Rating: 3.5

Thankfully this low-budget Hong Kong drama has enough going for it to sidestep its lazier moments.

Despite not getting the rhythm completely correct throughout, it still reminds the viewer that Korea has an understanding of the quiet desperation of loneliness that has rarely been achieved in the West.

A mainly cool slice of retro 70s exploitation that while maybe not Golden Harvest’s finest, is an entertaining revenge romp for fans of old school action.

As it begins to appear that this will be another unfunny Japanese comedy where kookiness is more valued than originality or wit, the film changes direction and goes some way to redeeming itself.

When the story steps up a gear and begins to blend in various antagonists, ‘The Gold Hunters’ becomes a joy to behold.

Though ‘The Great Magician’ recalls films like ‘The Prestige’ and ‘The Illusionist’, Derek Yee’s offering is much lighter in tone.

‘The Great Wall’ packs in a monster amount of large scale action as Damon, Jing et al take on the horde of monsters in ever increasingly elaborate ways.

‘The Guyver’ is clearly some distance from the original source material, but it is still a movie that can be immensely enjoyable if approached in the right frame of mind.

There’s some well-developed comic moments that certainly raise the odd smile, while the atmosphere is infectious.

‘The Harvest’ is a slow-burning, independent take on inter-generational tension, focused on the patient reveal rather than the spectacular twist and in this way it feels much more relatable.

‘The Incredible Kung Fu Master’ is certainly not among the best kung fu films ever made, but there is enough enjoyable action to make the viewing experience seem worthwhile.

From the get-go, ‘Max Cloud’ wears its sense of retro fun proudly on its sleeve and while it can’t always keep up with its ambitions, this is a lot of creative, action-packed, silly fun.