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Celluloid

Films from China

Best Movies from China

China's catalogue on Celluloid runs to 102 films spanning 1991–2026 across 5 languages — chiefly Mandarin and English —, led by The Big Rescue (94%) and August (91%). Every title is ranked by our four-input Celluloid Score with critic consensus and expert reviews on each film page.

Quick Answer

The highest-rated China film on Celluloid is The Big Rescue (2018) with a 94% Celluloid Score — Celluloid Pick.

102
Films indexed
67%
Avg. Celluloid Score
5
Languages
30
Critic reviews

Guide to China Movies on Celluloid

Each film from China in our catalogue includes a Celluloid Score from up to four verified inputs, original verdict text, and linked editorial reviews where available. Audience sentiment is separate.

Titles are indexed by original language and country of production for easier discovery.

Essential China Picks

Top 5 by Celluloid Score
The Big Rescue 2018 · Liang Ting · Mandarin

The Big Rescue — a major Cheng Yi film credit for Celluloid Stars filmography.

94%
Celluloid Score Celluloid Pick
August 2024 · Zhang Zhehan · Mandarin

August — a major Zhang Zhehan film credit for Celluloid Stars filmography.

91%
Celluloid Score Celluloid Pick
Legend of Meng Po 2024 · Pengxin Yi · Mandarin

Legend of Meng Po — a major Leon Lai film credit for Celluloid Stars filmography.

89%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Raise the Red Lantern 1991 · Zhang Yimou · Mandarin

Zhang Yimou's claustrophobic palace drama exposes patriarchy with formal beauty and icy precision.

89%
Celluloid Score Recommended
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 · Ang Lee · Mandarin

Ang Lee brought wuxia to global art-house audiences and swept the Oscars with grace and gravity.

88%
Celluloid Score Recommended

China Movie Reviews

All reviews →

Full critic reviews with answer-engine summaries — each review answers whether the film is worth watching, what it is about, and where to stream it.

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) ★★★★½

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) Review: A Chinese Classic

Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern (1991) endures as a defining drama landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) ★★★★½

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Review: A Chinese Classic

Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) endures as a defining action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
Farewell My Concubine (1993) ★★★★½

Farewell My Concubine (1993) Review: A Chinese Classic

Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine (1993) endures as a defining drama landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
In the Mood for Love (2000) ★★★★½

In the Mood for Love (2000) Review: A Chinese Classic

Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love (2000) endures as a defining romance landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
Dying to Survive (2018) ★★★★½

Dying to Survive (2018) Review: Golden Rooster Healthcare Satire

A rare Chinese crowd-pleaser with teeth — Xu Zheng balances slapstick and moral outrage in a healthcare satire that move…

Essential China cinema on Best of Asia 2016–2026 — A rare Chinese crowd-pleaser with teeth — Xu Zheng balances slapstick and moral
Hero (2002) ★★★★½

Hero (2002) Review: A Chinese Classic

Zhang Yimou's Hero (2002) endures as a defining action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
Kung Fu Hustle (2004) ★★★★½

Kung Fu Hustle (2004) Review: A Chinese Classic

Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (2004) endures as a defining comedy landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Strongly recommended — a staple of its national cinema.
Better Days (2019) ★★★★½

Better Days (2019) Review: Oscar-Nominated School Bullying Drama

Devastating and tender — Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee anchor a school-bullying drama that earned global awards attention …

Essential China cinema on Best of Asia 2016–2026 — Devastating and tender — Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee anchor a school-bullying dr
Caught by the Tides (2024) ★★★★½

Caught by the Tides Review: Jia Zhangke's Memory Palace of a Changing China

Assembled from two decades of Jia Zhangke's own footage, this drifting portrait of love and displacement finds Tao Zhao aging alongside a nation in flux.

Essential viewing for anyone who believes cinema can hold time.
Ne Zha 2 (2025) ★★★★★

Ne Zha 2 (2025) Review: The Highest-Grossing Animated Film Ever

Jiaozi's sequel crossed $2 billion worldwide — 90% critics, 95% audiences, and a mythic epic that made Ne Zha the defining Chinese animation franchise of the decade.

Masterpiece-tier China animation — editor's pick on Best of Asia 2016–2026.
Red Cliff (2008) ★★★★☆

Red Cliff (2008) Review: A Chinese Classic

John Woo's Red Cliff (2008) endures as a defining action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
Angels Wear White (2017) ★★★½☆

Angels Wear White (2017) Review

Vivian Qu's Angels Wear White (2017) remains a defining Drama landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Essential viewing — a certified classic.
Ne Zha (2019) ★★★★½

Ne Zha (2019) Review: China's Mythic Animation Breakout

Jiaozi's demon-child reinvention became a $700M+ phenomenon — 88% critics, 90% audiences, and the animation earthquake that proved Chinese myth could compete with Pixar at the box office.

