The Flu
When a lethal airborne virus engulfs Seoul’s Bundang suburb, a doctor and rescue worker race through a sealed city to find the serum that could save its survivors.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- urgent
- bleak
- pandemic movie night
- disaster thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film energetic and timely as epidemic disaster entertainment, but considered its execution uneven and conventional.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The government seals Bundang and orders a complete shutdown as infection spreads through the population.
Kim Mi-Reu becomes central to the search for the index-case serum while the city descends into crisis.
The airborne virus infects scores of residents, generates mass chaos, and threatens a city of half a million people.
In-hye and Ji-goo pursue the serum inside the closed city while authorities execute containment measures.
Films like The Flu, and why
Contagion
Shares epidemic catastrophe, government containment, escalating public panic, and a race to develop a medical solution.
28 Days Later
Combines viral outbreak survival, quarantine pressure, social collapse, and urgent institutional response.
World War Z
Features large-scale disaster spectacle, family endangerment, mass panic, and emotionally direct survival stakes.
The Andromeda Strain
Pairs science-fiction disaster plotting with claustrophobic quarantine tension and a morally pressured search for a cure.
Movie Details
- Director
- Kim Sung-soo
- Release Date
- 2013-08-14
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (1302)
Cast
- Jang Hyuk
- Soo Ae
- Park Min-ha
- Yoo Hai-jin
- Don Lee
- Lee Hee-jun
- Lee Sang-yeob
- Cha In-pyo
- Kim Ki-hyeon
- Park Hyo-ju
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Flu about?
- When a lethal airborne virus engulfs Seoul’s Bundang suburb, a doctor and rescue worker race through a sealed city to find the serum that could save its survivors.
- What is The Flu like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Flu as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Flu violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Flu as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Flu?
- Critics broadly found the film energetic and timely as epidemic disaster entertainment, but considered its execution uneven and conventional.
- Which films are like The Flu?
- Films with a similar feel include Contagion, 28 Days Later, World War Z, and The Andromeda Strain.
- How long is The Flu?
- The Flu runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Flu?
- In United States, The Flu streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
