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R E V I E W
Master Q 2001
China Star / 2001 / 103 minutes
Directed by Herman Yau Lai To
Written by Tsui Hark, Lee Man Choi, Roy Zeto Wai-Cheuk, Herman Yau Lai ToWith Nicolas Tse Ting Fung, Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi, Michael Chan Wai Man
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
As an American living in the United States, I had never heard of the Master Q series of comic books. It first appeared in 1962 and evidently was quite popular in Hong Kong until the early 1980's. Now the popular characters Master Q, Potato, and Mr. Chun come to life as ainmated characters interacting with human actors. Director Herman Yau Lai To has worked as both a director and cinematographer since 1987 and may best be known for the Troublesome Night series of ghost films.
The film opened in Hong Kong cinemas in time for Easter 2001.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: Master Q, Potato, and Mr. Nobody are scrounging for jobs and food in modern day Hong Kong. Master Q and Potato end up in the middle of a triad recruitment, revenge, and romance story starring police officer Fred and school teacher Mandy.
Performances: The stars are the behind-the-scenes animators and effects people who blended the animated characters with the live-action footage. The human cast is pleasant to watch - most make gentle fun of the type of characters they have become known for playing. For example, I recognized Lam Suet (familiar from nearly every Milkway Image production) as a robber, Joe Lee Yiu Ming (recently a nasty bad guy in Hit Team) as triad boss Don Sing, Emily Kwan Bo Wai (a number of small underappreciated supporting turns) as an unnamed assistant to the heroine's mother, and so forth. The human leads are played by Nicholas Tse Ting Fung (a semi-magnetic character) as Fred and Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi (not terribly annoying) as Mandy. Special mention also should be made of Michael Chan Wai Man as the paranoid Don Kam. The comic book creator, Alphonso Wong, has a cameo playing himself.
Production: I approached the film with lowered expectations and zero recognition of the characters, and enjoyed it as a minor treasure. True, a few scenes could stand to be cut, and the comedy and pace lack a certain zip (or panache or elan). Much of the interest of the film lies in the novelty of the integration of animated characters with the live-action performers. Still, I laughed at the extremely silly stuff and find it hard to criticize too harshly a film evidently intended for children that displays intelligence and basic human kindness at its core, as well as a smartly choreographed musical interlude whose theme I was humming as I did my laundry later than night. So credit is extended to director Herman Yau Lai To and the team headed by producer/mastermind Tsui Hark. The appropriately cartoonish musical score was composed by Mak Jan Hung and the cinematography by Puccini Yu, a frequent colloborator with director Yau.
Rating: Category IIA. Some brief exchange of gunfire, fist fights, and infrequent profanities.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation is excellent. Black tones are deep, colors are vibrant, and flesh tones look natural. The source print is spotless. A sparkling job by China Star.
Sound: I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track and it sounded very good, with frequent and natural use of the surrounds as well as some welcome bass extension. Also provided are a DTS track in Cantonese and a DD 5.1 version in Mandarin.
Subtitles: The removable white (on black backing) English subtitles are extremely easy to read and well timed (with perhaps one exception). Unfortunately, several titles during the film and newspaper headlines are displayed in Chinese without any corresponding English translation. Also included are Chinese subtitles.
Features: Twelve chapters can be selected from a multi-page menu with video clips. The film's theatrical is included, as is a five-minute "Making Of" feature that thankfully includes English subtitles for the behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. A brief synopsis is available. Filmographies are provided under several different headings: "Cast" has information on Nicholas Tse, Cecilia Cheung, Master Q, Potato, and Mr. Chun; "Crew" has listings for Herman Yau and Tsui Hark; "Author" contains a brief biography of Alphonso Wong.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Rent. Pleasant family entertainment is a rare find among modern Hong Kong films, and this one fits the bill quite nicely.
(Reviewed 7/26/01)
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