Thread by @HeadExposure

On Chinese New Year, THE WANDERING EARTH, the first full-scale big budget space science-fiction film from China, will open in theatres. There will be many more to come. So here's a thread about previous and proto-SF Chinese movies, to try and wait (im)patiently.

It started in Hong Kong, then a British colony. Hong Kong films were mainly produced by private funds, with little to no money (and less control) from the state. The first Chinese-speaking sci-fi film was RIOTS IN OUTER SPACE (Wong Tin-lam, 1959).

The comedy film, produced by Cathay, is seemingly lost (anyone knows where to find it, give me a shout!). It was about two workers from a firecrackers factory who are brought to the hospital after an explosion. They dream of travelling to Venus and Mars.

Second, there was THE INVISIBLE LUCKY STAR (Miu Hong-nee, 1964). Seemingly still around (haven't found it though), it's supposed to be a riff on the invisibility comedy.

Director Kim Lung put out 2 films in 1966: THE FLYING KILLER and THE FEMALE KING KONG, which were heavily influenced by American pulp icons Tarzan and King Kong. In 1977, the more well-known MIGHTY PEKING MAN (Ho Meng-hua) adapted the Daimajin formula to Hong Kong audiences.

Shan Hua's THE SUPER INFRAMAN (1975) hardly needs to be introduced. A staple of cult cinema, it took inspiration from the Japanese genre of Tokusatsu. Actually, it's so close to its Japanese models that it's hard to distinguish anything idiosyncratically Chinese about it.

The first proper attempt at a thoughtful, genre-bending Chinese sci-fi film came from Tsui Hark in 1979 with THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS, a crime-mystery/wuxia hybrid that uses sci-fi to rationalize its fantasy elements.

By this point, other films were made in China/Taiwan, but for consistency's sake, I'll finish HK first. Next, one of my favs: FLASH FUTURE KUNG FU (Kirk Wong, 1983). Think martial arts in a cyberpunk dystopia inhabited by neo Nazis and a trans youth that gets high on exhaust gas.

What makes it fascinating is that in this Blade Runner/Escape From NY-inspired world, the heroes hail Confucianism as the only weapon that will allow them to resist cybernisation.

At some point, the neo-fascists extol the power of the body over the mind, while one of the heroes survives thanks to a biocybernetic invention closer to herbalist alchemy than to empirical science.

Same year, another fav of mine: Alex Cheung Kwok-Ming's frantic, unstoppable TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR, which brings together Star Wars, Superman, Sherlock Holmes and Marilyn Munroe in a story about aliens travelling to Earth in a Millennium Falcon, looking for fertile women.

In 1987, Lo Kin's THE FINAL TEST plays out like a remake of OUTLAND (itself already a sort-of-remake), and ends with the stopping of the android uprising! No budget means bad sets and costumes, but the action is decent.

I almost forgot to include THE STRANGE BEDFELLOW (Eric Tsang, Alfred Cheung & Lo Kin, 1986), an anthology film set in the 21st century where Hong Kong is a matriarchal society and men breastfeed their babies while population control is closely monitored. An interesting entry.

1988 was the year of THE LASER MAN (Peter Wang), a very strange parody about a naive inventor that creates a deadly laser, and ROBOFORCE, I LOVE MARIA (David Chung), a pretty efficient cyber-buddy-movie action comedy with augmented humans.

In 1991 Cat III films finally enter the fray with Jamie Luk Kin-ming's ROBOTRIX, about a demented scientist who transfers his mind into a robot and starts wreaking havoc as he is pursued by one of his formers victims, a cop turned vengeful cyborg. Trailer:

The early 1990s were full of robot cops, with films such as SUPER LADY COP (Wellson Chin, 1992), Wong Jing's FUTURE COPS (1993), an insane unauthorized Street Fighter adaptation with superpowers and time travel (trailer below), or ULTRACOP 2000.

In a what I think is a SF milestone in HK, Tsui Hark releases THE WICKED CITY (Peter Mak) in 1992. It's the adaptation of a Japanese manga that transforms its story about demon hunters into an anxiety-inducing anticipation of the 1997 handover, complete with cinematic insanity.

In Stephen Shin's BLACK CAT (1991) and BLACK CAT II (1992), micro chips are inserted into people to make them subservient and very good at killing others. A watchable riff on Besson's NIKITA.

Tsui Hark (again) also made LOVE IN THE TIME OF TWILIGHT in 1995, a time-travel romance where lovers use magical electric bulbs to go to different time periods in this charming little film.

Some wuxia pian blended science-fiction elements to their world of fantasy, most notably Chor Yuen's THE HIDDEN POWER OF THE DRAGON SABRE (1984), which felt like a lesser ZU, except the magic seemed more like futuristic/alien technology.

