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Cheung Gong 7 hou (2008)

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23 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
A Nutshell Review: CJ7, 6 February 2008

Author: DICK STEEL from Singapore

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.

You might think that I'm singing praises of Chow and his works, but yes, that's the skyrocket high expectations that he had built for himself over the years with his rapid fire mo-lei-tau (nonsensical) comedic movies entertaining the masses pre and post 1997 Hong Kong, and now he can afford to take his time in releasing his movies once they pass through his perfectionist quality control. Sitting through CJ7, I had initially thought that it was amongst his weaker works, but then came the final act, which while it was emotionally manipulative, I cannot deny that I both laughed and cried at the same time, which is extremely rare, and only pulled off by Chow's knack of structuring his scenes.

Chow has shown his pedigree in becoming a good storyteller. If he is not already being considered one, then CJ7 is a sign of better things to come, as slowly, it can be seen that he's giving up his presence on screen, and turning his attention to behind the camera instead. Even with movies like Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, while he was the lead actor, he still made room for his supporting casts to shine through.

This time though, he had totally taken the backseat and gave the spotlight to the child actress Xu Jiao who plays Dicky, the son (yes you read that right) of Chow's construction worker character Ti. Being poor, Ti works extremely hard to send his son to a premier school to receive a good education, in the hopes that he will be able to break out of the poverty circle in time to come. But in being in an elite school, Dicky becomes automatic fodder for rich school bullies, who look down on him because of his social status. Much of the movie dwells on this schoolyard politicking, and with Ti trying hard to impart good principles to his son that it becomes somewhat repetitive.

In trying to pacify his son who yearns for the latest toy in town, a high-tech robotic dog called CJ1, Ti goes back to his favourite haunt, the junkyard, and picks up a green ball outfitted with an antenna, as a replacement toy. Without his knowing of course, this ball turns out to be an alien lifeform, and Dicky soon uncovers that it has magical abilities. Christened CJ7, much of the laughs come from CJ7 and Dicky, in the form of spoofs ranging from Mission: Impossible 2 to Asian fare like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and also takes a spin from Chow's previous 2 movies.

But don't expect the jokes to be of the mo-lei-tau type, as there aren't that many jokes to begin with. Gone are the days of laugh-a-minute type comedy from Stephen Chow. While toilet humour is still quite staple, Chow seemed to have embraced special effects even more this time, starting with a totally animated CJ7, which has "cute" plastered all over it, making it a delight amongst the young and the female audience. I tell you, if it's not already available, someone should make the plush toy right now and milk it for all it's worth. Most of the jokes and fun sequences were spruced up by special effects, but there were a moment or two which I felt was quite unnecessary.

In most ways, CJ7 isn't really your typical outright comedy. By the end of it, I thought its dramatic moments were tugging at the heartstrings, as I mentioned earlier, and indeed this somehow represents a shift by Chow to a somewhat different territory, building up his movie with comedy being peripheral or secondary to the main plot. There are moments of fun balanced by moments which are touching, episodes of the ridiculous balanced by episodes which made you reflect. And any more which features great songs, get my vote of approval too, with Boney M's Sonny getting plenty of airplay, and I Love Chopin coming on at just the very appropriate moment.

However, what is still suspect though, is Chow's ability to weave more flesh into what are essentially flower vase roles in the female characters who play opposite him as love interests. With Shaolin Soccer, Vicky Zhao was unfortunately quite pedestrian, and with Kung Fu Hustle, the scope given to Huang Shengyi was worse. Kitty Zhang continues the trend as good looking teacher Mrs Yuen, who takes pity on Dicky, but nothing more.

Having seen all the Lunar New Year movie premieres for this week, I can safely say CJ7 came out tops, because it had a lot more moments in the movie that makes it family friendly entertainment, and yet imparting and giving out reminders of good values that will almost certainly rub off on the young, and the young at heart. Not at his best, but Chow delivers yet another crowd pleaser, for sure. Recommended!

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18 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
It's kid movie, but a pretty good one, 3 February 2008

Author: sun_jot from China

Stephen Chow has brought many good films and never let die hard fans down for once. Yet I find it pretty hard to comment on this new work from Chow esp. after 3 year long waiting. There was plenty of joy while watching it, but it's not what I expected. If I have to summarize , then probably tiny bit slapstick + kiddish scenes + Chinese ET + family theme = CJ7

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.

I don't plan to spoil any more details , but I have to warn those who haven't seen this movie but very looked forward to seeing it. It's a movie that aims for young audience and it's not any movie like shaolin soccer or kungfu hustle(well, some part still yes, same enjoyable maybe). If you don't mind watching a family/feel good movie, or specially you have children to go with, don't hesitate to see it. It will be worth the one and half hour of your life.

