While there are similarities, comparing director Xiaoshi Liu’s Born to Fly (Chang Kong zhi wang) to Tony Scott’s 1986 box office hit Top Gun is unfair. Scott’s film featured cartoonishly phony characters tripping over insipid dialogue while the filmmaker tried to distract audiences with chaotically constructed scenes of jet plane action. Liu’s superior picture features well-drawn, likable characters with relatable emotions and well-executed aerial sequences. The two films are linked (to a certain extent) in subject matter, but this is an action film that respects its audience. 

Born to Fly wrapped production in May of 2022, the same month that Top Gun: Maverick hit American theaters. It would come to pass that the release would be postponed. There is an argument to be made that the producers didn’t want to compete with a similar film, let alone one starring the biggest star on the planet. Whatever the reason, the filmmakers need not worry, as this is an exciting and (occasionally) emotionally involved motion picture. 

Wang Yibo stars as “Lei Wu”, an impulsive young pilot whose tendency to break rules puts him at loggerheads with his superior officer, “Commander Zhang” (Hu Jun) and fellow pilot “Deng Fang” (Yosh Yu). While Wu straddles the line of cocky and confident, Zhang is taken with the young man and the two eventually form a bond. These driven men are part of an elite team tasked with testing the latest technology from the minds of the People’s Air Force; an advanced stealth jet for use in battle. 

When on the ground, Liu and Guan Gui’s screenplay may offer the standard cliched characters for this type of film, but each role is crafted with heart. The filmmakers want their audience to care about the people on screen, not because the plot tells them to, but because they are written with relatable human qualities. The scenes of male bonding are well-handled while the training segments can be quite exhilarating.

The aerial sequences are made up of test flights rather than battles, but that doesn’t make them any less exciting. Jets at high speeds going into tailspins, engines failing, pilots trying to steer their plummeting craft away from civilization, birds crashing through cockpit windows; all moments designed to keep the audience white-knuckled and on the edge of their seats. 

Yuxia Bai’s camerawork blends well with the visual effects. The cinematography (in and out of the sky) is often quite beautiful while the team of three editors keeps the intensity at high levels without resorting to flashy quick cutting. 

As did Joseph Kosinski with Top Gun: Maverick, Xiaoshi Liu wants his audience to experience what is going on. The jet plane scenes are extremely well shot and expertly orchestrated, each one ratcheting up the excitement to give the audience a good time.

Is there propaganda here? Of course! Both Top Guns, the Rambo films, and even Phillip Kaufman’s The Right Stuff had it too. As shot and written, one could accuse this film of being a feature length recruitment video for the Chinese Air Force (at times, it is), but there is certainly more to it. In some cinematic situations, a “Rah-Rah” superior attitude can serve a story. The (sometimes overly) earnestness of the production serves this one pretty well. 

Born to Fly is filled with real emotion and supreme cheesiness in equal measure. There are scenes where viewers will be touched, while others make you roll your eyes, but it works. Audiences will never be bored,  and just might find themselves surprised by the picture’s emotional pull. 

Thanks to a good cast, exciting aerial footage, and assured direction, Born to Fly is a sometimes thrilling, sometimes affecting popcorn movie that achieves its goal to entertain.

Coming to Blu Ray and Digital March 26th from Well Go USA Entertainment

Born to Fly

Written by Guan Gui & Xiaoshi Liu

Directed by Xiaoshi Liu

Starring Wang Yibo, Hu Jun, Yosh Yu

NR, 128 Minutes, Well Go USA Entertainment