The Hong Kong poster for Stephen Chow's
enchanting Chinese New Year blockbuster
Mermaid (Mainland China-Hong Kong, 2016)
- Stephen Chow, director
- Starring: Jelly Lin, Deng Chao, Show Luo, Kitty Zhang
At the same time though, there's something distinctively Hong Kong with regards to
Mermaid's filmic composition and mixing (even transcending) of genres; and many elements familiar to fans of
its Hong Kong-born helmer's made-and-(generally) set-in-Hong Kong movies.
Which, no doubt, is why this cinematic offering that successfully
combines fun entertainment with thoroughly pertinent messages about
human greed and environmental recklessness also has achieved major box
office success here in the Fragrant Harbour.
Before
the film's winsome titular character first appears on screen,
expectations are lowered courtesy of a scene in an unbelievably schlocky
tourist trap that looked to be trying too hard and ones featuring
filthy rich people vying to make still more moolah, at the expense of
others and the environment, that get the main story off to a bombastic
start. In both cases, ugly vulgarity appears to rule the day, albeit in
different forms, with the result that the movie and story looked to be
crying out for someone, or something, with a nicer nature to be added to
the mix.
After
billionaire businessman Liu (Deng Chao) outbids his competitors
(including one played by Tsui Hark) to secure a prized property (and to
make it really valuable, also get official approval to reclaim the
surrounding Green Gulf), he throws an extravagant party at which all
manner of females, including his ruthless business rival-turned-partner
Ruolan (Kitty Zhang) and a bevy of beauties who'd do whatever is
necessary to get their hands on something worth millions of yuan, vie
for his attention and affections.
On
the face of it, bumbling gate crasher Shanshan (Jelly Lin) has no
chance of getting close to Liu. Still, she does at least succeed in
giving him her phone number before she's duly unceremoniously bustled
away from Liu's view by his security detail. And in an eye-catching
following sequence, she's shown to not only have hidden talents (that
include her being a pretty nifty skateboarder) but, also, a fish-like
tail where her legs would be if she were a human rather than a mermaid!
In
another twist in the tale, it's revealed that Shanshan actually is a
key individual in her aquatic community's plan to assassinate Liu, in a
bid to stop ongoing damage to Green Gulf's environment attributed to
him. Predictably though, she's quickly shown to not be the best
candidate for the task; seeing as she lacks such as the smoldering anger
of the half-human, half-octopus Brother Eight (Show Luo) and -- in the
kind of guffaw-inducing slapstick scene that has been the highlight of
many a Stephen Chow movie -- proves super inept at being able to make
use of the imaginative array of weapons she was furnished with!
In her first ever film appearance, Jelly Lin makes an impressively big splash, and Mermaid's
titular character enchantingly endearing. So wonderful is the
still-teenaged actress in her role that one could argue that her
presence in this movie that I actually found heartwarming does quite a
bit to elevate it in both the qualitative and lovability departments.
Although
the characters they play in this work are less endearing, Deng Chao,
Show Luo and Kitty Zhang are truly fun to watch and able to make good
use of the opportunities they are given to individually shine. So good
are the principal members of Mermaid's cast that I actually ended
up not minding much at all that Stephen Chow opted to do all his work
behind the camera (this time around). Another way to look at it is that
this film shows that Hong Kong cinema's king of comedy is well capable
of ensuring that a movie is funny, full to the brim of those of his
trademark touches that thoroughly entertain, and also able -- when he
wants to -- of stirring consciences and hearts.
My rating for this film: 8.0
