Shanghai Fortress

If you like Chinese way making movies you like it but it is not as macho as Hollywood movies

A cross between the Chinese versions of 'Ender's Game' and 'Independence Day' which is probably better as a book as it seems to skip over a lot of stuff and the monologues would fit better. There's lots of dramatic music and inspiring scenes, but also lots of ham-fisted teen romance and a lackluster plot. The mix of Chinese and English voice acting is off-putting and although the military might and special effects are good (if a bit too CGI heavy), it's all too clean and family friendly. The plot is predictable and the characters are undeveloped, but the finale is pretty epic and exciting.

I know China is home of great technology and literature. To make the jump to cinema should be a breeze, yet they keep churning up these terrible movies that start with exposition of what happened instead of showing us, with people doing all kinds of stupid things, with actors being really bad with mediocre CGI and music. French movie making with Chinese money! Make it happen.

The movie is a failure because it doesn't make you feel anything. The threat is an undefined alien ship that doesn't communicate, its technology never investigated and its weapon a cheap steal from Independence Day. The main characters have 1 big scene where they drink together and relate to each other as human beings, other than that they act like robots the entire movie. Why would you care? Everybody is doing their job and sacrificing themselves with calm or occasionally shouting a dead friend's name. An AI would have made a better movie.

Bottom line: I think they could have done a lot more with what they had.

I am disappointed with this movie. This was a big-budget movie with all the superstars. However, such a mediocre storyline and special effect, I thought I was watching a film from the Scifi channel!

Chain of events is very weird, logic sometime fails. Aliens are presented as idiots, also the command center defences are lame. Le Lan character had a role but I still didn't get what it was. seems like the humans know that the bullet guns are not efficient against the aliens and still all the command center troops are packed with them. The FX is great but shots of slow mo could be much better. And the gun... really?! it's obviously someone is trying to compensate ;).