The Tower

I expected this to be really good after reading the reviews. For that reason, I went ahead, knowing I would have to read the captions. It was so not worth it.

I have to admit, after watching the film I went to see other people reviews on IMDb and such. A lot of reviewers did compare it to "The Towering Inferno". I have to say - I have not watched Towering Inferno. Having said that, lets begin:- The Tower starts off normal by showing you the characters and what they are like before the inevitable disaster. All the characters you are meant to like, you like and those you hate, you hate. The actors of the firefighters particular stood out to me, especially the captain. Throughout the whole film there I sympathized and rooted for the character to get out of the tower alive. The special effects, both CGI and real, are something to be marveled at. The fire looks dangerous and scary and is a great set piece for some shots, especially in a scene where some firefighters are fighting the fire on a walkway with the group of men silhouetted against the raging fire. The debris and glass that rains down on the characters as well just make the film more tense and horrific. The film has amazing suspenseful parts, with a scene involving a glass bridge being very well shot and with a great tension throughout the whole scene. The film was a fantastic watch and one of the few films where I had a lump in my throat as well as having me on the edge of my seat when the first flame lit up the tower. A great film and well worth a watch, one of the best disaster films I have seen in the last few years. :)

I went in to this expecting a fun and cheesy disaster flick, and I got that. I just wish it had been done a little better. The first 30 minutes is all character development, which I didn't mind that much. My only issue would be the cheesy comedic relief characters, which continue to attempt to be funny in a film containing lots of drama and disaster, which I felt is not good for a film like this. I appreciate black comedy, but this just felt like it was trying to make us laugh for the sake of laughing, and it didn't mix well with the rest of the serious events in the film. There was some melodrama for sure, as there is with a lot of Korean movies, but it felt like it had it's place in this movie. I must mention the CGI, because generally with Asian films I think the CGI is lacking, but this one actually did quite a good job. I think the film could have been shortened, because I found myself losing interest at some points even though there was action occurring, and that is due to the length. I think if these little flaws were fixed, it could have been a really fun and enjoyable flick, but I just felt that the flaws weighed it down and made me enjoy it less than I would like to have.

The Tower: A 2012 Korean disaster movie. SPOILERS AHEAD! Story Summary: It's a Korean movie about a high rise tower going up in flames. What more do you really need to know? This movie hearkens back to the days when Hollywood made self contained disaster flicks on a regular basis; i.e. "Poseidon Adventure", the "Airport" (not "Airplane") movies, and the like, and, of course, the obvious comparison being "Towering Inferno". There's not a whole lot of variances afforded when you make a film like this. After all, it's a disaster film in a ship, building, plane, or what have you, so, it's basically just try to mitigate the damage, save as many people as you can, and see who (if anybody) makes it out alive. What you can do though, is try to have the viewers invest in some of the characters, provide an engrossing film with a decent enough story, some nice pacing & action, and, not make your stunts & effects look like crap. Does this film succeed on those fronts?...Yeah, pretty much. Everything centers around the buildup to the Christmas celebration at the fabulous Sky Towers buildings. The first 30 minutes of the film or so are devoted to introducing the people who'll be the integral players in the disaster to come, they include; various hotel & building employees, some guests and love interests, the firemen who show up on the scene, some side groups, and the kid (gotta have a kid involved; this is a mandatory disaster movie rule). There's some ominous foreshadowing about high winds and a busted sprinkler system along the way, but screw it; let's send in the helicopters to drop fake snow on the buildings to appease our VIP guests as planned. What could possibly go wrong here? OK, it's holiday party time! Where are those snow dropping helicopters?...Oh, here comes one now! Uh-oh!...What was that about the strong winds and a bad sprinkler system again?...From there, this is Disaster Movie 101, and, it's pretty entertaining for the most part. This movie is what it is, meaning it's basically a popcorn action flick with little room for much else. The entire cast does a fine enough job, but there's not much for them to do past the ¼ mark other than run for their lives. There are some decent action set pieces where the characters have to escape the flames while traversing various floors & elevator shafts, navigate sky walks & scaffolding before they collapse, etc...This is all done with a fairly solid mix of live action, stunt work, and CGI. You also get your standard dose of Korean melodrama along the way (of course), but, it's not really any more melodramatic than those old American disaster flicks mentioned above; this movie really does play just like those films, except it's more modern and from a different country. Bottom Line: It works well enough overall!...If you're looking for a fantastic story & dialogue driven Korean film, then, this ain't for you!...But, if you want to just chill and watch a decent action/disaster flick from Korea, then, this will probably fit the bill! I think it's in the 6-7 out of a 10 star range!...Ehhhh! I'll give it 7 stars!

The details were a direct copy job from the events of 9/11 as others have noted. There were actually twin towers in this movie, one collapses amidst all the paper and dust and clouds, the pictures of loved ones posted, and the one tower that burns was hit by helicopters. Nice way to exploit the dead for profit. Not your story to tell damn it.

