Li Yifeng stars as military strategist He Changgong, Zhu Yawen as Premier Zhou Enlai and Liu Ye as Chairman Mao Zedong. Most of the actors playing Chinese military leaders from the 1920s in the new film are young pop idols. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Meanwhile, the film avoids stereotyping in its depiction of political leaders.

Liu Ye, who plays Chairman Mao Zedong, displays some emotion in a scene featuring Mao's farewell to his wife Yang Kaihui and their children before he leaves to set up a revolutionary base in the Jinggang Mountain.

Zhang Hongsen, the deputy head of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, recently posted two articles praising the movie on his WeChat account, China's most popular social media app.

In the articles, Zhang says that the country's top movie authority told the director to produce an artistically crafted story.

He also supports the young idols in the film, saying they worked hard for low pay.

Zhang also says China's movie industry needs more young actors.

Industry watchers see The Founding of an Army as an example of how such movies are being tailored for a younger viewership.

The film, jointly produced by China Film Co and Bona Film Group, is similar to Tsui Hark's The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014), a revolutionary tale about a Communist reconnaissance soldier hero and Dante Lam's Operation Mekong (2016), a tale about a hunt for a Myanmar drug ring, both commercial successes.

Jiang Yong, a Beijng-based industry analyst, says star power and Hong Kong filmmaking talent are an effective formula to make such movies work at the box office.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn