The Neoliberal Spectacle of Chinese Military Action Movies (2017-2019)

초록

One of the remarkable characteristics of the Chinese box office in recent years is the dominance of the so-called military action movies. In this paper, I will discuss Chinese neoliberalism in relation to the military action blockbusters, Wolf Warrior 2, Operation Red Sea and The Wandering Earth, which can be seen as a semi-military movie. I approach the three military blockbusters as the crystalisation of Chinese neoliberalism which successfully transforms propaganda into the capitalist spectacle. The popularity of military action movies almost coincided with the beginning of Xi Jinping’s second term around 2017. In the “Xi Jinping’s New Era,” the strong, modernised army is located at the centre of the close alliance between the state and the movie industry. The militarization of movies accompanies the aestheticisation of the military, and I see the military action movies as part of the larger project of rebranding the PLA. The three movies foreground the elite army forces like the “Jiaolong Commandos” and military technology. In neoliberal China, Entrepreneurs and the military special forces armed with technology are celebrated as the spearhead that will lead the nation into global superpower. I attempt to analyse neoliberal characteristics of the cultural phenomenon by focusing on the notions of “blockbuster” “melodrama” and “global governance.” If Wolf Warrior 2 as an action hero movie repositioned the PLA as global heroes, Operation Red Sea which is close to a war movie highlights modernisation of military weapons; and a dystopian SF movie, The Wandering Earth foregrounds China’s growing significance in global governance including space exploration.

키워드