If your looking for a good action pack, dramatic movies that keeps you on the edge of your seat, then this the right movie for you. Once you get past the character building, setting the mood, at the beginning the movie is magic.

I was very hopeful when I found out that Korea was making its own disaster films. Yes, I love disaster films! And no, I have no idea why! Anyway, the first half hour here is character setup, which is pretty normal for most disaster films. Here, that half hour is pretty much comedy, which is probably why IMDb lists "Comedy" as one of this film's genre types. When the disaster hits, it hits hard! It's very visceral, and is R- Rated, unlike in other disaster movies from the past. I was impressed with that. The next hour is rescue of who can be rescued, and contemplation about how they can stop the fire, and save the twin skyscraper next door. The solution has some real issues. (BEGIN SPOILERS) They decide to knock down the burning skyscraper, resulting in a way-too-9/11 sequence of the tower coming down almost like the World Trade Center towers did. And, the aftermath has the smoking plume of dust rising into the sky, just like on 9/11. As you can imagine, I found that highly disturbing, as there were certainly other paths they could have taken. Plus, as we saw on 9/11, having a skyscraper like that come down so violently could critically damage other buildings nearby. Here, the skyscraper right next to it almost certainly would have been shaken to the point that it too would be uninhabitable. (END SPOILERS) So, for the disaster section itself, and for some of the rescue, I was very impressed. But, I have very real issues with the end of this movie. ***** (5 Out of 10 Stars)

this film is really good all actors are good and the story is very good , i personally like disaster movies and this one got me people here are complaining and giving bad ratings because its a copy of tower inferno i mean tower inferno was released in 1974 the filming quality back then was so bad so why not make another movie same story with good quality and better destruction effect ... today most gamer video games you like to play first person shooter games for example and you play the same game but different release every year and you don't complain about it even though it's the same concept which is shooting in different scenarios and if you are not gamer then you can take Xfactor show as example each year same thins which is singing ... so in my opinion watching a same story film after 38 years is totally fine by me i mean in this duration a new generation is born and it's there right to enjoy the movie in 2012 like you enjoyed it back in 1974...

Really, don't waste your time looking at this movie. it is annoying, ridiculous and stupid. I regret wasting my time with this movie. Why do you need 70% of the dialogs with people shouting? It gave me a headache A server room with no sprinklers or argon? a bomb with a single detonator? demolishing a tower with a few bombs in 10 minutes? Escaping a demolition inside a current and no one is drown? Some characters where just meaningless, but wasted several minutes on them. even my dog fell asleep with this movie. I cannot even complete the 10 lines required to submit a comment, this movie is not worth it.

While The Tower may come off as a Korean remake of The Towering Inferno, but even so, this is a thrill ride that doesn't skimp on emotion either. A moving, effective, and thrilling disaster piece, once it gets going, it rarely lets up. At the center of the film is Dae-ho, a single father who helps manage the safety of Sky Tower, a fictional super-high rise in Korea. Home to many luxurious apartments and amenities, including a restaurant. Taking place on Christmas Eve, a massive party turns into a massive disaster as an accident sets the building ablaze. Dae-ho's daughter, who joined him for the party, becomes stranded and Dae-ho attempts to rescue her. Helping him are the nearest firefighters, who make a heroic attempt to save the people trapped inside and put out the blaze. The film has a number of secondary characters and side stories, all of whom we're introduced to within the first 30 minutes. The film does a good job setting up our characters and giving us reasons to care about them, from the cleaning woman and her college age son whose tuition she supports, to the elderly couple, of whom the man in the relationship is trying to be more supportive and caring towards his wife. Each of these side characters has great moments and you care enough about them to want to see them all survive. When the time comes that not all of them make it, it's truly tragic. It helps that the acting, even if a bit melodramatic, is effective. Dae-ho, in particular, is an effective father who never comes off as less than heroic. However, the heart of the film is the disaster itself, and more so than any film in the past couple years, the disaster here is truly epic and effective. While the film isn't terribly gruesome, it doesn't shy away from showing us the tragedy or effects of the disaster in the film. There is a bit of blood here and there, but most of what is effective is due to the scale of the disaster or the intimacy that we have with the people effected by the chaos. One great example comes from an elevator full of people who become trapped amidst a floor with a raging fire. The film doesn't shy away from giving us a glimpse inside the elevator for effect. And once the disaster does hit, the film rarely slows down. Obstacle after obstacle is thrown in the path of our characters. Not everyone makes it, giving the film an edge of suspense that leaves you wondering who will make it out alive and who won't. Disaster films are at their best when they display two things: the tragedy these disasters bring and the suspense of never really knowing what is going to happen next. The Tower brings tons of both. All in all, this is a great film with a wonderful heart.