HK Cinema - 1998

The HK film industry is in dire straights.  Less than fifty films were planned for 1998 as compared to over two hundred films being made a few years earlier. Even with only fifty films being produced, very few of them are profitable. Most of this is due to the reasons gone into in a previous section, but many HK film people are of the opinion that HK films are out of date technologically. The special effects of the American films are overwhelming their own product in the Asian markets.

So with nearly the hype of Star Wars, they produce Storm Riders and release it to great fanfare. It easily has (I am told – have yet to see it) the best special effects of any HK film ever. Based on a comic book, it is a tale of good and evil set among spectacular visuals. Though many have complained about the poor acting and the lack of character development, the film was a box office hit.

This is something HK direly needs, but do we really want HK films following in the footsteps of the bland Hollywood of the 90’s? Isn’t one of the reasons that we have turned to HK films because they are in fact not “Hollywood” at all. Only time will where HK films will go in the next century.