeundae" is like a blushing bride, wearing something new, something old and something blue. While the tsunami film rides upon tides of Korean cliches and brims with disappointing computer graphics, it manages to smartly evade some Hollywood disaster film conventions.

The film stays afloat on the strength of a talented, star-studded cast that shines through the artifice and the less-than-sophisticated mise-en-scene. And despite a hefty dose of mainstream superficiality ― or perhaps because of it ― box office favorite director Yoon Je-kyoon demonstrates his knack for communicating with the audience.

Every summer, Busan's most popular beach, Haeundae, transforms into something of an overpacked, outdoor public bath catering to hordes of vacationers from all over the country.

Park Joong-hoon stars as Kim, a workaholic professor from Seoul who tries to warn that a mega tsunami will swallow up the sou...| More