THE ICEMAN COMETH (Clarence Ford, 1989) uses time travel for dramatic and comedic effects, but can't really be called science-fiction. I'm including it because the two-part 2010s remake starring Donnie Yen has become infamous for its production (and quality) problems.

In 1991, SAVIOUR OF THE SOUL had three directors (Correy Yuen, David Lai & Jeffrey Lau) but little direction. Still, it remains a rare translation of the wuxia codes into an urban, slightly-futuristic looking world. Strictly cosmetic, but not uninteresting for fans of both genres

From 1963 to 2004, writer Ni Kuang wrote 145 novels about a character named Wisely (or Wesley). A few of these stories have been adapted in films that sometimes include science-fiction elements.

Hence in 1987, Teddy Robin directed THE LEGEND OF WISELY, which mostly consisted of adventure scenes inspired from Indiana Jones. The last act, however, jumped head first into pure sci-fi with a plot twist that predated that of the 4th Indiana Jones film by two decades!

The Wisely character also found himself starring in THE CAT (1992), an unbelievable work of filmmaking from the director of STORY OF RICKY that has an alien cat kung fu fighting a dog in a junk yard.

Despite its great cast, Andrew Lau's THE WESLEY'S MYSTERIOUS FILE (2002) mostly failed to bring together its narrative. It's a shame because the story included stimulating ideas that rewrote Chinese history through the lens of sci-fi (like the end of THE LEGEND OF WISELY).

While not purely Sci-fi, superhero narratives sometimes come close enough. HK examples include SUPERMEN AGAINST THE ORIENT (1974), an Italian co-production that plays out like a slapstick comedy.

Johnnie To's THE HEROIC TRIO and its sequel THE EXECUTIONERS (1993) take the genre to a new level in Hong Kong, blending fantasy with post apocalyptic sci-fi. One could argue there are family ties with heroines such as The Golden Swallow.

Daniel Lee's BLACK MASK (1996) makes the super soldier formula a staple of Hong Kong science fiction and has a great performance from Jet Li. Need we mention Tsui Hark's sequel CITY OF MASKS (2002)? What do you guys think of it? 😁 It's been a long time for me, I should revisit.

The very in love with itself SILVER HAWK (Jingle Ma, 2004) has Michelle Yeoh and Michael Jay White in it, and pleasantly futuristic looking Asian cities.

Then come the futuristic techno-thrillers like the pretty efficient PURPLE STORM (Teddy Chan, 1999), with its technology-obsessed villain, or Gordon Chan's 2000 AD, which combine sci fi tropes with high-octane action.

In 2000, Benny Chan released GEN-X COPS 2: METAL MAYHEM, a formulaic actioner involving hacked killing robots and way too much "cool" music for me. 😬 Didn't see the first instalment, but I don't think it has anything to do with sci fi?

Andrew Lau's THE AVENGING FIST (2001) is an unofficial Tekken adaptation that channels BLADE RUNNER and FIFTH ELEMENT, and that puts Chinese spiritual concepts front and center in its climax. Flawed but fascinating.

We all know Wilson Yip because of IP MAN, but have you seen 2002, his Matrix-like ghost action film? You should, it's pretty good.

KUNG FU CYBORG (Jeffrey Lau, 2009) and FUTURE X-COP (Wong King, 2010) are big budget Hong Kong blockbusters that rely heavily on sci fi tropes, but that don't really offer anything fresh, rehashing previous and foreign products. Still, an unavoidable, necessary step for the genre

Benny Chan's CITY UNDER SIEGE (2010) is another example of watchable actioner that relies on the super soldier trope. Straightforward entertainment.

There's also a bunch of sci fi comedies that were made in HK over the years: slapstick remake THE SIXTY MILLION DOLLAR MAN (1995) with Stephen Chow, alien abduction dramedy HE COMES FROM PLANET K (Joe Ma, 1997).

FANTASIA (Wai Ka-fai, 2004) is an interesting case, a sort of 70s-style HK social comedy that includes a scene set in 2020 when an HK astronaut plants a flag on the moon.

The most well-known comedy of the genre is probably CJ7 (Stephen Chow, 2008), a sweet, funny take on the alien friend from a child POV. The film is not particularly interested in its central sci fi concept, but it is really good.

I feel like I should also acknowledge the exploitation movies of the group, like THE 3DD INVADER (Cash Shin, 2011) and ZOMBIE FIGHT CLUB (Joe Chen, 2014). I think the titles speak for themselves. 😁

At the other end of the spectrum, several indie auteurs tried their hand at the genre. Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 needs no introduction. Full of beautiful oxymorons (high speed train of immobility, the memory-dependent future, etc.), it's a must-see.

