“Even zero stars feel generous.” That’s the overwhelming sentiment online surrounding The Great Flood, a new South Korean disaster film released on Netflix that has rapidly become the target of widespread backlash for its baffling plot and questionable direction.
Directed by Kim Byung Woo, known for the much-maligned adaptation of Omniscient Reader, The Great Flood promised a high-stakes survival story set during a catastrophic flood in Seoul. With top-tier talent like Kim Da Mi and Park Hae Soo leading the cast, expectations were high. Unfortunately, the reality has left viewers shocked for all the wrong reasons.
The movie opens with a dramatic sequence as a colossal flood submerges Seoul’s high-rise apartments, trapping the residents. Rather than staying grounded in realistic survival drama, the narrative quickly takes a wild turn into bizarre sci-fi territory. Audiences were left scratching their heads as the story spiraled into an incoherent blend of pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo and emotional manipulation.
On platforms like theqoo, netizens have harshly criticized the film’s disjointed editing and lack of narrative logic. “It felt like the director was trying to make his own version of Interstellar, but just couldn’t pull it off,” one commenter noted. Others slammed the story for treating viewers as if they had no intelligence, offering “zero depth and maximum confusion.”
The script also came under fire for its outdated and melodramatic storytelling. Rather than delivering genuine emotional impact, the film resorts to cliché tear-jerking scenes that feel forced and hollow. Particularly offensive to many was the way a child character was used as an emotional crutch—serving more as a burden than a compelling presence. “Was the kid supposed to be a punching bag for everyone’s emotions?” one viewer angrily asked.
Despite the overwhelming negativity, some light shone through: Kim Da Mi and Park Hae Soo’s performances were praised for their emotional depth and sincerity. Yet even stellar acting couldn’t rescue what many are calling the worst Korean film of 2025.
Netizens didn’t hold back in their condemnation:
“The director should seriously consider a new career.”
“The plot gets a 0. It’s not a disaster film; it’s a disaster of a film.”
“Acting was decent, which only made the bad writing more painful.”
“Usually I cry at emotional scenes. This time I just sat there like a stone.”
“Was the child character written just to be annoying?”
The film’s release has reignited frustration over Kim Byung Woo’s handling of source material, with many fans still bitter about his controversial changes in Omniscient Reader. What’s more surprising is that The Great Flood was reportedly completed before Omniscient Reader but shelved for unclear reasons—prompting even more confusion about who greenlit this project.
As 2025 wraps up, The Great Flood has unfortunately become a fitting metaphor for a year many K-cinema fans would rather forget. With two back-to-back flops, Kim Byung Woo’s credibility as a director is under intense scrutiny. If anything, this debacle underlines the urgent need for bold yet coherent storytelling in Korean cinema moving forward.
Sources: kenh14