Contradictheory: When Malaysia is cool blue

The Star

19-05-2025

The new Thunderbolts* movie begins with the lead character stepping off the top of the 679m-tall Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur and falling spectacularly down the side of the building. But perhaps what amazed me more than the stunt itself was that everything in Malaysia looked ... a little blue in the movie.
It's been a bit of a trope that Hollywood uses a blue filter to portray countries that are cool or technologically advanced, while yellow is reserved for hot, less-developed places like Mexico or much of Africa.
Just 10 years ago, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation gave Malaysia a slight yellowish tinge in the opening sequence. Sure, we were part of a global communications hub to help Ethan Hunt and friends execute a mission in Minsk, Russia. But we still came off as a remote, peripheral outpost far removed from the real action.
So is this new blue filter good news for us? Have we gone from being a Third World country to, at the very least, a cool friend of First-Worlders?
In the 1930s, South-East Asia was painted as a lush, untamed jungle teeming with wild animals where a white man could prove his mettle and impose order. Frank Buck's 1932 documentary Bring 'Em Back Alive showed audiences wildlife brawls featuring tigers, leopards, pythons, and crocodiles. It was breathlessly described as filmed in the 'deepest and most unreachable depths of the Malayan jungle', although in truth it was shot on the estates of a royal family friendly with the director.
With the onset of World War II in the 1940s, Malaya's role shifted from jungle backdrop to contested battleground. The Japanese film Marai No Tora (1943) tells the story of Yutaka Tani, who, under the moniker 'Harimau', became a spy for Japan, robbing rich Chinese landowners and British officers to give to the poor. Somewhere in all that is a Japanese rendition of Terang Bulan , that shares the same melody as Negaraku .
Then, in 1949, Spencer Tracy and James Stewart smuggle rubber out of Japanese-occupied Malaya , inspired by a real-life mission: An American newspaper publisher suggested the idea to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wrote back saying, 'We are already moving in this direction and I hope it will bring some results'.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Malaysia's cinematic role shifted slightly to the aftermath of war, either still fighting the Japanese, battling communists, or inching towards independence. In The 7th Dawn (1964), William Holden and Susannah York engage in firefights with the MCP on rubber plantations by day, and party on the lawns of Carcosa Seri Negara by night.
Fast forward to the 1990s, and Malaysia trades fighting wars for the war on drugs. In Police Story 3: Supercop (1992), Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh chase drug lords across borders, while a gangster's wife ends up facing the death penalty for trafficking in Malaysia. In Return To Paradise (1998), Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix face impossible moral choices after one of them is sentenced to death for drug possession.
At this point, you could be forgiven for thinking Malaysia is full of policemen chasing drug smugglers, with mayhem around every corner. But of course, there's a difference between cinematic perception and economic reality. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Malaysia in fact experienced over 7% GDP growth annually.
A small acknowledgement of this was seen in Disclosure (1994) starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, where a significant plot point involved a CD-ROM factory in Malaysia, and how the Malaysian government would be grateful if it reduced automation and hired more workers (presumably because it would mean more jobs for locals). Then came Entrapment (1999), with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones pulling off a heist inside the Petronas Twin Towers. At this point, Malaysia had graduated to high-tech, almost First World status, and worthy of thieves in skin-tight suits contorting their bodies between invisible laser beams.
From there, the transition was clear. Besides the Mission: Impossible cameo, we are a key location for a cybercrime plot that Chris Hemsworth uncovers in Blackhat (2015), and this year we've graduated to housing a high-tech top secret black ops lab in the Thunderbolts* .
This techno vibe isn't accidental. It mirrors Malaysia's rise as a global semiconductor hub, both in manufacturing and as part of the supply chain. The TV show Station Eleven (2021) gets it right by showing how modern KL hotels host tech companies from China whose execs want to make deals with partners from around the world.
While all this is just a reflection of what Malaysia looks like to the world, I personally believe that this portrayal influences decisions. In 2024, Malaysia recorded a historic high of RM378.5bil in foreign investments. While analysts will credit data, forecasts, and economic indicators, I can't help but think that Malaysia's slick portrayal on the silver screen helps investors feel positive vibes in their gut as well. It just feels right to invest in a country that looks as technologically progressive as Malaysia.
That said, why this shiny, blue-tinged Malaysia on screen? Why not scandals like disappearing planes or corrupt politicians? Well, maybe we're not as bad as we think we are. Most people accept MH370 as a mystery that may never be solved. And in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Malaysia ranked 57th out of 180 – not great, but better than average.
Still, perceptions evolve. In the 2024 InterNations Expat Insider survey, Malaysia dropped from 4th to 22nd as a destination for expats, who cited inconsistent policies and 'a rise in anti-foreigner sentiment'. That's not a great look. Worse, the Standard of Living Index labels Malaysia 'First World economically, Third World socially', pointing to poor performance in human rights, media censorship, and religious freedom.
There is a very strong possibility that I'm over analysing this whole thing. Directors use different colour filters to signify different things. And what aspects of a country are focused on also depends on what kinds of movies are fashionable right now. Whatever it is, maybe we should just enjoy this blue period while we can. In his fortnightly column, Contradictheory, mathematician-turned-scriptwriter Dzof Azmi explores the theory that logic is the antithesis of emotion but people need both to make sense of life's vagaries and contradictions. Write to Dzof at [e-mail]. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.