The Bravest (2019)

There is a great, dramatic story here, but it’s buried in such a melodramatic and overwrought story that I was actually rolling my eyes and snorting after a while.

You know what’s going to happen to the characters since everything is telegraphed in the first half hour. It follows just about every cliche so you know that each early scene was a set-up to a predictable outcome.

This hits you on the head with the emotional scenes and, yes, the patriotic scenes. If this were an American Muppet movie, Sam the Eagle would pop up and say “at times like this, I’m proud to be an American” about a dozen times. Also, I haven’t seen so many grown men burst into tears this often, This is not a subtle movie.

The cast do what they can to ground this movie and there are some great (and not great) special effects. That’s as much upside as I can come up with.

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A gripping emotional roller-coaster with bumps on the tracks

I knew this was a disaster movie going in. Like most disaster movies of any kind, you brace for a wild ride and this movie did not disappoint.
Though it had a few flaws in terms of believability for certain actions of the main characters, the overall picture painted is a stunning piece of cinematography.
The absolute best part of this movie for me was how absolutely terrifying it was to watch the fire spread everywhere like a monster attacking. The low growls and roaring sound effects used were amazing and effective, making it seem like the fire itself was alive and fighting to claw it's way through every obstacle like a monster. Yet not in an overly exaggerated way. I got chills watching the fire scenes unfold.
Next to that there are also a few scenes that pulled me out of the story again. The exaggerated performance of a firefighter staying amidst fire and smoke for hours trying to close a valve while his protective gloves have burned away, seems a bit unrealistic to me. As is the death scene of my favorite actor Zhang Zhe Han. He delivered it well enough, but it was drawn out and quite fake. I get they want to make it emotional and really wreck the viewers with sad feelings, and trust me i had them. But it's a point that is a glitch in this otherwise fantastic movie.
Next to the patriotic theme and the complexity of heroes culture, this was an amazing film. I would watch it again. 9/10

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A Film that Allows the Audience to Experience the 5 Stages of Grief

This movie was gripping, terrifying, emotional, heartbreaking and so empowering. Each main character had their own back story that allowed the audience to understand and connect to each person both emotionally and physically. The cinematography and actors immediately drew in the audience and made us sit on the edge of our seats. Each piece of dialogue was exact, to the point, meaningful and important to this movie. As the characters struggled theough hardships and obstacles, we struggled with them, afraid of the outcome, afraid for their lives. Each moment we wished we could help, to enter the screen and do something, anything, but as the audience we were trapped, unable to do anything. While watching this film, I knew disaster would strike from all corners, I knew some people weren't going to make it out alive, that families would be left heartbroken and in mourning, and the city would never be the same again. One person's wrong decision and lack of communication lead to the loss of lives of thousands of people. The gripping tales of the lives of three of our main characters; The Captain, Zheng Zhi and Xu Xiaobin, were cut short and the audience was left grieving and in shock. A movie that you kept hoping for a happy ending, even though it was almost inevitable from the very start. The audience experienced every single emotion from anger, sadness, grief, hatred, pain and relief.

This film was so beautifully made, that it was heartwrenching and cut straight to the core of humanity. It touched every one of my heartstrings and I won't be able to forget how this film affected me. A tale of bravery, courage, strength and pain, told through multiple characters. A film that hurts you even more as you realise it's based on true events.

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