SEOUL, South Korea — When Netflix released the teaser for The Great Flood (Daehongsu), audiences expected a high-octane survival thriller in the vein of The Wave or Titanic. However, since its global premiere on December 19, 2025, the South Korean blockbuster has proven to be something far more enigmatic. Directed by Kim Byung-woo—the mastermind behind the claustrophobic tension of The Terror Live—the film has effectively split the internet in two, triggering a firestorm of debate over its “puzzle-style” storytelling and a mid-movie genre shift that many viewers didn’t see coming.
While some are hailing it as a profound meditation on motherhood and AI, others are crying foul over what they describe as a “confused narrative” that reboots itself just as the stakes reach their peak.
The Bait-and-Switch: From Disaster to Digital Souls
The film opens with a visceral, grounding premise. We meet An-na (Kim Da-mi), a weary scientist and single mother living in a towering Seoul apartment complex. Her morning is typical—fending off the hyperactive energy of her young son, Ja-in (Kwon Eun-seong)—until the unthinkable happens. Sudden, catastrophic floodwaters begin to swallow the building.
The first 40 minutes of The Great Flood are a masterclass in disaster cinema. Kim Byung-woo uses long takes to simulate the chaos of a sinking ship, trapping An-na and Ja-in in a vertical labyrinth of concrete, rising water, and exploding gas lines. The arrival of Hee-jo (Park Hae-soo), a security agent sent to rescue An-na specifically, adds a layer of mystery. Why is she so important?
Then comes the “pivot.”
Midway through the film, the narrative “fractures.” It is revealed that the flood isn’t just a natural disaster caused by an asteroid hitting Antarctica—it is the backdrop for a high-stakes AI experiment. The film introduces a time-loop mechanism, suggesting that what the audience is watching may be a simulation designed to “calibrate” human emotions within synthetic AI bodies.
Twitter Erupts: “10/10” vs. “Instantly Reboots Itself”
Social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), have become a digital battlefield for the film’s reception. The hashtag #TheGreatFlood has trended since Friday, with reviews falling into two distinct camps.
The Proponents: “Watch with your feelings, not logic”
For fans of high-concept sci-fi, the film is a triumph of ambition. One viewer on X described it as “definitely a 10/10,” arguing that the film’s strength lies in its emotional core rather than its scientific coherence.
“If you’re expecting an ordinary disaster movie, then this is not it. It’s a disaster movie with heavy sci-fi elements, but at its core is what makes a mother a mother and the extent she would go to protect her son,” wrote another user.
The Critics: “The narrative is a mixed bag”
On the other side of the fence, many viewers expressed frustration with the sudden pivot to AI and time loops. One popular review noted that the film feels like it “ends in the first half hour and then instantly reboots itself,” leaving the audience to struggle with a “muddled and esoteric” second half.
One critic noted:
“#TheGreatFlood is a mixed bag. Time loop with a flood situation is a good idea, but AI, experiment, and sci-fi all looked like fillers for missing pieces and many times confuses the narration. VFX is ok, but the shift in tone breaks the rhythm.”
The Numbers: Rotten Tomatoes and the “Popcorn Gap”
The critical data reflects this polarized sentiment. As of December 21, The Great Flood holds a respectable 60% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer based on professional critics. Most critics praise Kim Da-mi’s “committed and raw” performance, noting her ability to ground the film even when the script veers into the metaphysical.
However, the Audience Score (Popcornmeter) tells a different story, sitting at a lowly 39%. This gap suggests that while professional critics appreciate the film’s experimental “Ship of Theseus” philosophy, general audiences felt “tricked” by a trailer that promised a straightforward survival flick.
Director’s Intent: Exploring the “Universe” Inside an Apartment
In a recent production briefing at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall, Director Kim Byung-woo defended his creative choices, explaining that he viewed the apartment setting as a metaphor for the human mind.
“Apartments look uniform on the outside, but inside, they are entirely different universes,” Kim explained. “I wanted to explore how human nature changes in a tight space. Initially, water seems only like a disaster, but its meaning changes as the film goes on. It is the source of life and an agent of destruction.”
Lead actress Kim Da-mi admitted that even she found the script difficult to visualize initially. “When I first read the scenario, I wondered what kind of imagination would be created,” she said. “The heart of love [motherhood] is the same, but the setting was a new challenge for me.”
Final Verdict: To Stream or Not to Stream?
The Great Flood is clearly not meant for casual viewing. It is a “puzzle movie” that demands a rewatch to understand the subtle clues scattered in the first act—such as the numbers (or lack thereof) on An-na’s clothing.
If you are a fan of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar or the mind-bending loops of Edge of Tomorrow, you will likely find The Great Flood to be a fascinating, if flawed, experiment in “algorithmic entertainment.” However, if you are looking for a simple story of a mother and son surviving a wave, you may find yourself—like many on Twitter—drowning in the film’s complexity.