The Mermaid

seru juga #187 5,4/10

The Mermaid_1080P

The Mermaid feels like a mix of random elements. I'll start off with the good; I did laugh at some parts. This movie is selling itself to be a Comedy through some advertisements and I believe the script handles the comedic actions well. Also the cast ensemble helped pull some of the funny aspects in the film as well. The first 2/3 of the film could be enjoyed merely as a Comedy; just something to have fun with and nothing really to over criticize or to over examine to the point of scrutiny. The last 1/3 is where this movie messes up; I mean really messes up. From comedy this film turned towards a very dark direction; showing the effects of us humans to nature as well as environmental issues, the film is even bold enough to exhibit real life footage of animals dying and being slaughtered and destruction of sea habitat. There's a lot of violence and blood, all the comedic atmosphere present in the first 2/3 suddenly wiped off and the result becoming a serious, imminent warning. Here's the thing; I don't mind dark elements being mixed in with humor. But the way it's done here makes us ponder what this film, in the end as an entirety, really wants to be because the way the light and dark are meshed in together here isn't done very well honestly. It felt random and the addition of the CGI (which I personally believe was poor) didn't help the serious undertone of the film trying to promote the protection of animal life and their ecosystem. Instead it made the film look goofy. So there's a romance in this film regarding the main character and the mermaid. First, it looked completely unrealistic since the chemistry came absolutely out of nowhere with the 2 characters dating all of a sudden (plus the random marriage proposal some days after they met). And in the end, the main character decided to help "save the environmental life" by donating all of his money and from destroying it he suddenly changed character to wanting to preserve it. The reason behind this was just because of his undying love for the mermaid which is part of that environmental life; I find that preposterous. There can be a lot of other reasons this film could tell us in its message on why to stop destroying ecosystems that can sound far more convincing and realistic instead of some stupid romance that has no chemistry or any of the sort. I'll commend this film for some of the humor it showed in the first 2/3 and how it tried to show environmental issues, but in the end, The Mermaid felt like wasted potential since the mix of the serious drama and the comedy didn't really work well. It felt unorthodox and wholly unrealistic especially when we look at how it portrayed several elements throughout.

This is from one of the renowned filmmaker from China, Stephen Chow. The film holds the numerous records, including the highest grossing Chinese film of all time. So anybody would be curious enough to check it out. This is highly inspired by the western fairytale 'The Little Mermaid', but totally a Chinese. It carries a strong message about the marine life and pollution, especially that coming from China is obviously not usual. A great theme for a Mandarin film to get exposed to the International stage. An appreciable effort with the decent graphics, but it's filled with lots of negatives than leaving a good impression on the viewers. The story is very important for a film and this is a very simple and short, but the remaining is packed with the comedies and stunt sequences. The film opens with the introduction of a multi- billionaire Xuan, who unveils his new sonar project on the coast Green Gulf where marine creatures consider it as a paradise. On the other side the shrunken to a very few, the merpeople plot to kill him. So they send their finest young mermaid, Shan to seduce him, but instead it creates a chaos when she falls in love with him. The final standoff between the man and merfolks set to reveal who will be the victorious at the end and the fate of Green Gulf. If you are a die-hard fan of Stephen Chow, be prepared for a big disappointment. He's out of his comfort zone here. Thankfully, he did not star in this crap. His strength are comedy and martial arts, but this film was none of them. I mean it is categorised as a comedy, but those parts were too sensitive to call them jokes. You won't be laughing much because of the killing, hurting, tortures, kind of upsetting events draws us away from enjoying it. So if you think it is a cute mermaid love story aimed for children just like CJ7 and if you allow them to watch it, you might regret it later. "Love has no law. It is beyond any rules and boundaries." I don't know what is the rating for the domestic release, but this is definitely an R. It is certainly for adults and not everybody going like it. Looks like a film made for the local market only despite the influence of the western fairytale. It might have done well in Chinese box office, but the rest of the world does not consider it Mr. Chow's one of the best works. I think he should stay away from such project in the future, instead make a sequel for CJ7 or for the 'Kung Fu Hustle' where his fans are very eager for the official announcement. If you had seen all his film, especially the directed ones, then you might enjoy some of the jokes from this which is his trademark. The romance was underdeveloped and then the event followed by it that brings the grand finale was too violence. That is when this fantasy-comedy turns an action-thriller without a forewarning. I was shocked for such kind of transformation in the story. I wanted to like it, but could not because I expected something like a Disney film, but it was more like a semi Tarantino film. The addition of a cecaelian character was good from the comedy perspective. But just one from its kind makes him the last survivor and have sympathy than as he's the centre of the comedy in the narration. The overall story as well as all the main characters were never established to its full potential. I'm disappointed with the writing, the director is known for genuine screenplay, but he terribly failed to please his international fans. Of all, I only hope there won't be a follow up to it because we want the old Stephen Chow. He's better than this and I'm sure he will come strong. I can't recommend this film for children or the families, the youngster who are not very sensitive might be the right audience. 4/10

This may not be a Stephen Chow masterpiece. It is not because this is a bad movie, it is simply because Stephen Chow has set a very high standard in classic like Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin soccer. Comparing to what is available in the cinemas since beginning of the year, this movie fares well. Complicated movie like Hateful 8 may be critic's favorite, but this movie does what a movie fundamentally should do, that is to entertain its audience. Stephen Chow prove yet again a good director needs just to able to tell his story well, to make a good movie. His visual sense is driven, not by a need to appear artistic and confusing, but to resonate with audiences. The result, a well made movie that is entertaining and a simple story told well by a gifted film maker. Chow has a gift for spotting talent and using them well. Not only he is brave in casting a newcomer to lead role. He is able to spot the that Deng Chao (better know as the Running Man) will be perfect as a comic male lead. He is likable, even when he is acting like a greedy spoil rich brat. He certainly oozes charisma. Under Chow's direction, he is able to master the act of comic timing and delivery. Best scene has to be the "failed assassination scene" where the interplay between Jelly (mermaid) and Deng Chao result in a stomach ripping experience for the audience. I used to think his wife (Sun Li) is the only credible actress in his family, after watching Deng's performance here, I am convinced he is more than a Running Man.

The Mermaid_360P

The Mermaid_720P_480P

The Mermaid_720P

action

The Mermaid 2016 CHINESE 1080p BluRay x264 DTS-JYK