Essential China animation on Best of Asia 2016–2026 — funny, furious, and foundational.
Ip Man (2008) ★★★★☆

Ip Man (2008) Review

Wilson Yip's Ip Man (2008) remains a defining Drama landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Strongly recommended — holds up for new and returning viewers.
House of Flying Daggers (2004) ★★★★½

House of Flying Daggers (2004) Review: A Chinese Classic

Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers (2004) endures as a defining action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Strongly recommended — a staple of its national cinema.
Raging Fire (2021) ★★★½☆

Raging Fire (2021) Review

Benny Chan's Raging Fire (2021) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Strongly recommended — holds up for new and returning viewers.
Fearless (2006) ★★★★☆

Fearless (2006) Review

Ronny Yu's Fearless (2006) remains a defining Drama landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Worth watching — solid entertainment with lasting cultural visibility.
Ip Man 2 (2010) ★★★★☆

Ip Man 2 (2010) Review

Wilson Yip's Ip Man 2 (2010) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Strongly recommended — holds up for new and returning viewers.
Flash Point (2007) ★★★½☆

Flash Point (2007) Review

Wilson Yip's Flash Point (2007) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Strongly recommended — holds up for new and returning viewers.
Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019) ★★★½☆

Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019) Review

Wilson Yip's Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Strongly recommended — holds up for new and returning viewers.
The Wandering Earth 2 (2023) ★★★★☆

The Wandering Earth 2 (2023) Review: China's Sci-Fi Opera Expands

Frant Gwo's prequel-sequel doubles the planetary scale — 80% critics, 85% audiences, and a 173-minute epic that asks whether humanity deserves to survive itself.

Strongly recommended China sci-fi — essential companion to part one on Best of Asia 2016–2026.
Ip Man 3 (2015) ★★★½☆

Ip Man 3 (2015) Review

Wilson Yip's Ip Man 3 (2015) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Strongly recommended — holds up for new and returning viewers.
Detective Chinatown 1900 (2025) ★★½☆☆

Detective Chinatown 1900 Review: A Lavish Prequel That Loses Its Own Case

Detective Chinatown 1900 rewinds Chen Sicheng's blockbuster franchise to Exclusion-era San Francisco with staggering production values and serious historical ambitions — then buries both under tonal whiplash, bloat, and jokes that curdle.

For franchise completists and admirers of Chow Yun-fat, who is worth the ticket alone. Everyone else can skip: the spectacle is real, but the film underneath it is a muddle.
Kung Fu Jungle (2014) ★★★☆☆

Kung Fu Jungle (2014) Review

Teddy Chan Tak-Sam's Kung Fu Jungle (2014) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Worth watching — solid entertainment with lasting cultural visibility.
The Wandering Earth (2019) ★★★½☆

The Wandering Earth (2019) Review: China's Planetary Sci-Fi Breakthrough

Frant Gwo's Liu Cixin adaptation proved China could build planetary-scale sci-fi at home — 75% critics, 66% audiences, and the foundation for a blockbuster franchise.

Strongly recommended China sci-fi on Best of Asia 2016–2026 — start here before the sequel.
The Prosecutor (2024) ★★★½☆

The Prosecutor (2024) Review

Donnie Yen's The Prosecutor (2024) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Worth watching — solid entertainment with lasting cultural visibility.
Big Brother (2018) ★★★½☆

Big Brother (2018) Review

Kam Ka-wai's Big Brother (2018) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Worth watching — solid entertainment with lasting cultural visibility.
Sakra (2023) ★★★☆☆

Sakra (2023) Review

Donnie Yen & Kam Ka-wai's Sakra (2023) remains a defining Action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover the title.

Worth watching — solid entertainment with lasting cultural visibility.
The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) ★★★½☆

The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) Review: China's Cultural War Epic

Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam's Korean War titan split Western critics but conquered China — 55% critics, 85% audiences, and 5.7 billion CNY of national memory.

Essential context for China cinema on Best of Asia 2016–2026 — understand the split before you dismiss it.
Wolf Warrior 2 (2017) ★★★½☆

Wolf Warrior 2 (2017) Review: A Chinese Classic

Wu Jing's Wolf Warrior 2 (2017) endures as a defining action landmark from China, with scores that still shape how audiences discover cinema from the region.

Worth watching for context — influential even where opinions split.

Popular Genres

Drama 58 Action 51 Comedy 25 Fantasy 18 Crime 17 Adventure 16

All China Movies

Ranked by Celluloid Score

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best movies from China?

Browse our China catalogue sorted by Celluloid Score — the highest-rated films appear first with critic and audience ratings on every card.

How does Celluloid rate films from China?

Celluloid Score combines Celluloid editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb inputs into a single percentage; audience sentiment is displayed separately alongside the written verdict and review.