EXIT (2019)

Exit is a rare disaster movie that feels genuinely fresh: it turns a toxic-gas catastrophe into a brisk, clever escape story where every ledge, stairwell, and split-second decision matters, and it does it with a buoyant sense of humor that never undercuts the tension. Director Lee Sang-geun keeps the pace spring-loaded, letting the rock-climbing premise pay off in satisfyingly practical problem-solving while Cho Jung-seok and Yoona make an unexpectedly winning duo—awkward, determined, and easy to root for as the city closes in around them. The action is clean and legible, the suspense comes from ingenuity rather than noise, and the comedy lands because it grows out of character, not winking at the danger. If you’re allergic to disaster peril or find “people in constant jeopardy” stressful, it may be a tough sit, but if you want a crowd-pleasing ride with brains, heart, and momentum, Exit earns its cheers.

Exit clearly wants to be a breezy, crowd-pleasing disaster romp—part action-thriller, part rom-com, with rock-climbing as its gimmicky superpower—and it mostly runs on that simple promise. The problem is the story is pretty predictable and the character work is thin, so if you need clever twists or emotional depth, you’ll feel like the film is just sprinting from one rooftop obstacle to the next. The pacing can also get a bit repetitive once you’ve accepted the “keep climbing, keep escaping” loop, and the humor won’t land if you don’t buy into the heightened premise. Still, Cho Jung-seok and Yoona have likable energy and the set pieces are tense enough to make it a solid pick if you want light, clean survival entertainment without expecting anything groundbreaking.