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©P¥½¨g¼ö (1999)
Rave Fever


Reviewed by: MrBooth
Date: 01/07/2006

The film is told in a clever multi-threaded and non-linear fashion, revisiting scenes from other characters' perspectives and following the way things develop in other directions to piece together a picture of the character's stories and relationships.

The depiction of club culture is quite accurate - the late nights, impromptu friendships and random missions/adventures all reminded me of my own mispent youth. Except I never had Jaymee Ong drag me into a toilet cubicle for sex (as far as I can remember!). Although the film pretends otherwise, it's clear that alcohol is not the drug of choice for these characters.

The film was a refreshing and unusual tale, with strong characters and plenty of entertainment. Jaymee Ong looks nothing short of divine, though her acting is abysmal.

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Inner Strength
Date: 04/17/2002
Summary: dull

I have no idea why I sat down last night to watch this one again, I should have learned the last time! It's a complete waste of a film, nothing interesting about it at all. Complete rubbish.

Rating: 1/5


Reviewed by: danton
Date: 01/03/2002

Another atypical Hong Kong movie. Set in a somewhat sanitized rave culture, the movie follows the lives of a group of young HKers by retelling the same events that happen over the course of two parties from different perspectives. This is held together by a central mystery: a girl called Sophie has disappeared. Who is she and what happened to her? We don't find out until the end of the film - but the journey of getting there is a lot of fun.

The cast is pretty decent (as usual, Sam Lee is the standout), and the movie structure (which could have been very confusing) is very tight and easy to follow. I like movies that start out as mysteries and then start peeling away layers to get you closer and closer to the truth. Another recent movie in that vein was Hollywood's Memento which also presents events and then reinterprets them by adding more information. If you like this type of story-telling, then give rave fever a try.


Reviewed by: Sydneyguy
Date: 09/03/2000
Summary: Asian version of "GO"

WEll when i say it's like the American movie "GO", i mean more in structure.
You see what each character sees and THINKS is going on.

The movie itself was ok. There were funny scenes, and like the ending, unexpected scenes. But i found the middle part a bit boring!!

My workmate was watching this with me and liked SAM LEE! She said his hair was GREAT!! I say his acting in this is GREAT!!

Anyway since there are already lots of reviews here, i'll just finish here and give this

6.75/10


Reviewed by: SalemZ
Date: 07/29/2000

The movie was pretty decent. It had its twist. During the movie, you can sorta guess what was gonna happen. Then by the end you're like.. ew.... that's nasty.. hahahaha The soundtrack to the movie is really nice.


Reviewed by: MilesC
Date: 06/09/2000
Summary: Surprisingly entertaining.

I admit it: I'm a sucker for "puzzle" movies, in which a seemingly nonsensical situation is played out piece by piece until it's finally all tied up by the end. Combine my favorite gimmick with some creative but non-intrusive shooting techniques (the shot where Mark Lui's bathroom seemingly becomes another location in an unbroken shot is the kind of low-tech innovation that comes from working on a budget, and is so slick you'll barely notice it.) and some spirited performances and the result is a movie that was, for me at least, enjoyable throughout. The ending is, yes, somewhat offensive, but it's doesn't kill the movie like some claim, and is certainly no more politically incorrect than dozens of other scenes in Hong Kong movies. At any rate, X'Mas Rave Fever is far better than the title would suggest.


Reviewed by: john
Date: 01/14/2000
Summary: Pile of Shite

There are two main problems with Rave Fever that just can't be ignored. First, it is painfully apparent that nobody associated with this movie has any idea what a rave is like; they got absolutely everything completely wrong. The music was wrong, the scene was wrong (nobody was dancing, they were too busy having sex in the toilets), the intoxicants were wrong (everyone was drinking alcohol instead of doing E); the point, in short, was missed by a mile. Second, even if we could forgive them that and say "it's only a movie," [SPOILER ALERT] the whole plot turns out to be a setup for a stupid homophobic punchline.

Until the disappointing ending, it is possible to enjoy the Pulp Fiction-esque story structure and some of the performances, once you've written off the possibility of actually seeing a movie about the actual Hong Kong rave scene. But when the punchline is delivered, you're just left feeling cheated. They would have been much better off just taking a camera to a real Hong Kong rave and letting it run for 90 minutes.


Reviewed by: Paul Fonoroff
Date: 12/26/1999
Summary: Dark, loud and pointless

Despite the "X-mas" tacked on to the title in the posters and advertisements, Rave Fever does not offer much Christmas spirit. Golden Harvest's last release of the millennium is a yuppie mystery that dresses up a simple narrative with a complex time-shuttling framework and Roshomon-inspired multiple points-of-view.

The result is not unlike a rave party: dark, loud, seductive, and ultimately pointless. But under Alan Mak Siu-fai's polished direction, getting there is entertaining even if the destination proves a let-down.

Screenwriters Yip Po-kei and Chan Suk-yin paint a portrait of a Lan Kwai Fong set that is probably not too far off the mark, populated by Eurasians, overseas-educated Chinese, and local thrill-seekers. The thread that ties them is a filofax belonging to the mysterious Sonia Au.

Twentysomething office worker Don (pop star Mark Lui Chung-tak, who also provided the movie's music) finds it under his bed after a drunken one-night stand. He remembers nothing of Sonia, not even her name, but a hickey from a lovebite proves he had an encounter, and the notebook provides clues to who put it there.

