Disappointment for a huge fan!

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A Disappointing Continuation

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I expected a disaster film of 'epic proportions', as the media stated, but this was a family drama instead. Despite this, I enjoyed the film and thought it was absolutely brilliant. Where do I actually start with how good it was? I understand now, the film is not about the earthquake, but about the 'aftershock' of the earthquake - used figuratively. This is about a family torn apart by one of nature's most devastating disasters. (In fact, the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 was the third most devastating earthquake in history).The film beautifully captures how one's ordinary existence can turn to chaos within a matter of seconds. The acting was superb and the visual effects when the earthquake hit was some of the most impressive I've seen. It showed how brutal and deadly an earthquake really can be. From there the film was emotional and tugged at the heart strings. It was a beautiful depiction of loss, love and keeping memories alive, and a mother's grief that lasted more than three decades.If you're into disaster films, you might not appreciate the film, but if you're into drama movies, this is perfect.

This might be the best Chinese movie I have ever seen. Although I was a bit skeptical to see it, it was so highly recommended to me, that I finally gave it a try. I wish I had seen it when it was first released on DVD, as this would have been one of my favorite movies of 2010. The earthquake scenes at the beginning of the film were so realistic and so upsetting to me that I had to remind myself that this was a dramatization rather than a documentary...I rarely have to calm myself down like that when watching a film. It's powerful, sad and heartbreaking, and my wife and I had both shed tears by the end of the film. I was a little worried that I would get bored because it was about 2 hours and 15 minutes long, but honestly, when something was this good, it could have gone on even longer.

As an old white guy I have this knee jerk reaction to resist all things not American. Darn. That said, and considering all the dribble that comes out of Hollywood these days, juxtaposed against this truly wonderful film from China, all I can say is... if this is the kind of stuff they are capable of, "Hollywood, look out". One of the things that makes this movie so compelling is that it is not a "Chinese" story, its a "human" story. While the production and graphics are stellar, its the STORY that steals the show. How many times have we all sat through an hour and a half of incredible (and often gratuitous) graphics with a mediocre story sandwiched in between stuff being blown up. Here the graphics are truly great, but take second place to whats important... the story.

Aftershock is one of those movies where you really feel the experience and journey of all your characters for the length of its time and really connect with the characters. Even those who don't understand Chinese (myself included) will connect with the human story and its wonderful drama, not to mention some amazing visual effects at the beginning.I'm not going to go into the plot of the film but it is essentially a very real human family drama that deals with the pain of continuing to live with guilt and having to restore one's life after a tragedy. It may sound familiar but the beauty of Aftershock is that its emotional core is something it never shies away from. You see and feel the journey of all three central characters and how a natural disaster can shape our destinies and change our perspectives on ourselves and those around us.While you can sort of see the plot unfolding before it gets there in the end, it is essentially what you want. I really cared about these characters so anything less than what you would expect would have been even more harrowing. But the resolution which seems to solve everything yet still leaves an emptiness is remarkable.This is a film not to be missed. I was almost in tears by the end of the film - it has been one of the most captivating films I have seen in a long time and is a remarkable piece of cinema. Not to be missed.