F-22Raptor
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In the People's Republic, there exists a national holiday of sorts. One that roughly translates to English as the Golden Week. A week in October when the bulk of the workforce is allowed to take time off. But not to relax at home, instead to partake in the viewing of mandatory cinematic and musical productions selected by the Communist party for their rosey portrayal of Chinese society.
The Chinese Communist party selected no less than four motion pictures at this year's Golden Week. Among them was supposed to be the film Born to Fly. It's not hard to immediately start drawing parallels between this Chinese film and the hit Hollywood blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. But you won't find any F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 Super Hornets, or Dark Star Hypersonic fighters in this CCP-approved flick.
Instead, the full trailer released on September 22nd features Chinese Air Force pilots in perfectly pressed uniforms. Chinese actor Wang Yibo stars as Lei Yu. You can think of him as your Pete "Maverick" Mitchell-type character. Except this time, the protagonist flies for the People's Liberation Army Air Force in a Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter.
There's all the pomp and circumstance that a good fighter pilot movie needs to attract a crowd. There are broad, sweeping shots of fighter jets rolling, turning, diving, and dogfighting, with plenty of close-up, gritty shots of the pilot's faces to really drive the drama of the trailer home. According to Jaynestars.com, the initial domestic buzz surrounding Born To Flywas mighty promising. With reports detailing how pre-release ticket orders were more than 100 Million Chinese Yuan, or exceeding $13 million.
Considering the film was more or less mandatory for a great many Chinese citizens, there was every reason to believe Born to Flywas destined for a top-shelf theatrical release in its home country. But just before the Golden Week festivities were about to commence, Chinese media announced the film was to be withdrawn from its scheduled theatrical release in spite of the initial warm feelings.
This abrupt and swift axing of an undoubtedly multi-million dollar motion flick starring an ensemble cast of native Chinese actors has media in the west speculating as to why this bizarre decision was made. Speculation is rampant that in spite of the strong pre-order ticket sales, screenings of the movie revealed less than-acceptable acting, dodgy cinematics, and computer-generated imagery that at times made films released 30 years ago look downright modern.
That's the only logical rationale we can think of. In truth, the obvious propaganda nature of the film and the surrounding cultural festival where it was due to be released has people believing Born To Fly has some of the style of Top Gun: Maverick, but with little to none of the substance that made that movie a guaranteed future classic.
The brilliance of the Top Gun franchise lies in that the overtly militaristic and patriotic undertones are buried under layers of top-notch acting and a
well-constructed hero's journey on the part of callsign Maverick and Goose, followed by Rooster in the second movie.
Born To Fly must be a classic example of what happens when the covenants that make all great action flicks are left by the wayside in favor of propaganda. You're left with a film that paradoxically hits with all the force of a wet noodle. But what do you think? Would you give Born to Fly a watch if given a chance? Or would you avoid the same way you'd avoid a copy of Mao's Little Red Book? Let us know in the comments down below.
The Chinese Communist party selected no less than four motion pictures at this year's Golden Week. Among them was supposed to be the film Born to Fly. It's not hard to immediately start drawing parallels between this Chinese film and the hit Hollywood blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. But you won't find any F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 Super Hornets, or Dark Star Hypersonic fighters in this CCP-approved flick.
Instead, the full trailer released on September 22nd features Chinese Air Force pilots in perfectly pressed uniforms. Chinese actor Wang Yibo stars as Lei Yu. You can think of him as your Pete "Maverick" Mitchell-type character. Except this time, the protagonist flies for the People's Liberation Army Air Force in a Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter.
There's all the pomp and circumstance that a good fighter pilot movie needs to attract a crowd. There are broad, sweeping shots of fighter jets rolling, turning, diving, and dogfighting, with plenty of close-up, gritty shots of the pilot's faces to really drive the drama of the trailer home. According to Jaynestars.com, the initial domestic buzz surrounding Born To Flywas mighty promising. With reports detailing how pre-release ticket orders were more than 100 Million Chinese Yuan, or exceeding $13 million.
Considering the film was more or less mandatory for a great many Chinese citizens, there was every reason to believe Born to Flywas destined for a top-shelf theatrical release in its home country. But just before the Golden Week festivities were about to commence, Chinese media announced the film was to be withdrawn from its scheduled theatrical release in spite of the initial warm feelings.
This abrupt and swift axing of an undoubtedly multi-million dollar motion flick starring an ensemble cast of native Chinese actors has media in the west speculating as to why this bizarre decision was made. Speculation is rampant that in spite of the strong pre-order ticket sales, screenings of the movie revealed less than-acceptable acting, dodgy cinematics, and computer-generated imagery that at times made films released 30 years ago look downright modern.
That's the only logical rationale we can think of. In truth, the obvious propaganda nature of the film and the surrounding cultural festival where it was due to be released has people believing Born To Fly has some of the style of Top Gun: Maverick, but with little to none of the substance that made that movie a guaranteed future classic.
The brilliance of the Top Gun franchise lies in that the overtly militaristic and patriotic undertones are buried under layers of top-notch acting and a
well-constructed hero's journey on the part of callsign Maverick and Goose, followed by Rooster in the second movie.
Born To Fly must be a classic example of what happens when the covenants that make all great action flicks are left by the wayside in favor of propaganda. You're left with a film that paradoxically hits with all the force of a wet noodle. But what do you think? Would you give Born to Fly a watch if given a chance? Or would you avoid the same way you'd avoid a copy of Mao's Little Red Book? Let us know in the comments down below.
