Skyfire

Ok, the story is a bit simple, but it's a nice popcorn disaster movie

Tianhuo Island is as beautiful as a paradise. It almost makes people forget that it is located in the "Ring of Fire" the world-famous Pacific Rim volcanic belt. The volcano erupted, and the fate of the people in the island was entangled.

Well, I've seen my share of volcano movies (of which 'Dante's Peak' and 'Flight Crew' are my favorites, and 'Pompeii' my least favorite), so I was very excited to watch this.

The first thing that grabbed me, was the beautiful score - sweeping, melodic, epic. Then the stunning cinematography and amazing visuals. This film truly LOOKS amazing on screen. This is the type of movie I'd watch for the scenery and cinematography alone.

'Skyfire' felt like a 'Jurassic World' sequel - without the Dinosaurs, off course. From the setting to the disaster element reminded me of 'Jurassic World'. The characters and their back stories are pretty basic, but lets face it, we're not here to analyze characters, are we? We watch these films to marvel at the destruction scenes and be thrilled by action and chaos that ensues in the wake of a volcanic eruption.

The film was like a silky smooth chocolate on my palate, satisfying every craving. 'Skyfire' takes the viewer on a roller coaster ride from the very beginning. The action and suspense never lets up. This is an impressively well made film that never ceases to amaze, and there really never is a dull moment.

My biggest critique would be the acting. Hannah Quinlivan, especially, wasn't strong enough to portray the film's hero, Meng Li. We needed someone who could do for this film what Angelina Jolie did for 'Tomb Raider', or Kate Beckinsale for 'Underworld'. They are powerhouse performers who did the characters justice. Possibly the biggest issue is the fact that directors use too little practical effects nowadays, so actors have very little to work with.

Despite loads of improbabilities, this was a hell of a fun movie; exciting, thrilling and very well made. This might just rank among my favorite disaster movies - certainly on an entertainment level!

I was in the mood for an action-filled, silly-but-fun disaster movie tonight, and this was exactly that--except to my deep disappointment, it was dubbed. Every dubbed film I have ever seen ruins the film with terrible translations that make dialog provokingly inane and the film hard to watch. I like hearing the original language, and the actual voices of the actors, and besides the terrible translations, the acting of the dubbing voices are much worse! I once had the misfortune to see a dubbed version of Crouching Tiger on cable, and I was horrified that even that exquisitely beautiful, sad film was reduced to a farce, with laughable, horrendous dialog and acting. I wish the Skyfire version I saw on Crackle tonight had had subtitles; it would surely have been less ludicrous.

Ah, well. In addition to the many special effects, it would seem that young lovers can swim underwater (with no diving tanks) and hold their breath for at least half an hour...! I wish I could do that.

If you discount the usual PRC propaganda undertones present in most Chinese movies (with the usual greedy western white villain), this is a nice disaster movie. The Chinese have always been experts in action movies, and this is no exception. Action and suspense are masterfully produced all through the movie, but you will get nothing else here. Characters and dialog are mostly silly, with the usual over the top drama, which can make for an added layer of involuntary comedy.

What a pleasant surprise. This is a gem. The movie is set in the present on a futuristic park but has that good old fashioned action adventure feel to it. Very refreshing. Highly recommended.