Image: Courtesy/Ying Ming Film
Recently released on Amazon Prime Video, Earthquake Magnitude 9.5 (Flashover) is a Chinese production that has been attracting attention. A few days after its premiere on streaming, it already occupies the fourth position among the most watched films among subscribers located in Brazil.
Directed by Oxide Chun Pang, the feature film tells the story of a gigantic disaster in which firefighters are the only hope for any kind of victory or redemption. In it, an earthquake in the industrial center of Guangchen is the starting point for a series of explosions that turn the place into a veritable hell.
Led by Captain Zhao, a team of firefighters decides to search for survivors and prevent new explosions from happening with the spread of the fire. Among the risks they run is that the flames reach sensitive parts of Guangchen, which could cause a new explosion similar to the force of an atomic bomb.
Is a Magnitude 9.5 Earthquake Worth It?
Like a typical disaster film, Magnitude 9.5 Earthquake takes inspiration and elements from the real world and exaggerates them to favor the action and the use of surprising special effects. According to the website Hype, the film goes further and shows the entire preparation process and difficulties that firefighters face in everyday situations.
Magnitude 9.5 earthquake has divided opinionsSource: Disclosure/Ying Ming Film
The outlet also praised the Chinese film for truly exploring the camaraderie of its protagonists, as well as showing them as people who take their jobs seriously and are not afraid to face difficulties. “The bravery and strength of being able to put anyone above them is really respectable,” it said.
Furthermore, Magnitude 9.5 earthquake praised for its pace and for its ability to generate constant tension among the audience. “What will happen next? How will they save this citizen this time? Will they escape safely? Well, these questions will answer themselves once you watch the film.”
Free Malaysia Today had a different impression, saying that the film is flawed by focusing more on melodrama than on its disaster elements. “This is not the film to watch if you are interested in well-written characters: although it follows the firefighting team for most of its two hours, the audience is given little information about who each member is.”
Magnitude 9.5 Earthquake also divided opinions among the few reviews published on Rotten Tomatoes, which considered it only an average film. The same impression can be seen on IMBd, a website where it has a score of 5.3/10 among the 226 user reviews shared so far.
Film shows disasters, but few victims
The film's melodramatic tone did not please some critics.Source: Disclosure/Ying Ming Film
Free Malaysia Today explains that while it may bring entertainment, Earthquake 9.5 It mainly fails to stray too far from the formula of other disaster films.. According to the website, this is evident in the fact that, despite showing many explosions and destruction, there is not enough mention of the cost of living associated with these situations.
“Ultimately, it doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the genre. In fact, it’s overloaded with so many melodramatic moments that you might end up thinking you’ve tuned in to a soap opera instead of a disaster movie,” the site concludes. However, the criticism hasn’t stopped the film from winning over audiences looking for entertainment in the Amazon Prime Video catalog.