Southeast Asia has long been a favourite setting of Hollywood filmmakers, due to its distinctive features both natural and man-made.
The breathtaking landscapes, stunning urban architecture and cultural exoticism all adding up to a spectacular on-screen experience.
Have you ever wondered which countries in this particular region that caught the attention among Hollywood producers and directors?
Here is Seasia's top 10 favourite movies filmed in this lovely prosperous region!
1. KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017)
The adventure movie Kong: Skull Island has boosted Vietnam's international image as Southeast Asia’s production profile rises among Hollywood producers.
Set in the 1970s during the Vietnam War era, Kong: Skull Island follows a group of American soldiers as they encounter the legendary great ape on a mysterious island. The producers of this film spent around a month filming on location across Vietnam and the project became the biggest movie ever to shoot in the country.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts told Channel NewsAsia, Vietnam provided the “perfect aesthetic” for the film.
“The look of Vietnam is gorgeous and otherworldly at the same time,” he said.
“There’s such a raw, powerful and unspoilt beauty that general audiences hadn't experienced on screen before. There is a ruggedness and a beauty to a place like Vietnam.”
2. BLACKHAT (2015)
Malaysia and Indonesia were chosen as the shooting location for this film that narrates the search for a cyber terrorist who caused a nuclear meltdown in China.
It filmed the two leading heroes played by Chris Hemsworth and Tang Wei in the scene of the villain's plan at a massive complex of tin mines in the Malaysian state of Perak, as well as the notable scene that took place during an elaborate recreation of the Balinese Nyepi Day Parade at Papua Square in Jakarta.
3. THE BOURNE LEGACY (2012)
For two months, the Philippines served as a shooting location for this Hollywood film starring Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz.
Despite being criticised by some for depicting poverty in the country, the movie was seen to give a boost to Philippine tourism.
4. THE HANGOVER PART II (2011)
The second instalment in this film trilogy sees the wolf-pack retrace their steps through the streets of Bangkok to find a soon-to-be-married groom who went missing after a wild night of partying.
The movie opens on the island of Krabi that's famous for its white sandy beaches and limestone cliffs. It then moves on to Bangkok with key scenes shot in Chinatown, the Thonburi canals, the Chao Phraya River and the Ancient City in Samut Prakan province.
It was reported that former USA President, Bill Clinton visited the set of the film in Bangkok when he was in Thailand, which led to rumours that he had a cameo appearance in the film.
5. THE LADY (2011)
The Lady tells the extraordinary story of Suu Kyi and her British husband Michael Aris. The film's title is the nickname bestowed upon Suu Kyi by the Myanmar people, who see her as a beacon of grace and courage, in particular for the huge personal sacrifices she has made in fighting for Myanmar’s freedom.
Shot in Thailand near the Myanmar border with limited covert filming in Yangon, this film boasted handsome visuals of the South Asian landscapes.
6. EAT PRAY LOVE (2010)
This bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert is like A Year In Provence, but with added mysticism and some extreme navel-gazing.
In her book, Gilbert tells the story of how, after getting divorced, she travels to Italy (where she eats a lot), then to India (where she prays a lot) and finally to Bali, where she falls in love, not only with the island but with Felipe, a Brazilian jewellery importer.
7. ANACONDA: THE HUNT OF BLOOD ORCHID (2014)
This movie centres on a group of researchers who travel to the Southeast Asian tropical island of Borneo in Indonesia to search for a sacred flower called Blood Orchid, which is believed to be used to attain immortality.
Soon as they approach the rare flower, the crew become stalked and hunted by the deadly, giant anacondas inhabiting the island.
8. LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER (2001)
The Ta Prohm, a world-famous Hindu religious site in Cambodia's Angkor Wat was the setting for various scenes in Tomb Raider – in which Jolie, as Lara Croft, battled a secret society called the Illuminati for possession of an ancient talisman.
This was the first Hollywood production to be filmed in Cambodia in over three decades since the previous film, Lord Jim was shot there in 1965.
9. ENTRAPMENT (1999)
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery stage an elaborate heist at the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur on New Year’s Eve to steal billions of dollars.
The film was a box office success, earning over US$87 million in the US and over US$212 million worldwide. Some scenes of Kuala Lumpur were in fact shot in the neighbouring city of Melaka with the famous Twin Towers digitally inserted into the background.
10. ANNA AND THE KING (1999)
This 2 1/2-hour epic of the romance between the King of Siam and widowed British schoolteacher, Anna Leonowens, during the 1860s also tells the story trades sweeping production numbers for majestic location shooting, grand Oriental architecture and fine dramatic pacing.
Though set in Thailand, the film was mostly shot on location in the Malaysian states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor as it was banned by the Thai Film Board due to historical inaccuracies about King Mongkut and the time period depicted in the film.
Source : GoAsean, ICS Travel Group, DailyMail UK, Channel NewsAsia & ABS-CBN News