In 2002, Sylvia Chang explored young people's relationship to the virtual world with PRINCESS D, while the Pang brothers came back from America to make FOREST OF DEATH in 2007, a horror film where technology plays a big role in exploring horror tropes.

Fruit Chan's THE MIDNIGHT AFTER (2014) is a great exploration of everything that is changing in the Hong Kong culture following the handover. A character cheekily says 'Hong Kong doesn't do sci fi' the day after everyone has vanished.

From then on, it seems Hong Kong has taken a step back in producing sci fi films, with China taking over big time. I can only think of Benny Chan's comedy MEOW (2017) when looking for recent entries. (Check it out, it's fun alien cat stuff again.)

Taking a break for now, I'll go through the Mainland China science fiction movies later on. Thanks to those who've read, don't hesitate to engage about any of these films, we're here to share. And do let me know if you think I missed important ones.

So, in China, the status of science fiction has had its ups and downs with the Party. The 60s-70s were a fairly infertile time for the genre. Hong Kong's industry expanded its global reach, while films from the mainland remained hard to find outside its borders.

As a result, no science fiction films were produced there before the 80s, and even then, it remained very rare. Up until 4-5 years ago, there had been a total of about 20 sci-fi films made in mainland China only.

Taiwan entered the fray before China: WAR GOD: THE BIG CALAMITY (Chan Hung-man, 1976) is an alien invasion flick where Martians that threaten HK are opposed by a statue of a Chinese god that comes to life! Sort of a Chinese kaiju ega. Behold the craziness:

The first science fiction film made in mainland China is DEATH RAY ON CORAL ISLAND (Zhang Hongmei, 1980). The films supposedly came out on VCD, but I was never able to find it. Again, if you have any tips... 🙂It was shown at festivals recently, so who knows... it might reemerge.

The plot revolves around Chinese scientists in the USA, who come up with a revolutionary invention. A Soviet spy steals it and has it weaponized, and resells it to American criminals. Apparently, the hero ends up on an island inhabited with robots... it sounds very intriguing.

There's an oddity that should be mentioned: Jin Shan's BALLAD OF THE MING TOMBS RESERVOIR (1958) was what appears to have been a pseudo-documentary on the works of the reservoir when the Great Leap Forward began. The last act envisioned the works completed, 20 years in the future

Next up is Jianxin Huang's DISLOCATION (1986), which I again have not seen, but which kinda sounds a nit like MULTIPLICITY, in that the main character creates a robot in his image to take over his overwhelming responsibilities. It sounds very critical of the system it describes,

but I can't be sure without having seen it, since the director has since made state-commissioned films such as THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC and THE FOUNDING OF A PARTY. His first film, however (THE BLACK CANON INCIDENT) was definitely a satire of Chinese authorities.

Then came IT'S A MAN'S WORLD (Wang Weiyi, 1987), which imagined a dystopian society where women young enough to carry children have become a rarity. The remaining young women are locked away in some sort of castle and the men roam the streets aimlessly in the hope of finding love

By the way, sorry for not including pictures these last few tweets, but... I couldn't find any for these films. They're really not easy to get ahold of.

THE SYNTHETIC MAN (Wang Yabiao & Yin Aiqun, 1988) is another one that I couldn't find. Secondary sources suggest it's about a mind-swap between a peasant and a company CEO. Same goes for Zhang Zhilu's WONDER BOY (1988) about a superpowered boy born when a UFO flies over the Earth

More films that probably never made it out of China continue to appear, like MAGIC WATCH (Xu Geng, 1990), about a boy who finds a watch that turns him into a grown man, and Stealth Doctor (Zhang Zaien, 1991), another comedy riff on the invisibility trope.

Feng Xiaoning's THE OZONE LAYER VANISHES (1990) is a bit more well-known. The name is self-explanatory, and the film tackles the impact of modern technologies over nature through a story about a boy who meets talking animals that tell him why they despise humans.

I'd love to get my hands on REBORN HERO (Li Guomin, 1995), a film about a cop that falls into a coma and wakes up years later, in the future, which he must adapt to. (Demolition Man, anyone?)

Next up: technophobic children's film CRAZY RABBIT (Cui Xiaoqin & Meng Weibing, 1997). I can't sum up the synopsis more efficiently than in the book Media in China: Consumption, Content and Crisis:

The whole film is on YouTube if you can watch unsubtitled Mandarin:

Or if you can't NOT watch a film just because it has no subtitles (inconsequential detail), like me. 😁

Proper auteurs start using science fiction as a tool in the aughts decade, with Yu Lik Wai's ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES (2003) screening at the Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of future China, in which a fascist regime suddenly collapses and gives way to corporate oppression

The characters sort of just roam around trying to survive, so the science fiction elements are only conceptual and intangible, but it certainly remains a surprisingly critical film.

