Waah, I still managed to squeeze time to watch some movie at the Cinema although the exam week is approaching soon. This time I decided to watch “Kung Fu Dunk” with my mom before she leaves for some other business trip again… here’s my summary and a review of the film…ENJOY!!!
Jay Chou plays an orphan raised in a kung fu school, but kicked out by the corrupt headmaster after fighting with a bunch of thugs in the employ of a nefarious villain. He happens upon down-on-his-luck trickster Eric Tsang, who immediately sees cash potential in the youngster’s skills. Basketball is the chosen avenue for riches, and Tsang bids to get him a spot on a University team and to promote him in the media. General success leads to a basketball championship and a really nasty rival team managed by the same nefarious villain of before.
Shaolin Soccer is about Soccer, whereas Kungfu Dunk is about Fang Shi Jie and the people around him. Basketball is just to give the movie a theme. His interaction and relationship with Eric Tseng was touching and hilarious.
Actually, I was like, “Why is Jay so stupid as to agree to be part of this stupid movie by a director famed for low standard movies? I know and understand he was being supportive of Taiwanese Films, but, does he need to sacrifice his excellent records just to be patriotic?” For now, I’m s glad the director improved (as media players commended), which I guess the availability of fund, especially as a result of Jay’s involvement, did help. All this makes Kungfu Dunk a movie suitable for all age group, and be my “THE MOST” recommended movie this Chinese New Year/February period.
I will stick my neck out to say that this movie is to basketball just as how Goal! was to football. It made the sport look good because of its charismatic characters, despite them dripping so much coolness and aloofness on the courts. Here, special effects and wire-work were employed to make the actors seem like professionals who can take out a top side in the NBA league, and in all honesty, really looked stunning, especially when they mimic various dunking moves, and performing combo-moves thanks to technology and stunt work. So in actuality, the kung fu elements don’t really have to be in the movie. The stunt work itself will be able to justify most of the moves as they’re quite grounded to reality, only having you to suspend belief that boys of average height have springs in their feet to leap that height for a professional dunk.
Pity too that the number of games were only a handful, with the time spent on plenty of subplots, but each were loosely developed and flitted in and out of the story as and when they please. Things like the abandoned Shi-jie’s quest to use the basketball games to get his parents to one day attend them, that of gangsterism penetrating and influencing games, and his love life with Charlene Choi in yet another flower vase role just to look good and do nothing else. Everyone’s acting a little too cool, leaving little room for main characters to add depth. One of the key themes here is the realization of the importance of teamwork rather than on individual talent and ability, and it could have been brought out much stronger if the players themselves interacted a lot more off the court, than only on it, and during competitive games, apart from the high-fives and friendly passes.
Basically, there’s Kungfu, there’s Basketball, there’s fighting, there’s humour, there’s silliness, there’s love, and there’s of course, exaggerations too.
If my mum (who dislikes Jay) is surprisingly recommending this to everyone in my family, I think it’s really a movie suitable enough for a family.
NICE MOVIE, GO WATCH 🙂 !!!!