功夫

Watched the all hyped Kung Fu Hustle. I would say I was a little bit disappointed though I don't exactly know how my expectations had not been fully met.

It seems Stephen Chow was trying real hard to get everything into his movie and hoping to satisfy a huge and diversed pool of movie-goers from all over the world. This ambition really deserves a round of applause even if the actual movie may not be that magical.

See what you have in 99 minutes. Punch lines. Gags. Some touching storylines. Some morals. Lots of computer-aided visual effects comparable to Matrix. Lots of fight scenes much better than those in Matrix. Lots of movie stars of different styles and backgrounds. Tributes to old-fashioned Kung Fu movies. Reminders of classic Chinese and Hollywood films. Not to forget the many streams of martial arts.

I am definitely not a good reviewer of a movie as I would forget most of it even right after watching. What lingers in my mind is often how I feel when I was watching. I would say a movie is superb if I am all absorbed and moved in the theatre. This time, everything was there but it just lacked the connection straight to my heart. That's probably why I felt somehow empty when the movie ended.

Anyway it's already better than Shaolin Soccer though it couldn't surpass King of Comedy. Stephen Chow, what would be your next goal??? Maybe it's too much pressure for you.