Aftershock

After reading the other very eloquent and well thought of reviews posted so far I believe there is little I can ad to this string. That is, unless I can express my view as a true outsider of Chinese cinema and relatively inexperienced at your beautiful culture.

It's nearly impossible to find words to describe quickly I was sucked into the plot and became a member of the family of four portrayed in this masterpiece. I was in awe of the human tragedy this earthquake was and the amazing technology used to recreate it. However, nothing could have possibly prepared me for the tragic, sad, warm and beautiful human drama that would follow.

I was hoping to say I enjoyed this as much as or even more than any other movie. However, I have never experienced a movie that I can even begin to compare this to. This is a masterpiece and treasure.

As i sit here typing up this review, my eyes are sore from the tears shed from watching this stunning film. This is no ordinary documentary like film. The characters are portrayed in a way that establishes a deep connection with the audience, the actors/actresses in this this film were absolutely flawless. The emotions, gestures and dialogue were all perfect.

Apart from complimenting the set, the movie had great computer generated scenes of the devastating effects of the earthquake. This really puts the audiences in a perspective like never before , as u see the people being smashed by boulders and collapsing buildings with people inside.

This movie focuses on the main idea of FAMILY. It shows the bonding of natural disaster victims and the the journey of recovering from the emotional wounds.

This movie was a master piece. I highly recommend it.

This has to be one of the best films I have ever seen! From the minute you are drawn in by the amazing cinematography and the story set before you, you are hooked.

This film flows like the Three gorges dam, powerfully! Have a box of tissues handy as you'll need them. The film moves along at a nice steady pace punctuated with moments of such drama that if your of a certain disposition you will weep openly.

At 2 hours 15 minuets I was so glad it ended. Not because I hadn't enjoyed it but because I was an emotional wreck.

I could wax lyrical for paragraph upon paragraph about this film but the most poignant thing I could say is... Just watch it.

10/10 easily.

I watched a subbed version of this movie and the first few minutes remind me of Hollywood sensational movie and I was about to end the viewing. I'm very glad that I did not do it because otherwise I have missed one of the best movies I have watched so far. The emotion just goes up in you until it hit a peaks then it starts going down calmly to have a good ending. Do not let the English title of the movie misleads you, the movie is much much more than about the earthquake or natural disaster itself, it's about the human's nature, how they dealt with difficult situations. The earthquake is just pretext and it can be anything tragic like war, exodus, deportation etc...Remember "Sophie's choice" ?

When I bought this movie from Amazon, I believed it to be a disaster movie in the likes of Hollywood movies such as "Volcano", "2012" and such. And the cover and text on the back of the cover didn't really let on to what this movie was, it all just showed something of a typical disaster movie.

So I wasn't prepared for what was ahead. Also because I hadn't done any research of reviews prior to buying (and watching) the movie. So I was in for one big surprise. There are those rare moments when you stumble upon something truly unique by sheer luck, and this was one such moment for me.

"Aftershock" blew me away. This movie is so much more than your average disaster movie. Sure there is a breathtakingly amazing disaster scene early on in the movie. And you just sit there with your hands clenched and biting your lip, because that whole part is so intense and so amazingly shot. It is like you are there right in the midst of the chaos. I will go as far as saying that the earthquake scene in this movie far outshines any of that I have seen in Hollywood disaster movies.

But "Aftershock" is not just a disaster movie, it is also a movie that has a very touching story to tell, a very sad and unfortunate story as well. But it tell its story in a very good way, without being too much. You really get immersed in the story, and it sweeps you off your feet and takes you along on an emotional roller-coaster ride. You might actually want to have some tissue at hand, because there are some very, very emotional scenes in this movie. It is also a story of emotions; a story of how our lives and fates can change in the blink of an eye.

The characters in "Aftershock" are very believable and they are so well portrayed on the screen by the actors and actresses. Each and every of the main characters are given so much room to grown and develop that you really get to feel with them, grow with them, feel their sadness, loss and happiness. And for this, the director was right on the money. This story was so well-told and well-shot that it is hard not to get caught up in the moment.

The 130 minutes that the movie is in length doesn't feel that long, because you get so caught up in the movie. I didn't leave the screen for a single moment. I just sat there mesmerized, wanting to see what happened next, what would happen to Fang Deng, Fang Da and everyone else.

I am a big fan of Asian cinema, though I had never heard about this movie prior to finding it by sheer luck on Amazon. Now that I have seen it, "Aftershock" will stay with me for a long, long time. It was one of the most emotional and honest stories I have had the pleasure of witnessing in a long, long time.

Even if you are not a fan of Asian cinema or have a phobia of watching movies in a foreign language, you should overcome that and do yourself the pleasure of sitting down to watch this movie, because it is really worth it. This movie is truly an amazing one, and it the story is one that deserves to be told.