Feng Xiaogang's dramatic retelling of events before and after the devastating earthquake that took place in the city of Tangshan in 1978, Aftershock, became China's biggest box office draw of all time upon its' release in 2010, and still remains one of the highest grossing pictures ever in the country. However, the movie's success came with a deal of controversy, as some critics took issue with Feng's loose interpretation -- some would say outright propagandistic -- take on the facts surrounding the disaster.

In particular, people have pointed out how Aftershock glosses how the earthquake became even more hazardous for the survivors because the Chinese government, wanting to maintain a strong front, refused all foreign aid. The film paints a picture of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) sweeping in and quickly and efficiently taking charge of the rescue effort, which was not the case. With one of the heads, Wang Xiaojun, of the Huayi studio that produced Aftershock being an outspoken member of the PLA, perhaps the charges of revisionistic history could be justified. In addressing this, Feng has said that he (like every Mainland Chinese film) was subject to censorship from the government, and ultimately had to bow to their requirements.

At any rate, despite the international promotional materials ballyhooing a cinematic spectacle for the ages, which include the pounding home of the point that this was the first Chinese movie filmed in the large-screen IMAX format, the earthquake takes up very little of the running time, occurring within the first fifteen minutes or so, with the next two hours telling the story of Fang Deng (played by Zhang Jing-Chu) who was seemingly left for dead in the aftermath of the quake by her mother, who chose to save her brother instead. A chance encounter during the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan leads to a bittersweet family reunion, where both mother and daughter try to put their feelings of guilt and abandonment aside.

While Feng generally does a good job in efficiently moving the story along and presenting solid acting, in the end -- though the story is extraordinary in many respects -- things feel strangely lifeless and flat, like some of the weight and emotion that should be present simply isn't there. In this respect, Feng was also accused of removing some of the more salacious elements from the novel by Zhang Ling this film is based on, such as Fang Deng experiencing abuse from her foster father. Perhaps if there were more obstacles thrown in their path, we might care more about the characters' journeys, who, in the end, feel a bit too much like they are just going through the motions.

RATING: 6