Not a bad movie with decent CGI effects, an affecting star turn by Crystal Zhang, a scenery chewing performance from veteran scene stealer Simon Yam and only a few gaping holes in the plot but...not a very good movie either. Having come to Hong Kong cinema through the old Kung Fu Theater type of hackneyed stories, wooden acting but often outlandish stunts , action choreography and bone-crunching fights with actual people doing the stunts, one learned to be forgiving of the lacunae for the sake of the very live action. There is no particular reason to see Legend of the Nara Pearls over any other computer enhanced action movie--it doesnt bring anything new to the table. Photogenic young leads and Oka, a cross between a furry armadillo and an armored badger with a long tail, arent enough to make this a memorable experience.
Reviewer Score: 5
|