Genre: Fantasy

This is a real love it or hate it kind of movie and while I found it to be extremely amusing and entertaining, I have only given it 3 out of 5 as it is not likely to be viewed more than a couple of times.

The amusing antics of the Monkey king and Pigsy always seem to make for good movie material and I’m happy to report that this film is no exception.

Unfortunately, despite its intentions, its neither deliciously loopy the way you might hope that a Japanese superhero film would be nor is it especially engaging.

Essentially the story of a princess locked in a tower by an evil wannabe ruler, the flick gets down to brass tacks right out the gate: fast and furious fight action.

It will lose most of it’s audience by the 20 minute mark and even those that do manage to stay engaged past that point will likely be sleeping by the time our heroes ‘Fly away into the sunset’.

Bravo to everyone behind ‘The Red Turtle’ for reminding this reviewer just how powerful simple, intelligent film-making can be without the bells and whistles.

Despite the visual opulence on show and a couple of decent set-pieces, ‘The Restless’ is just a bit of a shallow affair and not as much fun as it should have been.

Crazy cult classic that lives up to its mad-as-a-bag-of-frogs rep, ‘The Seventh Curse’ is some delicious Hong Kong Category III madness.

Fairly tame fun that will easily appease the ADD generation who are hooked on special effects. Go into it with that frame of mind and it’s likely that you’ll find an adequate time filler.

‘The Storm Riders’ is a film that all Hong Kong film fans will want to watch for its reputation. Whether or not it’ll stay in the viewer’s mind much longer after the final credits role is a different matter.

As the style inevitably overpowers the substance, the facade of a plot begins to break apart and the husk of a film is left.

‘The Tai Chi Master’ has all the components you expect – an impressive budget, a handful of beautiful actresses, and plenty of action – but never quite convinces.