It tells the tale of people who at that fateful day were in Haeundae and how their lives are before and after the tidal wave strikes.  In the beginning we see Man-sik (Seol Kyeong-gu) part of a fishing boat where one of its crew died during the December 2004 tsunami.  Fast forward to the present and he’s still blaming himself for it.  He looks after the dead man’s daughter Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won).

A few days before the tidal wave, Man-sik’s younger brother Hyeong-sik (Lee Min-ki) is a lifeguard who saves Hee-mi (Kang Ye-won).  She’s a college student on vacation in Haeundae with her friends.  Their feelings for each other went from zero to a hundred in a couple of days but it is not without any hitch, which is caused by her rich admirer who owns a yacht.

Kim Hwi (Park Joong-hoon) is the scientist who has been warning the local officials of the impending danger only to be met by deaf ears.  His ex-wife Yoo-jin (Uhm Jung-hwa) is in charge of an expo event in Haeundae.  She’s in town with their daughter Ji-min (Kim Yoo-jeong).

Typical disaster movies are like roller coaster rides where you anticipate the dreaded event to happen.  This wait can be boring at times.  Haeundae managed to entertain the audience right from the beginning by featuring the stories of the three pairs mentioned above, as well as the people around them.

And just when we think that we’re watching a romantic movie, the tidal wave shows up.  The CGI-generated tidal waves and other special effects were a delight.  It can make you forget about logic for the time being.  But once the end credits are rolling, you’ll be asking yourself why the divorced couple died when they were perched on top of a tall building while Man-sik, Yeon-hee and the rest of the supporting casts survived swimming at ground level.

One memorable scene from Haeundae was the one involving Hyeong-sik and Hee-mi.  During the tidal wave, Hee-mi was at sea in the yacht with the rich guy.  They called for help and Hyeong-sik was one of those who responded to the call.  The cable can only hold two people at a time so Hee-mi went up first.  When it was time for the rich guy and Hyeong-sik to go up, cable started to break.  Hyeong-sik sacrificed his life to save someone he despised.

Another thing I like about Haeundae is its humor.  It was like watching a cartoon when Eok-jo was lucky enough to dodge the falling cargoes.  And just when he thought he’s safe, he started to light a cigarette, which accidentally caused a large explosion that brought down the bridge.  What’s funny was that in the end he was given a Courageous Citizen Award.

Like what I’ve said before, Haeundae was more about the people than the tidal wave.  This made it different from the rest.  After Haeundae, next stop is 2012.