credits
http://hkmdb.com/db/images/movies/10868 ... 9-41-b.jpg

http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?i ... ay_set=eng

I think Go Yan might be the young crewman(?)

That first shot of Dennis' closing credits (with the downed plane in the background) makes this movie look almost exciting, but having seen it, I know better. Air disaster movies are so much better when there's a villain of some sort, a diabolical terrorist or careless corporate honcho or even a freakish act of nature, but in this one, the villain is landing gear that won't drop, if I recall correctly, which leads the hero in the control tower to feverishly pore over instruction manuals and envision exciting crash scenarios in his imagination!

I think the selling point at the time was its use of special effects.
Admittedly, I rather enjoyed the film the first time I saw it way back when. Maybe it was the super-sonic DTS track? Your points are valid, though and watching the movie again this week, it did seem rather more tepid. And I had completely forgotten about the dopey landing gear in the intervening years. Still, I found it maintained my interest throughout and I even got teary eyed at the melodramatic ending when the pilot and the head stewardess/wife reconcile.

Maybe the upcoming Super Typhoonwill suit your tastes more.

dleedlee wrote:I think the selling point at the time was its use of special effects.

Admittedly, I rather enjoyed the film the first time I saw it way back when. Maybe it was the super-sonic DTS track? Your points are valid, though and watching the movie again this week, it did seem rather more tepid. And I had completely forgotten about the dopey landing gear in the intervening years. Still, I found it maintained my interest throughout and I even got teary eyed at the melodramatic ending when the pilot and the head stewardess/wife reconcile.

Good point. And certainly by mainland Chinese standards of 1999, the special effects, particularly the crash fantasies, were impressive, as was the slick production design (loved the control tower set), and even the soundtrack, as you mention. I think I just found the drama too . . . quaint? Truth is I wasn't surprised at the things I ultimately criticized about it considering the country of origin. And besides, it certainly showed a marked improvement from a previous Chinese airline crisis thriller I remember seeing called OPERATION COUGAR.

Maybe the upcoming Super Typhoonwill suit your tastes more.

From the looks of the goofiness on display in this trailer (scroll down), I shouldn't be surprised if the logic-defying scene on that poster is actually included in the film!

it certainly showed a marked improvement from a previous Chinese airline crisis thriller I remember seeing called OPERATION COUGAR

I guess I'll leave it in my unwatched pile for another year, then.

Super Typhoon looks like it could be a fun thrill ride. Did they really throw in a shark to up the ante another notch?

Since we're talking about mainland disaster movies:

Top Danger is worth mentioning. It's about a leaking LPG tanker just waiting to explode. And the safety officer and gas official are lovers.

And Red Snow (with Karen Mok) in Tibet features flash floods and a thrilling helicopter mountain rescue.

I think I've just nominated my next assignment for image caps. Here's hoping they hold up to a second viewing.

dleedlee wrote:Super Typhoon looks like it could be a fun thrill ride. Did they really throw in a shark to up the ante another notch?

It could happen . . .

Top Danger is worth mentioning. It's about a leaking LPG tanker just waiting to explode. And the safety officer and gas official are lovers.

And Red Snow (with Karen Mok) in Tibet features flash floods and a thrilling helicopter mountain rescue.

I've had RED SNOW in the pile for years now. Gave the first few minutes a spin when I bought it to make sure the disc works, but can only remember being somewhat dismayed at the weak special effects, although again, by mainland standards of the day, I suppose they were pretty good. Didn't see the floods, though, so that could be cool. Never heard of TOP DANGER. That might be worth sourcing some day.