VietNamNet Bridge – Inflation does not appear to have affected movie audiences around the country. They are still rushing out in large numbers to see the summer hits. “l am not going to miss this blockbuster no matter what it costs” exclaimed Ha Ngoc Huong,

A young couple buys tickets at the box of Megastar Hung Vuong Plaza.

Chinese-background blockbuster made in Hollywood

Another summer blockbuster made in China was The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. With a budget 160 million dollars, an ideal location for an action film and the success of the previous “The Mummy” films, there were great expectations when this sequel was released.

Visually these expectations were met; the audience was treated to many spectacular scenes shot in the Tian Mo desert and the Himalayan Mountains, and the special effects, in particular when the Dragon Emperor is on the screen, are very realistic. But the director underestimated his viewers when he decided to make his Chinese characters so fluent in English.

It made the characters less credible, plus the performances of some of the lead actors were also weak and unconvincing. Apparently the next “Mummy” will be shot in Peru, however the general consensus seems to be that the Mummy should quit before it ruins the reputation of the series.

A strong wave of fiction

Summer 2008 was definitely a summer of super heroes. Iron Man, The Dark Knight (Batman) Hell boy II, the Incredible Hulk and Hancock all came to the screen this year. While not all were as successful in Vietnam as they have been in other parts of the world, The Incredible Hulk was a nice surprise for viewers who were disappointed with the previous version, released in 2003.

This time the director was determined to stick closely to the Marvel comic character and the result is compelling and believable. Hancock, which received a lot of publicity here because the script was written by Vy Vincent Ngo, an overseas Vietnamese, got off to a slow start but ended up being a modest hit in Vietnam, perhaps in part because of was one of the few films of the summer that

was appropriate for both children and adults. Hancock is an unusual super hero, rude, drunk and hard-living who finally becomes a person the audience can care about. However, some of the audiences were disappointed with the film ended, feeling that is should have been more exciting.

The viewers’ confidence needs to be restored

Red Cliff, The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Hancock, and The Incredible Hulk are just four of many blockbusters screened this summer. In some ways they provide what cinema audiences want to see: spectacular action scenes, imposing scenery, special effects, sound effects and talented actors. However, many of them lacked good scripts and the characters were not always engaging enough to keep the audience interested.

(Source: SGT)