The most innovative aspect of Rave Fever is the manner in which the various pieces of the puzzle fit together. We relive the same rave parties more than once, seeing them through the eyes of other members in Don's expanding circle of friends.

Nicole (newcomer Jaymee Ong) is beautiful, promiscuous, rich, and English-speaking. Stephen (Terence Yin) is her handsome European-educated best pal, a babe-magnet who is strangely alone. Ashley (Yoyo Mong Ka-wai) is strictly local, but unusually aggressive in her pursuit of Stephen and uncovering the secret of Sonia. The quirkiest, and most amusing, character is Gordon (another off-beat performance by Sam Lee Chan-sum). The heart and soul of Rave Fever is the rave culture, including the drugs, the dancing and the sex (the toilet tryst between Don and Nicole is probably the boldest ever for a Christmas release).

Cinematographer Chan Chi-ying captures the strobe lights and twilight atmosphere, and the art direction by Bruce Yu Ka-on and So Kwok-ho is suitably rave-like.

The movie seems up-to-the-minute as it is shot on location at Lan Kwai Fong and the SAR's premiere gay clubs, Propaganda and Zip - though in the film they come across as unusually straight. Even more timely is the scene in which Ashley and Stephen almost get run over by a mystery person, possibly Sonia, outside the Golden Gateway Cinema, one of the theatres now showing Rave Fever.

Unspooling at a fast-paced 90 minutes, the picture loses steam as the puzzle gets solved. The denouement is none too convincing and leaves a lot of questions hanging, not that one feels motivated to seek answers.

Rave Fever will probably share a place alongside earlier Canto-movies celebrating discos a-go-go, and other youth phenomena, as capsules of a particular place and time, fun in their own way but hardly anything to rave about.

Rave Fever, Gala circuit. Reviewed by Paul Fonoroff

This review is copyright (c) 1999 by Paul Fonoroff. All rights reserved. No prt of the review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. This review appears in HKMDB by kind permission from Paul Fonoroff.


Reviewed by: ryan
Date: 12/23/1999
Summary: Don't expect a normal movie

With Christmas approaching, movies for the holiday are being released one-by-one. This year Golden Harvest has got something special for its schedule. Instead of releasing "Purple Storm" as planned, they have come up with a movie about rave, "X'Mas Rave Fever," starring a group of young faces (Mark LUI Chung-tak and Same LEE Chan-sum). Is this going to be a satisfying surprise this Christmas?

"X'Mas Rave Fever" begins with Don Fung (Mark LUI Chung-tak), a guy who has sex with a stranger named Sonia on his birthday and discovers afterward that she has left behind her organizer. Of course, he wants to return the item. Then he goes to a rave party. Having been introduced by Nicole Ko (Jaymee Ong), he knows some of the people in the rave world like Gordon Kam (Sam LEE Chan-sum), a guy who is always crazy about his life. During this night he has sex with a woman named Nicole, and he leaves the organizer in a bathroom. Another woman, Ashley Chow (Yoyo MUNG Ka-wai), finds the organizer and gives it to Stephen (Terence YIN). Stephen is a lawyer with a broken heart because of Sonia, but he finds that he is happy with Ashley. They date, but Ashley finds out that Stephen is not as good as she thinks ....

"X'Mas Rave Fever" does not explicitly state the time during which its story occurs. While the movie's title indicates that this is a "holiday" movie, the audience only is aware that the latter part of the film involves a rave party that celebrates the Year 2000. Nonetheless, a Hong Kong movie about the rave culture is extremely rare, and as the focus of Alan MAK's first directorial effort, it is a good attempt.

The plot only concerns the events that happen during and between two rave parties, but these occurrences are presented using the points of view of different characters. There is a lot of repetition, so If you are not accustomed to such sort of approach, you may find it very annoying. The main focus of the plot should be the life of the entire rave group, which includes Don, Nicole, Gordon, Stephen, and Ashley. Though these characters are all given screen time to show his or her point of view, some characters, like Gorden, are presented in a much better manner. However, Nicole's character lacks context to build a fully developed individual. The life and character of the movie's main character, Don, are adequately covered.

The time span for the movie is also brief. I was anxious to learn more about the rave culture. It would have been more interesting to see the activity of and differences between more parties than are shown in this movie. Also, expanding the plot and timetable of action would have lessened the amount of repetition. On a more positive note, the music score and editing are the coolest parts of the movie. Mark LUI's music strengthens the feeling of a rave. The editing also assists in easing the strain of the reoccurring scenes, and the pieces combine to complete a good puzzle that makes up the story.

As for the performances of actors and actresses, Mark LUI has done a good job as Don, a man who looks like fashion has passed him by and tries to be part of the rave scene. As for Sam LEE, his acting is fine, but he has been playing the same character for quite some time now. Yoyou MUNG tries to break out of her image in Milkyway Image Productions as "the good girl". Jaymee Ong has the stand-out performance here. One reason for this is that her role connects with most of the other characters. In addition, she seems a bit more active in the film. Terence YIN is only functional as a good-looking. He still needs to improve his acting skills.

In short, "X'Mas Rave Fever" is not a mainstream movie. Its subject and presentation approach are different from the average movie. The soundtrack and editing are excellent, but the plot should have been developed further to fully make for a satisfying look into this intriguing cultural form of entertainment and those involved.

Written by Ryan Law from Hong Kong Movie DataBase on 23 December 1999.