The Great Flood (2025) – Korean Sci-Fi Disaster That Deserves More Love
The Great Flood (2025), directed by Kim Byung-woo, is my third Korean movie this year (after falling hard for No Other Choice), and man—Korean cinema is on fire. This one wastes zero time: wake up, apartment flooding, climb higher, survive. Starts as a gripping disaster flick, then twists into thoughtful sci-fi about AI, human emotions, and motherhood. I see the low ratings everywhere, but honestly? I think it deserves way better. Emotional, surprising, and beautifully made in parts. 8/10 for me.
Starring Kim Da-mi as researcher Gu An-na, Park Hae-soo as UN officer Son Hee-jo, and little Kwon Eun-seong as her son Ja-in, this 109-minute Netflix drop (December 19, 2025) mixes flood chaos with big ideas about humanity’s future.
The Plot: From Flood to Sci-Fi Motherhood Drama
An-na and her young son Ja-in wake up to water pouring into their second-floor apartment. No slow build—they’re climbing stairs, fighting the flood, trying to reach the roof. A mysterious UN call says help is coming… for An-na specifically.
Why her? Turns out the disaster (a meteor strike) was predicted, and the UN has a secret project: building new humans in space. They can grow bodies, but not emotions. An-na’s AI research was secretly key to solving that. What follows is survival, rescues, twists (no spoilers), and deep dives into mother-son bonds, sacrifice, and what makes us human.
What I Loved
- No wasted time. Disaster hits immediately—tense, claustrophobic, you feel the water rising.
- The sci-fi shift is bold. Goes from flood escape to big questions about AI replicating feelings, creating life, motherhood.
- Mother-son relationship is heartbreaking and real. An-na and Ja-in’s scenes carry the emotional weight.
- Third act is amazing—twists land, themes come together, left me thinking for days.
- Kim Da-mi is fantastic. Carries the whole movie.
My One Small Issue
The sci-fi explanation can feel a little simple or confusing if you’re not paying close attention. That’s probably why some people bounce off it—they came for disaster action and got deeper ideas instead.
Ratings and Critical Reception
- IMDb: 5.4/10 (8,800 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 50 % critics (16 reviews) / 37 % audience
Early scores are low, and I get it—if you want pure disaster thrills like The Day After Tomorrow, this isn’t that. But if you let the sci-fi and emotional layers in, it’s so much more. I think the ratings will climb as more people discover it.
Final Take: Underrated Gem Worth Your Time
At 8/10, The Great Flood is the kind of movie that starts as one thing (disaster survival) and becomes something deeper (what makes us human?). If you can roll with the sci-fi twists and love emotional character stories, you’ll enjoy it way more than the average score suggests.
Korean cinema keeps delivering. Proud of them.
What did you think of The Great Flood? Did the sci-fi/motherhood parts work for you, or did it lose you? Drop your thoughts below!
And suggest my next watch—after three strong Korean films this year, hit me with more from there or anything disaster/sci-fi with heart.
If this review convinced you to give it a chance, like, follow, share. See you in the next one!