You will not laugh like an idiot, but I am sure you will still smile like a fool.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Wow!, 5 April 2008

Author: imdb1 from Amsterdam

This is a very good movie. I have laughed out loud and cried real tears, and that doesn't happen often! There are elements in the movie like in Shaolin Soccer, and it has some of Gremlins. Not everything that happens is possible (like in Shaolin Soccer), but that doesn't disturb the slightest, on the contrary, it's very funny. The young boy is a very good actor; amazingly so (he appears to be at most 10 years old). If anything is wrong with movie then it's that it's too short. I wish it was twice as long! I can highly recommend to watch this with children, but don't let them watch alone, as it contains a very sad scene that might need some hugging to get through.

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17 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Great story, acting and humour made this my first 10!, 3 February 2008

Author: ianmutimer from United Kingdom

I saw this movie last night (i live in Taiwan) and before, if i highly enjoyed a movie and told people how good it was, their high expectations could make a movie less funny, you know what i mean? Anyway I'll praise the heck out of it coz i loved it and Stephen Chow has a great sense of humour! The movie is basically about a young boy and his father, who are poor but uphold good morals and ethics (we may be poor, but we don't steal, fight etc.). The father is a construction worker and doesn't want his kid to wind up like him, so the boy attends a very expensive high class school, but to compensate they live in a falling apart building and his father gets all his clothes etc. from the garbage dump. One day the father finds something there that he gives to his son, this (CJ7) changes their lives, for the better. I know that's probably what every review says! but i don't want to say to much as I'll probably ruin the beauty of it all! I will say that there are some scenes that nearly made me cry i as laughing so much. It's subtle things that do it, like the teacher won't let the poor student boy near him because he thinks he's so dirty! And the boy's a great little actor, cracked me up. Unfortunately i have yet to view S.Chow's other flicks, but i'm about to. I hope you'll get a chance to watch it.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Truly wonderful story, humorously narrated, 2 April 2008

Author: Yano Zeng from United States

For someone like me, born and raised in China in a poor family, Chow's work was absolutely fantastic! CJ-7 constantly reminds me of those poorly happy times I have spent with my friends and family during my childhood, flashing to my mind those very basic and simplistic values of living to an average Chinese boy like myself. Nostalgic with a touch of humor, to me this movie is simply a 10 star hit! But, viewing it from a more literal perspective, people will see this work as "the same old stuff"... over and over again... that is true, from the use of mo lei tau comedy to computer CG, Chow has not made any improvements not to mention innovation ever since his "Shaolin Soccer" world class movie debut. This generally deducted the 2 stars from the rating.

But compared with a lot of the 3rd rated movies released in 2008 out there, this is sure worth the time!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A great film for kids and their parents!, 5 May 2008

Author: jaffacake2k from United Kingdom

Let me start by saying that this film isn't in English so make sure you watch a version dubbed into English if you happen to be watching with children.

Im 41 years old yet this film provoked me into both laughing out aloud and softly shedding a tear or two. It certainly hits the mark. Don't expect anything too sophisticated - this is a simple story told through the eyes of a child.

All of the acting is competent and Jiao Xu steals every scene he's in. CJ7 is adorable and I can only image there will be a soft toy/animatronic on the Asian market by the time you read this.

Well worth the 90mins of your life! 10/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Heart Rending and Hilarious, 6 April 2008

Author: abigail-38 from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I absolutely loved this movie from Chow, it has many hilarious and silly quirks in the movie, but not better than Kung Fu Hustle, mostly because it was upsetting in parts, even though this film had a happy ending. If you are sensitive at all, I'll think you'll struggle trying not to cry in parts! I certainly did! This film is about a young boy Dicky and his poor father who is giving all the money he earns to his son so he could have an education at an upper class school. His father normally roots in the garbage to find new clothing and food for himself and Dicky. One day after rowing in a toy shop, while he is looking in the garbage, and a UFO takes off while he is not looking, he finds a mysterious green ball with an antennae and takes it to his son, assuming it was a toy ball.

After a few days of possessing this 'ball' Dicky realises there is something strange about the ball. Dicky's father however, seeing Dicky as just overreacting and being silly, locks him in a small cupboard with the strange green ball. After gathering the courage to look at the ball, Dicky sees the ball releasing rays of light, and is transported into and becomes surrounded by space . He begins to see a peculiar function happening before his eyes before abruptly returning to the small cupboard. The ball suddenly acquires four green jelly like legs,a small and a fluffy head appears on top of it. This becomes Dicky's friend after he gains the courage to interact with it.

