基于中国观众影评的韩中灾难电影特点与社会功能浅析

Abstract

Disaster films in South Korea and China have distinct characteristics, yet few studies have compared them from the perspective of audience reception. This study analyzes Chinese audience reviews to compare the genre characteristics and social functions of Korean and Chinese disaster films. We selected three representative disaster films from each country and collected approximately 77,000 viewer comments from China’s video platforms (iQiyi and Tencent Video). Using text mining (word frequency analysis with Jieba) and qualitative content analysis, we examined differences in audience reception, narrative features, and thematic emphases. The results show that Chinese audiences rated Korean disaster films significantly higher than domestic ones. Korean disaster films are praised for more refined and realistic depictions of disaster scenes, nuanced storytelling, and cinematography; their themes often confront social realities and human nature, prompting deeper reflection. In contrast, Chinese disaster films emphasize grand disaster spectacles and heroic narratives that highlight familial and national sentiments and convey moral values. In terms of social functions, Korean disaster films critique social issues and encourage institutional reflection, whereas Chinese disaster films focus on moral education and reinforcing collective values. Nevertheless, both countries’ disaster films provide viewers with emotional catharsis and hope, thus fulfilling important emotional and social roles beyond entertainment. This study presents a novel audience-centered approach to cross-cultural film comparison using online review data. Its findings enrich the understanding of disaster film reception in different cultural contexts and offer practical insights for the improvement of disaster film production and international dissemination.