[Edaily Reporter Nam Soyeon ] Director Shim Hyung-rae’s film “The War” is drawing attention for a surprise resurgence 19 years after its release.

According to FlixPatrol, a website that tracks global OTT viewership rankings, “The War” is currently ranked 9th on Netflix’s global Top 10 movie chart as of the afternoon of the 12th.
At one point, it climbed as high as No. 2 in major European countries such as France, Germany, and Italy, even reaching No. 6 on the global Top 10 chart.
Released in 2007, *The War* tells the story of a legendary creature, the Imugi, appearing in downtown Los Angeles and clashing over the “Jade Pearl.”
At the time, it garnered significant attention for its use of CGI and large-scale monster battles—a rarity for a Korean film.
Buoyed by this, the film achieved significant box office success.
*The War* drew a massive audience of 7.85 million and even won the Blue Dragon Film Award for the Korean Film with the Largest Audience that year.
However, box office success and critical reception were starkly divided, and controversies regarding the film’s artistic merit—including its weak script, direction, and character development—persisted.
Now, 19 years later, it is believed that *The War* has regained attention due to OTT recommendation systems.
After its release on Netflix on the 6th, *The War* was made available to viewers worldwide, and its viewership has since grown rapidly.