Kung-fu Hustle (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/
Stephen Chow does not only star in this film, but he directed and wrote it as well. Not only that - he's also quite visually delicious (Asian-style). There's definately no way anyone could say he's not talented* in at least one of these departments, if not all.However, by saying that, I must note that I preferred his prior film, Shaolin Soccer, to this one.
Don't get me wrong, this film isn't bad at all. It's sort of average to slightly-above-average. Not as amazing as it was made out to be by those on the internet, sadly. I felt like it just tried to do too much at once. Too many genres covered, and flipping back and forth between these styles too frequently. It didn't feel solid enough, like Shaolin did.
Also, for the storyline invovled, it seemed the comedy was a little bit forced, and... well, stupid. I laughed a few times, but I yawned a lot more and didn't have a smile on my face during that time. I'm not a fan of this type of comedy, or much comedy movies at all for that matter. I think I was just not in the mood, or I was attempting to take it serious while it was not meant to be.
The premise and plot of events were rather good, in my opinion... and I itched to say this throughout the entire film. It would have kicked ass if taken more seriously. Well, like... if the movie wasn't a comedy. Rather, a martial-art / drama movie. Now, even if I feel like that, I can't see a way of making that happen. The events that were kick ass, were mainly very comic and too cheesy. If put into a more serious film, people would laugh either way - and if they were executed in a serious manner, people would sigh and most likely turn the film off. That's troubling, so I can't blame Stephen for doing that. This is his type of movie anyway. Just not my cup of tea, in this case.
One thing I will note - for a comedy, it sure did have some of the most romantic scenes I've witnessed in a long time. Pure romantic-based movies should be ashamed after seeing this. I don't know why, but the whole sub-plot of the Girl Avec Lolipop just touched me, and made me smile. It was wrapped up very nicely and heart-warmingly in the end, as well.
* Stephen's direction was great here. The scene transitions in some cases, such as the ending before the epilogue - in which a metal spin-flower splits and falls apart in to the wind, only to be transformed into a daisy blowing through another part of the city, were very ingenious - as were numerous other shots, which I felt were very artistic and well-done.
The characters were rather good as well, only one gripse about them. They changes a lot, without any developement really. Such as the landlady. Her character flipped instantly, and quite shockingly. She seemed like two different women - and I didn't dig that.
In a wrap-up... and for my defense, I'll say this. For comedy fans, and cheese-lovers, this is a real treat. It's a great comedy, with a good storyline backing it. It covers a lot of different genres, so there is something for pretty much anyone (however, if you only like a certain part you may find the other sub-genre sections to be tedious and boring). The direction is excellent, and there is some real eye-candy shots. The action sequences, while prepared with comic CGI, are very well executed, planned, and staged. You can tell some ingenious thought went in to them. Very creative and unique. The ending is great, as is the over all storyline throughout the film. It had the romance, the buddy-buddy, the childhood friend, a reunion, some twists and turns, a few gangs, some gore, and so forth. A LOT.
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Now for a more thought-processed entry on what I would have preferred it to be - matching my tastes. Here goes;
Keep pretty much everything intact the way it was. Remove the comic CGI, and in replacement use some breathtaking more action-oriented Jackie-Chan style moves. Make the landlady more mysterious at first, so her change in character is a bit more believable. Such as, a scene with her alone where she is sort of regretting her choice to be mean to the public - to hide her true self. Her husband would then comfort her secretly. On the outside, they seem nasty and stupid... but it's all an act, for the real masters inside. Oh god, that setance itself was rather corny. Anyway, yeah, that's pretty much all I would have changed. Meh... guess I wasn't feeling the comedy. I was probably in the mood for something else.
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