Shaolin Popey (1994)
Reviewed by: jfierro on 1999-12-21
Jimmy Lin looks like he will be the next Aaron Kwok, showing absolutely no personality in his roles. Kok Siu-Man, while adorable, appears to have the brain of a peanut, incapable of even the simplest scenes. And Hilary Tsui, who I normally like, is relegated to a gutless female role. To top it all off, anyone who has seen a teen romance movie knows where this plot is going from the first few scenes. So why did I like this movie so much? Probably because director Chu Yin-Ping knows how to put together an entertaining movie. In this one, he references, steals, or parodies a wide range of movies from Jet Li's SHAOLIN TEMPLE to Robert Redford's THE NATURAL. Ignore the plot and acting, and just enjoy the throwaway jokes and slapstick comedy. And keep your eye on Sik Siu-Lung, the young martial arts prodigy who could give Tse Miu a run for his money when it comes to being cool.