The Chinese are a generation behind other nations when it comes to fighter jet technology, and this poses a risk as enemies with faster and more technologically-advanced aircraft brazenly invade their borders. During a recent attack, ace Army pushing his jet to the absolute limit, was able to keep up with and stave off the enemy, forcing them to flee Chinese airspace, but next time they may not be so lucky. Lei’s actions catch the eye of Flight expert Zhang Ting (Hu Jun, Shadow, Code of the Assassins), who invites him to try out for the Flight Test Bureau. This group of elite pilots will be testing the government’s new Taishan engine, which will ultimately allow the Chinese Army to finally develop a stealth jet of its own and prove itself to other nations. But before Lei can take the engine for a test drive, he must first compete with many other decorated pilots for just 7 spots in the program. This involves passing three tests—a physical test, conversion training, and aviation theories. One of the other recruits Lei is up against is longtime rival Deng Fang (Yu Shi, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms), with whom he recently had a falling out. But getting into the test program is just the first step. The test pilots will then be put through a series of missions to see who will become Chief Pilot, and test the new engine. As these pilots push the limits of their aircraft to gather important data, they are also testing their own physical and psychological limits. Any mistake can prove to be deadly, as they soon learn, but their jobs are important, putting their own lives on the line in order to make sure the latest aircrafts and technology are safe to deploy to the pilots on the front line.
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Born To Fly is an action-packed aerial drama that feels reminiscent of Top Gun. Mixing tense and exciting mid-air action with on-the-ground drama, the film follows these soldiers as they bond, go through their training, and perform dangerous data-gathering flight missions. The pilots also learn about the long and important history of the Test Flight Bureau, and the many pilots who gave their lives to help others. Rivalries become friendships as the pilots learn more about one another’s pasts, and the personal challenges each has gone through. There’s even a bit of romance along the way between medical officer Shen Tianran (Zhou Dongyu, Better Days) and Lei Yu, who first meet when Lei is undergoing his physical test. Leading the team is Zhang Ting, who imparts his knowledge, wisdom and experience on the younger test pilots.
The film does a nice job of fleshing out the characters, and making you care about them and their relationships. These pilots become like a family, so when tragedy ultimately strikes, and the group must come together, you really get a sense of what they are going through. The film finds this perfect blend between the emotional drama and the exciting action sequences. Though there are a couple minor moments where the movie can feel slightly propaganda-ish with a bit of a “Nobody better F with China” message. During the credits, there are also what feels like real voice recordings of test pilots leaving goodbye messages for their loved ones.
Well Go’s Blu-ray looks good and sounds excellent. The picture is clean, clear, and beautiful, with a solid level of detail throughout—whether the pilots are up in the blue sky racing through the clouds, or on the ground going through training and testing. The film opens with a massive dogfight sequence, which is action packed, but also feels a bit clichéd. The sequence utilizes slow motion, and jets doing flip maneuvers and ending up on their sides with the enemy cockpits face-to-face. There was something that looked a bit off and animated about this sequence. However, the later sequences with the test pilots on their data-gathering missions fare much better, and feel more realistic and authentic. These test pilot missions can get quite tense and exciting at times, and the viewer really feels like they are part of the action.
The film is only offered in it’s original Mandarin language, but the English subtitles are well-written and easy to follow. There are also a few brief moments when English is spoken. Whenever the pilots try to hail potential enemies invading their airspace, both sides speak English. It’s never really stated what nation these enemies are from, but the accents sound more European than American.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release is barebones, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go films as bonus material. The Blu-ray comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a nice embossed cardboard slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:07:45)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Mandarin Stereo
- Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
Extras:
- Trailer (1:57)
- Previews
- Polar Rescue (1:50)
- Wolf Pack (:59)
- The Childe (1:26)
Final Thoughts:
Born to Fly is solidly entertaining film, blending an emotional character drama with some really exciting aerial action sequences. The film gives you characters and relationships to care about, and then puts them in peril as these pilots go out on dangerous test missions to gather data that will ultimately save the lives of frontline soldiers. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but is barebones, without any bonus material or English dub option. That said, the release comes recommended based on the quality of the film itself. Any fan of Top Gun-style movies shouldn’t be disappointed.
Born to Fly [Blu-ray]
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