Kuala Lampur, Oct. 3 -- For the longest time, when it comes to the sheer scale and spectacle of cinematic blockbusters, local moviegoers have almost instinctively looked toward Hollywood to deliver the goods.

European cinema, for all its artistic pedigree, has very rarely made a dent in our local multiplexes on a blockbuster scale.

At most, Asian audiences seeking high budget escapism have turned to Korean or Japanese hits, or looked back fondly at the glory days of Hong Kong action cinema in the 1980s and 1990s.

When blockbusters from Mainland China do manage to reach our shores, they usually arrive tightly wrapped in specific, predictable packages: sweeping Wu Xia epics or explosive crime thrillers.

But contemporary Chinese cinema h...