Oops! A Chinese air force video showing a simulated bombing attack against a U.S. military base has backfired after sharp-eyed netizens realized that it contained footage lifted from three old Hollywood blockbusters.
Incredulous viewers on Sunday mocked the “propaganda” effort for lifting American computer-generated visuals to attack an American military base.
The simulated video was released on the Chinese air force’s official WeChat account and microblogging site Weibo on Saturday, showing an H-6K bomber attacking a US military base on Guam.
Canny viewers noticed striking resemblances to scenes in “The Hurt Locker,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “The Rock.”
More than 4 million viewers had seen the video by Sunday morning, which also drew attention from the international community. It is considered the first time the PLA has displayed visuals targeting a U.S. military facility.
The video initially attracted praise from many patriotic netizens, who called the attack a “strike by the god of warriors to guard the sky of the motherland.” But their feel-good bubble soon burst after the scenes were linked to the PLA’s presumable enemy in the video.
At 1:07 of the video, a huge fireball erupts from the H-6K’s airstrike. It turns out to be identical to the opening scene of the 2010 Best-Picture Oscar Award winner “The Hurt Locker.”
Another scene depicting a missile flying towards the military base fired by an air force commander was discovered to be taken from a scene in Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” released in 2009. Netizens also noticed that a third scene, showing a massive explosion at a military base, seems to come from the movie “The Rock,” also directed by Bay.
Disappointed viewers were quick to mock the video. Some asked if the “borrowed” scenes had to be used because corrupt officials had embezzled the propaganda budget.
“Did the PLA thank the Americans?” one netizen asked innocently. Others wondered with mock concern whether China had secured the copyright to use the Hollywood footage, suggesting a possible case of copyright infringement.