The pandemic has seen Hollywood shut out of China like never before, and as a result, it’s taken a while for international audiences to discover the nation’s in-house blockbuster epics. Based on how audiences are reacting to Warriors of Future so far, it looks as though Netflix has made a shrewd move in acquiring the international distribution rights.
As per FlixPatrol, Ng Yuen-fai’s visually impressive sci-fi disaster epic has become a Top 10 hit in 52 countries since being added to the platform yesterday, and we wouldn’t be shocked if it were to trouble Norwegian creature feature Troll for the overall number one spot by this time tomorrow, seeing as it’s already the sixth top-viewed title on the global rankings.
Not that it technically matters when Warriors of Future is already a certifiable smash hit, having earned an impressive $111 million in China after premiering theatrically on home soil back in August of this year. The basic setup is the sort of thing you’ll have seen plenty of times before, with a meteorite crashing into our planet and bringing some intergalactic entities along for the ride.
Unsurprisingly, they’re not here to play nice, which forces an elite squad of military specialists into action. They end up getting their asses handed to them on a silver platter, though, leading Louis Koo’s sole survivor Tai Loi to stumble upon a far-reaching conspiracy that has potentially seismic repercussions for both the human and extraterrestrial sides of the divide.
Not exactly the most original effort you’ll ever see, but director Yuen-fai’s VFX background is on full display when it comes to the excellent action sequences, and it’s an ideal way to whittle away less than 100 minutes if you want to switch your brain off and watch things go boom.