The Tower (2012)

I was just browsing around Netflix and saw this was a korean movie around Christmas so I decided to watch it because 'tis the season! Greatest decision I made today.
This movie... where do I even begin... I forgot to breathe in so many parts! I was laughing and crying and just praying for dear life in this disaster film. You'll fall in love with so many characters and, just like many disaster films, you have to hope and pray your favorite characters do not die.
I highly recommend this movie. It is not the best but it is certainly one of my favorite disaster films right now.

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This is a really good movie. I was really surprised! This movie will play with your feelings, and sometimes you even forget to breathe! You'll forget everything around you and it feels like you are in the movie, it sucks you right in.
I was scared to see horrible fake scenery but it didn't the special effects were amazing!! The person who was responsible for the special effect is a true master!
What I loved the most in this movie was the fact that it played in different perspectives. How people react, how people act and how they were, it's a real eye opener.

This movie might make you cry and smile at the same time. It's got a little bit of humor in it, just a tiny bit and I appreciate it.

I gave it a 7 on the story because some things might be somewhat unrealistic, but that is just a tiny mark. This is a good rewatch and this is a movie that will pump some adrenaline trough you vains, I recommend you to watch this!

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Disaster movies are somewhat new to the Korean movie industry I believe. Haeundae was the biggest hit before this movie.

In this movie, money was definitely no limit in the special effects department. The flames, explosions and collapsing scenes were scary.

Being a Korean movie, you should not be surprised by the melodramatic elements in it. Perhaps that is a weak point of the movie - that the characters and their stories are cliched, the movie is trying too hard to knock the 'moral of the story' into your head, like how the rich always escape unscathed, yet are the least deserving to be rescued, pride will always befall man, etc. In fact, in light of stories that have emerged from recent disasters like Sewol in Korea and Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, perhaps the human stories are still the most important in bringing hope in the midst of tragedy.

Not a deep and meaningful movie, but still an alright way to spend 2 hours.

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When there is something wrong, there really is something bound to happen

You know when there is something wrong, something is really bound to happen. That is basically what the movie is trying to convey, as with all disaster films.

What I liked the most here was that it developed the characters quite well. The first part which introduces the characters is a must and is the most common choice to start with disaster movies. In a sense, it might be a cliche, but for this case, it was not. As a result, it was not boring since their own stories were introduced one by one, and the overlapping of said people made sense in determining their respective connections with each other. I also liked that there were several perspectives shown here: the hotel workers/management, the guests, and their eventual life saviors/rescuers. At this point, the mood was still happy as it was Christmas Eve.

The pacing was rather expected but still entertaining. It was Christmas Eve, the busiest night at the Sky Tower. Of course, the priority was to serve the guests the best way possible, which lead to the negligence of the structural flaws that was fueled by an accident. The mood shift towards thrill and suspense was naturally executed. They were now facing a pandemonium with several dilemmas thrown here and there, again which is common in this type of movie.

My criticism here would be the overtly focus on the emotional aspect and its drama, which is already a norm in Korean disaster films. On most cases, the drama part would be good in tugging my heartstrings, but in here, I just found it to be too much and overshadows the story itself. The addition of what was an attempt to black comedy in the middle of a serious scene was just not properly timed. It rather made me confused as to what direction this movie wanted to go at that point. Furthermore, the ending was just adequate in terms of closing the story of the characters here, but it would have made more sense had it shown if were there any consequences on this disaster by the government to the hotel's owners since they were basically shrugged off (or maybe the film just wanted to show the loose punishment for the rich in Korean society, in this case, it was poorly done.)

On the other hand, the cinematography here was actually great for 2012. As I have already watched some of the newer Korean disaster movies with more sophisticated CGI, I had to adjust my lens to a 2012 perspective. The scenery and setting (the hotel itself), as much as it was fake, was still believable and was integrated with the plot quite successfully. You won't be able to easily spot the CGI at first glance, and the cinematic effects/music timing were also well done.

In the end, it was a decent movie with complete check points on what a disaster movie should be. It didn't show a new perspective in terms of the disaster aside from it happening on a Christmas Eve. But as most movies in this genre, when there is something wrong, there really is something bound to happen.

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O filme é bom, não é A Q U E L E filme que você diz "UAU!

O filme inicia com ar bem comédia romântica de natal, mas depois foca no desastre. Tem algumas cenas bem angustiantes, com eventos desastrosos provocado pelo incêndio (Sério mesmo, teve uma cena que senti um treco). Podemos ver algumas criticas como " quem tem mais R$ chora menos", ao mesmo tempo que percebemos uma reflexão sobre momentos da vida não adianta tê-lo R$,, tem várias dramas que podem te envolver, heróis altruístas e bandidos mesquinhos e negligentes.
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...>>> Preciso confessar que alguns alivios cômicos foram um pouco desnecessários, mas num contexto geral valeu a pena assistir o filme, teve uma cena que eu chorei, não me julguem, por favor.
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Tem nossa diva #sonyejin de #pousandonoamor e alguns atores super taletosos. E gente eu adorei o fato que os personahgens não eram super brancos e nem tinha os queixos em forma de V, pareciam gente como a gente kkkk!

O destaque do filme com certeza vai para a drama dos bomberiros. Heróis da vida real que merem todo nosso respeito e admiração.

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I was expecting just another typical disaster movie, but The Tower surprised me in the best possibly way.

Story:
While the plot itself is nothing new, the execution was IMO brilliant. In movies of this type, the initial character setup and relationships makes the beginning of the movie drag. The Tower had just the right amount of setup at just the right pace.

Actors/Cast:
Sol Kyung Gu is one of my favorite actors, and he did not disappoint! Kim Sang Kyung and Son Ye Jin gave excellent performances, as well. Jo Min Ah was perfect as Lee Dae Ho’s daughter. I look forward to seeing her grow as an actor.

Special effects:
The special effects were awesome, and the pyrotechnics were extremely well done.

Music:
The music matched the mood of each scene perfectly.

Rewatch value:
I don't usually rewatch a movie of this genre, but I might make an exception for this one.

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Pânico na Torre - Sob olhar de Aline Tamiozzo Pomini

te prende do começo ao fim, tem humor, tem romance, tem muito suspense, tem ranço também. Te faz reagir junto com o filme. Te orienta a pensar rápido nas situações pois nada que esteja ruim não possa piorar kkkkkk, mas se pensar rápido e de forma inteligente consegue achar a saída e chegar ao resgate. Vale muitoooooo a pena assistir. Sobre as músicas do filme então nem prestei atenção pois o filme me prendeu mesmo e não somente a mim, mas toda a minha familia que no começo não estava assistindo comigo. Haaaaa se vc for uma pessoa ansiosa (como eu) te aconselho a assistir com fome pois dai vc vai beliscando e tendo vários surtos junto com o filme kkkkkkkkk. O filme é tão bom que nem vi o tempo passar.

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The Tower > Skyscraper

PROS
+ Outstanding cast and performances, especially from lead Kim Sang-Kyung (a personal favorite for good reason)
+ Nice variety of moods/emotions to balance to tense action and the heavy peril
+ Surprisingly engaging and fitting score

CONS
- Some visual effects early on look strange; however, they look nicer later on
- Many films have executed similar disaster plots, but few have this emotional impact
- Some of the goofy moments work as comic relief, while others are very off-putting
- There are a lot of characters who feel underdeveloped

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I'm very pleased with The Tower! It captured my attention and kept me interested until the credits. A fine disaster action thriller hides behind the generic poster and plot synopsis. Turn up your subwoofer and give it a shot!

8.5/10

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