If anything, ‘Dongji Rescue' proves that the Chinese can make WWII films as spectacular—and spectacularly jingoistic—as the ones we make.

While a gorgeous movie with a rousing denouement, a documentary would have been preferable so normal people could be centered and praised instead of fictional, conventionally attractive hero types who have more in common with Aquaman.

The great moments of Dongji Rescue tend to be collective... [and] the final sequence... is a threat to make even the driest of eyes wet with feeling.

... the increasing brutality works to build tension. Like a noose slowly tightening around the neck, Dongji Rescue raises the stakes while crafting an endlessly compelling epic of survival and hope set against a gorgeous seaside backdrop.