Larger-than-life mechs that are made and remotely programmed by the military. A meteor that crashes through the sky and ends up releasing a giant hostile plant that wants to take over entire cities. Praying mantis type of creatures that hunt down humans any chance they get. Combine all that with some very intricate CGI special effects and a dedicated cast of actors and actresses, and the movie Warriors of Future was born.
Beginning development over seven years ago in early 2015, producer and actor of the film, Louis Koo and his film company, One Cool Film Production, are overwhelmingly comforted that, with the help of Netflix, the world finally has the opportunity to see what Hong Kong can do with CGI given the proper time and resources.
Well, the passage of time has definitely shown that this opportunity was given to the right person, as Warriors of Future has become the highest-grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong, grossing over one hundred million dollars. Compared to the United States, where subjects and themes of film can be wide-ranging, China has restrictions on cinematic storytelling, making this feat much more celebratory.
Showing Warriors to the World
Netflix
Founded in just 2013, One Cool Film successfully employs over 300 well-experienced workers in the film industry that spans China, South Korea, and Thailand. The company has already collaborated with many entities, including big names like Sony Pictures Animation and smaller, more independent, and ground-level producers in the United States as well.
Using the streaming platform Netflix as a vehicle for a worldwide release, Warriors of Future was originally released in Hong Kong on August 25th, 2022. Needing to hammer out post-production details, a guerilla marketing campaign was implemented starting five years earlier. An actual, well-known news anchor suddenly grabbed citizens’ attention by warning them about the impending meteorite seen in the movie.
Trailers that were at first teased for the film were finally shown on billboards throughout China on a certain day and at a specific time. These trailers were then released on the internet for all to see.
Soldiers, Robots, and Aliens
Warriors of Future tells the story of a dystopian world where an overgrown, malicious type of plant has already taken over and destroyed five kilometers of what were once bustling cities. Not only are these kaiju-sized Venus fly traps finding homes on the sides of buildings and snapping at anything that comes close, but wolf-shaped praying mantises are now infinitely scoured among the rubble and are all hungry for their next meal.
With this mutation named Pandora and sharing the same biological trait as regular greenery but on a catastrophic level, the monstrosity of Pandora instantly and aggressively grows further out when rainstorms blow through the area, destroying and crushing everything in the immediate area. It is up to a four-man suicide squad employed by a local military force, ASU, to deliver gene missiles to the pistil of the main flower in order to eradicate this invading force once and for all.
In order to do that, they not only have to traverse a dilapidating world and defend against Pandora, but the team also has to face off against giant robot machines from a corrupt general and protect a little girl who finds herself lost amidst all the chaos.
A Well-Rounded Cast
Netfix
All the cast members starring in this fast-paced, action-packed success have so many accolades next to their names that just listing them all could be its own time-skipping adventure. Just to go over a few, Louis Koo, who plays the main character Tyler in Warriors of Future, has not only published several books and several song albums and starred in many Chinese films but is also an executive producer on numerous American animated films including Marmaduke, Vivo, and The Mitchells vs. The Machines.
Starring as Tyler’s military comrade, Chinese actor Sean Lau has a prolific acting resume and has done voiceover work for Toy Story 3, Finding Dory, and The Lego Batman Movie. Becoming Sarah Jessica Parker for Hong Kong’s version of Sex In The City, Carina Lau is Tam Bing in Warriors of Future, an officer sent in to help prepare for the worst-case scenario in case the mission could not be done. Mrs. Lau has been nominated for and won numerous awards throughout her acting career.
This newly released Louis Koo production can possibly be overlooked because of the unfamiliar names attached to the cast and production, but when you put that aside for just a moment, you will surely become mesmerized by the action scenes that stand right up to the computer-generated, hard-hitting titan fights found in Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise and the run and gun chaotic nature similarly found in Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow. With that being said, gear up and get ready to watch Warriors of Future. It’s one explosive ride you will never forget.
