Shanghai Fortress

Oddly enough, then "Shanghai Fortress" had managed to stay under my radar, and it wasn't before I was browsing through the movies on Netflix that it happened to pop up.

I was immediately interested in watching the movie, given the synopsis and also because it starred Shu Qi.

First of all, then it should be said that the storyline written by Jiang Nan wasn't exactly rocket science. This was pretty much generic to the core. It was everything you could and would expect from a sci-fi action movie of this type, for better or worse. Well, at least you know what you are getting yourself into when you sit down to watch "Shanghai Fortress". This is hardly a movie that sets new milestones or move existing borders.

That being said, then I will move straight on to saying that while the storyline was generic and predictable, then the movie was actually quite entertaining and enjoyable, nonetheless.

The visual department really upped their game in this movie. And it was such a visual treat to sit down and watch the CGI effects in "Shanghai Fortress", and I think this is actually the first Chinese movie I have seen that have put on this type of grand display usage of CGI. It was marvelous and it really carried the movie a lot of the way, given the shortcomings of the storyline and script.

They had some fairly nicely talented actors and actresses on the cast list. I wasn't familiar with the most of them, which actually is a nice thing for me, as I enjoy seeing new talents and not associate their faces with previously played roles and characters. But for, I must admit, then it was Shu Qi that had the spotlight in "Shanghai Fortress". I have been a fan of hers for a long, long time and she was good in this movie, though it wasn't her best performance in her career.

All in all, if you enjoy a good old fashioned alien invasion movie, then give "Shanghai Fortress" a chance. I enjoyed it from start to end, and I am rating the movie a solid six out of ten stars.

Having watched Shanghai Fortress its hard not to see this rather mediocre film as political.

Its message seems to be China is leading the world and is at the same time, its saviour. If this sounds familiar, that's because the US has pushed the same message for years. Times are changing, that's for sure.

So putting aside politics how does this film stand up as entertainment. Certainly the special effects are well done and the pacing is mostly decent. Its does drag a little in the middle but not for too long.

The romantic interest between the young male lead and older female counterpart, seems a bit overcooked and absurd. As is the rather starchy and militaristic tone of the film, which reduces the key players to caricatures.

In shor,t this one's ok but you might find yourself rolling your eyes from time to time when you consider its rather simplistic overtones. 5/10.

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!

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.