The Rescue

If you are a fan of this type of movie(s), you are in for a treat. And this looks as good and awesome as anything Hollywood can put out these days. The personal stories are kept to a minimum (thankfully), but you get to see certain cliches between all the action (the thing you are most likely to be here for). And when the stunts begin ... well not sure where you are going to watch this or have watched it the first time, but the bigger the screen and the better the surround system, the greater the experience will be. Don't get it twisted: no one wishes people to have to go through the things they are going through ... but it is a movie and we have something and someone to root for ... even if it doesn't always turn out to end well ... just like in life. Of course this is overdramatized so comparisons to real life might be a bit too much ... still more than well done.

source: The Rescue

source: The Rescue

I was sad to see so many reviews just comparing this film to Dante's other films. I really have never heard of the guy but wow what a creator. Some of the scenes were just spectacular, you would have expected it from one of the famous filmmakers in Hollywood. Especially that last bit in the ocean. Just mind blowing. And the soundtrack was really perfect. I also think that the female pilot did some of the best acting I've ever seen in that situation when she thought her love interest was going to die. Really fabulous acting on her part, theemotion was palpable. The little boy was adorable and I thought the subplot was perfect. Actually one of the things I find most interesting about this film is how the dubbing is done with such formal English. As an English major myself I do appreciate how foreigners use English in a very formal way. But if this was American made there would be all kinds of acronyms and slang thrown around. I'm not sure why the CC captions are completely different sentences from what the actors are saying although with relatively similar meaning. I guess that's just two different interpretations of the translation. I think the actors who were dubbing the voices did a more definitive translation. I don't recommend having captions on. Good dubbing, as well. Great film.

Another Dante Lam movie, acceptable enough but a far cry from the true excellence of his previous work, OPERATION RED SEA. This one's an overlong disaster movie in which an air sea rescue team have to attend a number of accidents and catastrophes and try to rescue those involved: there are crashed trucks, burning oil rigs, exploding ships, even a downed airliner at one point. Lam's go-to guy Eddie Peng is the square-jawed hero (although he looks oddly like a Lego man here) while the supporting cast is as cliched as they come. And that's what lets this film down: the relationship and humour is forced and melodramatic, leaving only the visual spectacle to impress. At a budget of $90 million they spent loads on the set-pieces, mixing real-life vehicles with decent CGI, and they do look fantastic. The whole film is bright and colourful which I really appreciated. But when you don't care about the characters involved, you can only enjoy a film like this to a certain degree.

If you are a fan of this type of movie(s), you are in for a treat. And this looks as good and awesome as anything Hollywood can put out these days. The personal stories are kept to a minimum (thankfully), but you get to see certain cliches between all the action (the thing you are most likely to be here for). And when the stunts begin ... well not sure where you are going to watch this or have watched it the first time, but the bigger the screen and the better the surround system, the greater the experience will be. Don't get it twisted: no one wishes people to have to go through the things they are going through ... but it is a movie and we have something and someone to root for ... even if it doesn't always turn out to end well ... just like in life. Of course this is overdramatized so comparisons to real life might be a bit too much ... still more than well done.

It's a good action movie with well-executed and thrilling action scenes. The main lead is likable, the main sort-of love interest is also likeable, and the kid character is adorable - but in a milk toast-y kind of way, because ultimately none of them are very memorable. I think, however, that the story would probably have been more effective in showcasing the Chinese Coast Guard, if the movie went in-depth on one single rescue mission rather than go for multiple rescue missions. A missed chance, in my opinion. All in all, recommended mostly for fans of action movies of the rescue team variety. Also good enough for a one time watch for anyone else, who has a slow day.

Seeing reviews giving this movie a 6 or lower is sad. I feel it's a 7 minimum, and a lower score would be a disservice to everyone that worked in it and the amount of effort put into crafting the end result. Is it because it's a "state-sanctioned" movie? Because China wanted to make the people that rescue others for a living in their country look good? Anyway.. It is visually impressive (stunts, action, locations, camera-work, etc.). It's a very technical movie, and it teaches you a bit about the REAL world of rescue teams that are ignored by many (the discipline, preparation, actions, you name it). It's tense, well acted (the lead portrays a character that would make you respect anyone), sound editing is great (music choices, or lack of sound at certain times) and editing in general. It is perfectly crafted to be an immersive movie. I'm not used to movie-structures that aren't particularly conventional.. but these are the kind I enjoy the most, the ones I don't know what to expect. Still, it is a bit charged with drama, but it's tasteful and doesn't undermine the plot. CGI is noticeable at some points (never ugly), but on the other hand, it helps in most scenes. Personally, I really enjoyed it. At times, I forgot I was watching a movie, which is more than I can ask for. If you are interested, give it a shot and don't be deterred by the low score and other reviews!! Expect realism and humanity, but more importantly, don't forget it was written by someone with an objective in mind.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Dante Lam's films 'Operation Mekong' and 'Operation Red Sea', 'The Rescue' was highly anticipated. Sadly, it wasn't as satisfying as the previous films (yet by no means bad either!). Fair enough, this is a well made film with lots of action and nail-biting, thrilling moments. Unfortunately the director relied too much on CGI for this film, where he used a lot of practical effects for his previous films. The visual effects are not bad, but certainly not the greatest. The visual effects in the 2019 Chinese film 'The Bravest' - also dealing with fire - were far better. The character that most appealed to me was Gao Qian (Eddie Peng). They told us everything about him - from his back story to his ambitions and outlook on life, to his current dilemma and trauma, and regret. I really cared about this character and rooted for him every step of the way. I also cared about his son, Cong Cong. Why they always insist on adding a love interest is beyond me, and quite honestly sometimes gets in the way of the action. The love interest in 'The Rescue' is cliched and too predictable - in typical Hollywood style... The film gives us a great insight into the dangerous operations of rescue personnel, and the grueling preparations and exercise they go through to save lives. I enjoyed that aspect of the film. 'The Rescue' can be divided into chapters. Chapter One is the oil rig rescue operation, Chapter Two is the truck rescue operation, Chapter Three is the plane rescue operation (this scene by the way was incredibly well done!), and Chapter Four was the oil vessel rescue operation. The rig and the oil vessel scenes were very similar, though, and gave me a sense of deja vu. Crammed into all of this is our hero's son developing a cancerous brain tumor, and then there's still room for the love story. As a result the film feels too long, with the viewer (or me at least) almost losing interest during the finale, which was too similar to the opening scene, and - honestly - the rig scene was more impressive. I love Asian disaster movies and even though 'The Rescue' wasn't as good as many of the other offerings as of late, it was still enjoyable.

Dubbing almost never works. I've seen one film where the actors did their own dubbing. That was excellent but it wasn't this film.