Nothing in this film is subtle or unexpected, and even the hero's several near-death experiences create no real tension
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09/19/08
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The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
27 %
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Reviews Counted: 62
Fresh: 17
Rotten:45
Average Rating: 4.5/10
Consensus: This beautifully photographed but dramatically flat war drama recounts an important chapter in history with little cinematic freshness.
Theatrical Release: May 23, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $652,604
Synopsis: Based on real events, The Children of Huang Shi is a story set against war-torn China in the 1930’s. The film centers on a young English journalist (JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS), an American nurse (RADHA MITCHELL) and the leader of a Chinese parti-... [More]
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Radha Mitchell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Reviews for The Children of Huang Shi
...an inspiring tale of a man answering a call to greatness even if he doesn't fully understand why it's fallen to him.
09/12/08
Xiaoding Zhao’s cinematography is splendid, Roger Spottiswoode’s direction is workmanlike.
08/07/08
Perhaps it would have been wise for the director, Roger Spottiswoode, to make more efficient use of Chow Yun-fat, who shows up now and then as a resistance fighter.
07/16/08
Top Critic
History is never easy to capture in a fiction film, especially with a war in the background. But you have to at least try to embrace the whole of it, not just tear off a convenient chunk. Real life is inconvenient; great movies still deal with it.
07/04/08
Unfortunately, like so many movies that celebrate a historical hero, Children is plagued by an overblown sense of its own importance.
07/03/08
The Children of Huang Shi is so desperate to be the Asian Schindler's List, an example of atrocity draped in abject artistry, that it forgets to lay out the context.
07/01/08
... an affecting portrait and a strong story with a compelling backdrop, and Chinese cinematographer Xiaoding Zhao makes the gorgeous locations look magnificent.
06/29/08
The settings in remote China are wonderfully diverse as seen through Xiaoding Zhao's lens, and the passionate and heartfelt saga unfolds beautifully, capturing our hearts.
06/28/08
Director Roger Spottiswoode captures some gorgeous Chinese scenery, much of which is chewed by Rhys Meyers' histrionic performance.
06/27/08
Its wartime, period and regional production values are persuasive, the character is larger than life and the climax is sobering.
06/26/08
Frankly, we'd much rather hear the stories of the orphans themselves.
06/26/08
The film's closing credits ironically emphasize its dramatic shortcomings: Here we see the real, now-elderly children of Huang Shi, reflecting on their adventure. Their compelling recollections suggest that... perhaps a documentary would've been better.
06/20/08
The Children of Huang Shi is an old-fashioned story of courage and self-sacrifice in the face of war and deprivation. It's also sappy, boring and obvious.
06/20/08
It's a sturdy film, vivid if utterly workmanlike, that builds to a crescendo of personal sacrifice and misty noble uplift.
06/20/08
Top Critic What should be a moving story is ruined by hideous acting and sloppy filmmaking.
06/15/08
The characters in The Children of Huang Shi can conquer famine, war, disease, natural disasters and addiction but not a truly horrible script.
06/13/08
If it doesn't measure up to the label "epic," it's still an engaging account of one man's journey through war and those circumstances that give meaning to the saying, "Heroes are made, not born."
06/13/08
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April 21, 2008:
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(2008/Rated R)-THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI will open in U.S. theaters on MAY 23rd!!!
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