- Director : Liu Xiaoshi
- Actors : Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yu Shi, Zhou Dong Yu
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : Mandarin Chinese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Mandarin Chinese (Stereo)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : China
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 2 hours and 8 minutes
- Release date : March 26, 2024
The impact of a
successful blockbuster can be felt around the world, especially when they come
from Hollywood. Because of this, these successes also often end up affecting films
released in foreign film markets. Given the timing of the Chinese aircraft
action drama, Born to Fly, it seems highly unlikely that the success of Top
Gun: Maverick did not play a large role in the film’s development.
Unfortunately, the filmmakers seem to have learned the wrong lessons from the
Tom Cruise film, imitating similar story elements while completely dismissing
the approach to filmmaking. The awe-inspiring practical effects of Top Gun
are traded in for CGI that is often less than believable, making this feel more
like a cash-grab imitation than a sincere effort to tell a good story.
The film is
book-ended with sequences of English-speaking foreign invaders in advanced
fighter jets crossing into China’s borders, motivating officials to move
forward on testing to advance the country’s own aircraft technology. With a
simple high-concept plot involving brave fighter pilots putting their lives on
the line to test new planes to acquire much-needed data, it shouldn’t come as a
surprise that the protagonist carries the trope of a young pilot with a chip on
his shoulder. Lei Yu (Wang Yibo) is recruited by veteran pilot Zhang Ting (Hu
Jun) to join the elite unit testing the new stealth planes at high altitudes. Add
to that a bland rivalry with a fellow pilot (Yu Yosh) and an even blander
romantic sub-plot with a doctor on the base named Shen Tianran (Dongyu Zhou). Nearly
everything about Born to Fly is predictable, and perhaps that is the point.
Although comparisons to the new Top
Gun film were inevitable, Born to Fly may actually share more in common
with the original and other patriotic action films made in the USA during the
1980s. But as Phil Hoad pointed out in his review of the film for The
Guardian, those films also often came with a sense of humor which made the
melodrama more palatable. Born to Fly treats every scene with a level of
seriousness that weighs the film down. There are still some moments of
spectacle that are fairly diverting, even though the CGI lowers the stakes considerably
by continuously indicating the fabrication of filmmaking.
The Blu-ray release of Born to Fly
may be the ideal way to view the film, especially given how much of the film is
digitally created. Unfortunately, this is the only perks in the release of the high-definition
disc. There are no special features to speak of, aside from a few subtitle options.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 0/10
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