If you haven’t yet been bitten by the travel bug, here are some movies that just might inspire you to take your next trip. If not, well then hopefully you would have been entertained by the movie itself.
1. The Legend Of Tarzan (2016)
Ahh … the call of the wild African Congo vs the calm and cultured English countryside – The Legend Of Tarzan has the best of both worlds. Although a lot of the jungle scenes were created on soundstages in Leavesden, England, some background scenes of gigantic granite outcrops, mysterious winding blackwater rivers, and magnificent waterfalls, were filmed in Gabon, Africa, during an aerial six-week location shoot.
On the other side of the coin, scenes of John Clayton aka Lord Greystoke’s ancestral home were actually taken in Derbyshire’s Kedleston Hall, an 18th-century country estate designed by Robert Adams, a renowned architect.
2. Now You See Me 2 (2016)
It’s not just all about magic when The Four Horsemen jump off a roof in New York and end up in Macau, China. With obvious iconic sights of the city such as the Grand Lisboa hotel in the night skyline, the city was an apt selection for its unique mix of Portuguese architecture, Chinese culture and Las Vegas feel … not to mention, Jay Chou and his exotic magic shop!
And the Greenwich Market, London’s only historic market set on a World Heritage site, with its happening crowd thronging the scene, sets the scene for The Four Horsemen’s grand finale.
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars fans might be interested to know that its latest fare, The Force Awakens, was filmed across several locations in England, Ireland, Iceland and the United Arab Emirates.
The movie starts off in the deserts of Abu Dhabi in the UAE , while planet Jakku’s scenes were shot in Rub’ al Khali, the largest sand dessert in the world, taking up the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The spectacular aerial battle scenes was filmed over the Derwentwater in Cumbria, England, and scenes on the icy planet Hoth were filmed in Myvatn, around the Krafla volcano in Iceland. The climactic conclusion where the mysterious Luke Skywalker is discovered, takes place on Unesco World Heritage Site, Skellig Michael island in Ireland.
4. To The Fore (2015)
If you don’t know how to cycle, this movie would definitely make you want to take up the sport. This multi-lingual Hong Kong movie, in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, English and Italian, gives you a taste of some of the most interesting cycling locations in the world.
In fact, even if you’re not a fan of cycling, you’d still be impressed by this movie’s variety of filming locations, which include the Tengger Desert of Inner Mongolia, Italian Alps, Busan’s SPO1 Geumjeong Sports Park in South Korea, Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, as well as Hong Kong and Shanghai in China.
5. Ola Bola (2016)
And for those who prefer to “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia”, there’s always local production Ola Bola, to persuade you that it’s really “Malaysia, Truly Asia”. Even if you’re not a footie fan, you might still be impressed with the movie’s filming locations in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak, Johor and Sabah.
Some recognisable sights include Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, the lush green hills of Broga in Selangor, and the scenic train ride between Beauford and Tenom in Sabah. It’s one film that would actually make you proud to be Malaysian. And for a local flavour, the movie is in Malay, English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, and Tamil.