Bullets.jpg (Photo : www.filmsmash.com)
Following an extravagant premiere of "Gone with the Bullets" at the Beijing Olympic Center Gymnasium on Monday night, both film critics and fans have emerged with mixed reviews that include fairly scathing judgments of the highly anticipated sequel.
The premiere occurred after an abrupt postponement at the hands of the Chinese censorship board that delayed the event by a week.
Around 3,000 guests were invited to watch "Gone with the Bullets" on a temporary IMAX screen with dimensions that measured 26 meters in width and 14.5 meters in height.
The audience was glad to gather in the Olympic Center after braving the chilly weather, where the red carpet was graced by director Jiang Wen, as well as actors Zhou Yun, Ge You and Shu Qi. Jiang also stars in the film.
While official reviews are yet to be published, reports from China.org.cn indicate that many were disappointed on Monday, even after experiencing a lavish event that was obviously the result of a great deal of effort. The website reported that Jiang's film was a "letdown," and numerous audience members said that they either did not like the movie or did not understand it after the lights went on.
However, the China.org.cn film reviewer was less restrained in their appraisal. While the review is forthcoming, the site's article offered a single line, in which the reviewer describes a "crazy motion picture fun mess is overdone by an arrogant director afflicted by super narcissism lacking in emotional depth."
Fans also expressed similar views, taking to social media with comments that included one viewer's declaration that "Gone with the Bullets" is the director's worst film.
As of Wednesday, one positive review from prominent film critic Raymond Zhou has been publicized.
As far as box-office takings go, the producers that backed Jiang, the Buyilehu Film Company and Chinese video website iQiyi, have already reaped 300 million yuan ($48.41 million) in Internet pre-orders before the public release on Thursday.