STAR APPEAL (Cui Zi'en, 2004) is the first Chinese science fiction film to tackle homosexuality. In fact, it's its main subject, with the plot following a naked alien taking refuge with a human couple on Earth. Needless to say, this is an underground film. Shot on video I believe

Now for a real oddity : THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP (Glenn Chaika & Kelvin Lee, 2005) is an animated film made with Hong Kong money, by Chinese animators from the mainland, with American voice actors, and is based on original work by legendary French artist Jean Giraud, aka Moebius!

The plot revolves around a young hero who crosses the universe to rescue his father (voiced by... @HamillHimself !) on a planet inhabited by giant aliens whose code of conduct reassembles that of the medieval knights.

OK, it's going to start getting a bit messier now, as China begins to ramp up its production of low budget sci fi movies. Three contestants in the "kid-friendly but really not interesting family film" from 2009:

MARS BABY
VISITORS FROM THE MING DYNASTY
STUBBORN RADISH

Oops, that should be VISITORS FROM THE SUI DYNASTY, sorry. Anyway, that one has the same concept as THE ICEMAN COMETH from Hong Kong, except it's pure comedy here. MARS BABY is about a baby... from... Mars, who has superpowers. Gags ensue.

VIRTUAL RECALL (Cheung Hoi Ching, 2010) is an intriguing entry. It starts off pretty scientifically accurate, before switching to a more fantasy tone, whereby deep meditation is said to transport to parallel dimensions. It also has kickboxing, PG sex scenes, and triple zoom-ins.

The 1st attempt at big studio sci-fi from China comes with LEE'S ADVENTURE in 2011. It's co-directed by Frant Gwo (yep, the director of THE WANDERING EARTH) and Li Yang, and stars Jaycee Chan (Jackie Chan's son). The film has its problems, but it's an important step forward.

Jaycee plays a man that perceives time slower than normal people, and who enters a trance when playing video games. He finds a way to time travel when entering this trance state, and pictures himself humanity's savior in dream/animated sequences. Has ideas, but lacks focus.

LOVE IN SPACE (Tony Chan & Wing Shya, 2011) is not really science fiction, but this rom com has one segment dedicated to a romance between two taikonauts. Nothing ground-breaking at first glance, but this is the 1st time we see Chinese people living/working in space.

TAI CHI ZERO and TAI CHI HERO (Stephen Fung, 2012) are two very compelling attempts at mixing steampunk aesthetics with the kung fu genre. The direction is a bit derivative, but the films are generous, full of big ideas, and I think they have become a landmark in genre-bending.

They offer a fascinating reflection on the relationship between technology and the Chinese spiritual/martial world. The films blend China's mythological past with steampunk elements, first as an invading monstrosity, then as a progressively-accepted enhancement of life.

AMAZING (Sherwood Hu, 2013) substitutes martial arts for basketball in this story that mixes romance and virtual reality. Lots of English dialogues to facilite the film's export. Honestly, I've seen it a couple of years back but that's all I can remember from it. Not a good sign.

I don't recommend watching BUGS 3D (Yan Jia, 2014), a teenage monsters/disaster film that did little for me. The director is finishing up his next film, The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang, which is a Jackie Chan vehicle.

Since he does it best, I'm gonna quote @AsianFilmStrike for Sun Zhou’s IMPOSSIBLE (2015): a truck driver meets an alien named Muah Muah that’s the shape of a tennis ball, and has come to Earth to study us. Lowbrow humor, preachiness, District 9 & 2001. Yay
asianfilmstrike.com/2015/12/23/imp…

You've all heard of BLEEDING STEEL (Leo Zhang, 2017), Jackie Chan's first foray into science fiction. Some interesting ideas, but the movie lacks cohesion. It's still more watchable than most attempts at sci fi blockbusters from China up to that point.

Then there is something called JIAN JI, which never officially came to Western shores. The trailer is below, and I think the plot involves fine-looking young people with super weapons and battleships, but really, I can't be sure. Information is scarce.

Produced by Jackie Chan, RESET (Yoon Hong-seung, 2017) raises the bar for time travel action thrillers in East Asia. Lean, mean, efficient. It's derivative but competently made. Again, I direct you to @AsianFilmStrike's wise words: asianfilmstrike.com/2017/06/29/res…

As time travel alien invasion martial arts films, KUNG FU TRAVELER (Xian Feng Zhang, 2017/2018) parts 1 & 2 should have been the new cornerstones of sci fi spectacle in China. It brings together the main concepts of modern sci fi AND stars Tiger Chen, a talented martial artist.

Alas. The story is so thin it never becomes engaging, the visual effects are horrendous, and the fights are fine, but nothing special. A very bland pair of films, in spite of the fact that it tries to give precedence to the power of kung fu/Chinese traditions over technology.