The Flu

The Koreans embarked on a major disaster film, not their first, which has one issue - it feels too American. There's nothing here that you wouldn't see in an American film, which I find somewhat problematic because Korean culture is indeed different. Nothing from it is evident here, except of course for the Korean language. It’s emotionally very kitschy, not genuinely pathetic, and in its supposed grandeur, actually quite small. In terms of genre, it’s nothing groundbreaking, which is a shame considering it's from a different nationality. (02/03/2014)

I have yet to see a Korean film that strikes me as more American. I once fell for Korean cinema because of movies like this. Because it was different, more natural, more original, and more real. In other words, the opposite of what I just saw. There were few bright moments and more stupid coincidences than people catching the flu. Positives? Soo-ae is great. Hyeok Jang is awesome. But I already knew that. 2.5 stars. (09/30/2018)