Hollywood is the world’s oldest national film industry so it’s no surprise that cities and towns in America are prominent backdrops in popular films. However, over the years, both European and Asian locations have increasingly appeared in films. Here, we’ll take a look at a selection of films that we have to thank for their representation of Asia.
Crazy Rich Asians
This 2018 rom-com had people swooning at the main characters. The storyline follows the life of Rachel who travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend Nick's parents. On her arrival she finds out that he belongs to one of the richest families in the country and the film follows her struggle to please them.
Stunning Asian backdrops feature in this film as the characters travel across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Malaysia. The film does a good job at showcasing Asian food too, as the cast take a trip to a Hawker Centre on their arrival to Singapore, which is an open-air food court. Check out the best top spots in Crazy Rich Asians where people can actually visit.
Skyfall
As James Bond does best, this film follows his mission across the globe and in this 2012 classic, 007 takes a trip to Macau. It’s there where he can be seen in the Floating Dragon Casino where he goes to cash a chip that he finds from one of his targets.
Macau is a popular destination for a lot of film productions, including Now You See Me: The Second Act, Roulette City, and Casino Tycoon, namely because it has taken on the status of Asia’s Las Vegas. It’s therefore no surprise that online casinos, such as Jackpot City, offer 250 free spins and real-money bonuses to customers across the world since casinos are portrayed in an array of popular films, thus appealing to similar audiences - click here to read the full review of Jackpot City and other popular real-money casinos.
Eat Pray Love
Released in 2010, this film begins in the US and follows a modern woman, Elizabeth, who embarks on an adventure after divorcing her husband. Taking her to India and Bali, she finds her inner peace and balance of true love.
Following the release of this film, resorts and spas offered “Eat, Pray, Love” packages, which you can read more about here. That goes to show that films have a great influence on society and having Asia as a backdrop can not only transform the whole film but inspire audiences too.
While each of these three films originally begins with scenes in the west, including the USA and UK, their characters embark on a journey to Asia. They all have different storylines too – one is action and adventure, the others are to follow love and discover self. This goes to show that the Asian culture has no limits when it comes to placement in film and can be used for all genres. With popular destinations featuring in each of these films, it’s no wonder people have taken to Asia as a tourist destination or have been inspired to follow suit with the characters' actions.