I would definitely recommend this film. It's been a while since I sat the whole way through a movie, and this certainly did it for me.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
A film made to please everybody will please few, 30 March 2008

Author: fertilecelluloid from Mountains of Madness

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

CJ7, Stephen Chow's latest, is a mess. It has bits of "Shaolin Soccer", bits of "ET" and "Mac", bits of "Kung Fu Hustle", and bits of Italian neo-realist drama. It wants to please everybody, but it ends up feeling like a heavy compromise. Chow's son, who is played by a girl, is a dirty-faced schoolboy nerd who gets bullied by his classmates and treated like the plague by his schoolteacher. Everything changes when a furry alien from "out there" enters his life. Silly shenanigans ensue. Director Chow keeps things pretty realistic and interesting for the first twenty minutes. We sympathize with the boy and can only applaud the boy's father (Chow) for laboring in dangerous conditions on a building site to send his son to a snotty private school. Any credit this movie earns flies out the window when one of the film's most ludicrous characters, a giant bully who shakes the ground when he walks, throws the little boy a hundred feet into the air. The boy survives the fall. The film doesn't. Once reality goes out the window, we get stupid superhero-style battles between students, dream sequences that have no relevance to the story, and an artificial ending that totally betrays the movie's original intentions. There is no focus and no consistency to anything in this movie. Like I said before, it's a mess. A big mess.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Not his best but better than the rest, 18 February 2008

Author: Funn Lim from Point2e.com

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie was one of my most eagerly anticipated movie of the year and it opened in Malaysia on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. My entire family went, the cinema was packed with not just Chinese but Indians and Malays since slapstick humor is universal in its appeal and then the movie began. I don't know what happened to Stephen Chow but ever since he made King Of Comedy, every film after had his deeply personal touch, like almost a clue into the man himself. He has yet to make a bad film since, the good of the film is of course the variable in the equation. With money, studio backing and age he seems to settle down to making movies he wants to make and yet the movies he wants to make is also highly entertaining.

CJ7 is a highly entertaining movie. Many compared it to ET. I find it has no similarity to ET except for the obvious nod to the idea of ET, cute alien and cute children in the story. Personally I never liked ET. The central theme in CJ7 to me is more like Lilo & Stitch, an alien dog befriending a young child and in the process teaches the child the value of family and sacrifice. It is a simple premise that all parents, especially Asian. Some reviewers complained the story about the bullying at school was too simplistic, I in turn find them very real. In Asian school system where everyone wears the same uniform, how one arrives at the school is very telling. This movie began with Mercedes Benz arriving at the school and the status issue is further emphasized with clothes, school bags and even the latest toys. If adults could sneer at another who does not have the latest I-phone or cars, more so children.

However what is wonderful about the process of this movie lies beyond just the superficial. It shows children although mean at first are capable of recognizing a friend and an equal. I love the scenes of tenderness between father and son. Without much money and no TV, their source of entertainment was killing cockroaches. Scary but apparently derived from Stephen Chow's own childhood. In fact like King Of Comedy, I believe this may be Stephen Chow's most personal movie yet.

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.

Now the alien dog, CJ7. I can't find the plush toy version, disappointingly and I hope it will be released soon because that alien is just so cute. Yes it looks a little bit like Chicken Little. No dialog but very expressive and there was even a spoof scene of King Of Comedy by that cute alien dog. The technology may not be the greatest but for a film from Asia, I find CJ7 very well designed and of course very lifelike.

To those who feels this movie is catered for children, well that may be true. But there were moments of intense drama and frankly I think this movie is also catered for adults who once had that kind of childhood or that kind of bond with their parents that they too could appreciate. This movie shows positive values, that no matter how poor, integrity is first and foremost and I think that makes this movie beyond the understanding of a child but it is for an adult to appreciate and to explain to the child the significance of what the father told the son repeatedly.

It is not Stephen Chow's best film but it is better than most of the competition out there because it is cute, it is fun, it is funny and more importantly it is personal. It is like a small window to Stephen Chow's soul and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My conclusion is whatever Stephen Chow offers, I will accept. My compliments to Mr Chow too for being an excellent casting director. He has yet to make a bad casting call thus far and my respect too for his ability to step aside to let the lesser known to shine. He was never one to grab the limelight and even though in this movie his role is significantly smaller than his all other movies combine, he is still a star with screen presence. And that I admire him more because being such a huge star he could still step aside and let a little girl, a little alien dog and a bunch of children and adults alike to dominate the screen instead of himself so as to allow the story to flow smoothly. That what makes him a great director.

A must watch for all fans of good movies worth the price of a ticket.

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8 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
A message for the Mainland, 9 March 2008

Author: daseiyi from CA

This is an unusual Stephen Chow movie in that it isn't as nonsensical as it could have been, but more touching. It reveals a lot more about Stephen Chow, who also came from a very poor background, and worked his way up to where he is. He doesn't want to lose sight of it, and wants the audience to know it's OK, he no longer has to sneak his values and disguise it in mo lei tou anymore. This movie is in line with what he wants to point out- that one may have a heart no matter what station of life, and that only the poor can rise to greatness as only they can understand the true values in life. Of course, his pick-up line at the end was hilarious as he tried to woo the pretty teacher. She asked him how he was feeling, and he says something is wrong with his body, he is far too handsome now. She said that's really funny! He said, no, not funny, I am really too handsome!! Ha ha ha.

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