CJ7 – Blu-ray movie review

It's been a long and almost 3 year wait for the coming of Stephen Chow's new movie CJ7, on the heels of his international success with Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, both of which were adapted/parodied/copied in the other two competitive movies this holiday season in Kung Fu Dunk and Ah Long Pte Ltd. If imitation is the best form of flattery, that goes to show who's the boss and who calls the shots in the innovation and creativity departments, that there's only one force to be reckoned with in drafting comedy that appeals to the world.

If you love shaolin soccer and kungfu hustle, you may feel very different about CJ7, even disappointed, because it feels almost nothing like a Chow movie, except for some very funny jokes. Sure you will still laugh at few scenes where dark humor or hard jokes fly around. The story is no longer serious or ambitious, it's simply about a kid who discovered a new alien cute friend and learned the meaning of life.

After many years, I think Stephen Chow finally can sit down and build a story of his own without worrying about film market or what other people may think.This time he is not even the leading actor in this film. No Kungfu, no strange costumes, no play-like-a-fool jokes, it's pure imagination for kids, maybe one of Chow's dream when he was a child.

The acting was top notch. So the ladies had little time, less and less in each of his new movie but more and more prettier if I may add, it was the little girl who played a boy that was perhaps the very reason why this movie is so good. I watched the Cantonese version which meant it was dubbed but it was very well dubbed actually. Xu Jiao was not just cute, but also handsome in a boyish way, tall for her age but looks believably skinny as a poor malnourished boy and her actions were boyishly charming. She was in almost every single scene and yet she was totally mesmerizing. Towards the end in that one single scene when he was told of a news that no child should ever hear, her performance was flawless. If this kid is not nominated for the Golden Horse, I don't think anyone should. The supporting actors, from adults to children were good too.

The ending, however, does leave a little bit to be desired. While not necessarily bad or detracting from the movie, it ends a bit after it should have. Again, though, because it's a children's movie, it's very easy to see why it ended the way that it did.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed "CJ7" very much. Its blend of comedy and drama works very well, while retaining more than a hint of Stephen Chow that keeps audiences coming back to his movies.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.
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