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ashfall-
via CJ Entertainment

An unsung disaster epic that bravely played Hollywood at its own game and did it better erupts on Netflix

Roland Emmerich in particular could learn a thing or two.

The disaster epic is one of the very rare genres that sells itself; audiences generally couldn’t care less about the plot, characters, or any sort of underlying message when all it takes is a suitably stunning trailer to convince them watching the world fall victim to untold devastation is worth the price of admission. Being a good movie definitely helps, though, something Ashfall took to heart.

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While a lot of Hollywood disaster films tend to fail on any front that isn’t worldwide destruction – something Roland Emmerich knows full well looking at how his last few panned contributions to the genre have coincided with a noticeable drop in box office takings compared to his heyday – co-directors Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo at least make an attempt to make viewers invest in the protagonists and their respective fates.

ashfall-
via CJ Entertainment

Bolstered by solid Rotten Tomatoes scores of 73 and 74 percent from critics and crowds respectively, Ashfall would go on to become a massive hit in its native Korea after recouping its production budget three times over and then some during its initial run, while star Lee Byung-hun would even land a Best Actor trophy at the 56th Grand Bell Awards for his efforts.

Like most disaster-driven stories, a single cataclysmic event serves as the backdrop to the story, with an erupting volcano on the Baekdu Mountain igniting a potential apocalypse. Spurred into action, a crack team is assembled to venture into dangerous and deadly territory to stop the molten hot magma from annihilating anything and anyone in its path, which is a high-pressure situation to put it lightly.

Broad, effects-driven adventures are always game for a resurgence on-demand, so it’s with no surprise we discover that Ashfall has done some erupting of its own on Netflix by becoming one of the streaming service’s most-watched flicks this week, per FlixPatrol. If you have to choose between this one and Moonfall, don’t even think twice.


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Scott Campbell
News, reviews, interviews. To paraphrase Keanu Reeves; Words. Lots of words.