Mermaid

Right, I know I said I wasn’t going to be posting anything new for a while, but sometimes the stars align and I get inspired by the right film. And this is one of those occasions. Some of you might have noticed that I have been really watching a lot of Stephen Chow films in the last few months, and this is going to lead somewhere eventually, but when I started I had no idea that he was in the middle of directing a new feature. In fact, since I have been writing about Asian Cinema, the only significant output from the man had been as joint-helmer on the somewhat ropey “Journey to the West:Conquering the Demons”. So I was both excited and concerned, which was made worse by a terrific teaser that looked genuinely hilarious, but followed by a full length trailer that looked rather dark and depressing. Now, it has gone on and broken all sorts of box-office records in China, and caused no little furore in the West about how badly it has been distributed and marketed, so I went to see it the other night along with Easternkicks owner Andrew in the heart of Chinatown. You want to find out what I thought about it yes?

So, “Mermaid” (I am dropping the definitive article, you are free to disagree) tells the story of property tycoon and all round douche Liu Xuan (Deng Chao), who buys a stretch of land that was a wildlife reserve for a money-making land reclamation project. The reason is was a wildlife reserve is that he is using some sonar-based technology to drive away the wildlife. What he doesn’t realise is that this area is also inhabited by some mer-folk, led by the clue-is-in-the-name Octopus (Show Luo), and they are being decimated by the effects of the sonar device. So the mer-folk have a plan – to seduce Xuan using Mermaid Shan (Jelly Lin), and lure him back to assassinate him. What they didn’t count on is Xuan and Shan falling for each other. Moreover, even if Xuan is able to be converted to the mer-cause, this won’t stop Xuan’s on/off lover and business partner Ruolan’s (Kitty Zhang) pursuit of profit.

“Mermaid” is good. Really good. Whilst you’ll see reviews maybe saying things like Chow’s funniest film for years, that is a bit of a misleading statement, as he actually hasn’t done anything comedic since 2004’s “Kung Fu Hustle”, and only made 1.5 films in the meantime. But it is funny. At times riotously so. And interestingly, maybe because it is very much a mainland film rather than a Hong Kong movie, the humour seems much more appreciable to an international audience. There aren’t too many mo lei tau moments, and certainly no untranslatable cantonese wordplay. That isn’t to say it isn’t a little risqué at times, with one sequence involving a mix up between roast chicken and cunnilingus being a particular standout (and seemingly even more hilarious to the mandarin speakers in the audience). Of course not every joke hits the spot, but there are far more hits than misses, and even the scene shown in the teaser trailer actually gets even funnier in its longer form.

It also has a message, concerning itself with eco-friendly concerns and attacking the Chinese nouveaux riche (which is doubly interesting as Chow himself is notoriously attacked for valuing money over friendships). The former concerns seem heartfelt, and maybe you could say the latter is teased in a too OTT manner, but it does add some meat to the comedic bones.

Whilst a lot of the humour is based around physical comedy and slapstick, there are some cleverer things going on too. For example, Shan’s restricted gait due to her modified tail being shoved in large yellow boots is designed to hark back to the days of foot binding. And yes, that is Tsui Hark in an early cameo. Also, I see some people complaining about the way the film got very dark, and questioning why Kitty Zhang’s character talks about investigating the Mer-people for science, yet seems intent on killing them all – I suggest you go read up on the Japanese Whaling industry which pretty much uses the same excuse.

Performances are good. Deng Chao has a tough job in what is clearly a classic Stephen Chow role – a complete dick who comes good through hardship and the love of a beautiful woman. He is a comedian in his own right, but totally different to the physical and manic wordplay of Chow, but it pretty much works. Kitty Zhang looks stunning, and camps it up as the eventual villain of the piece. But front and centre is the latest Sing Girl – Jelly Lin. Looking like a youthful and innocent Shu Qi, this newcomer totally steals the show. She shows innocence, charm, comic ability and genuine acting chops. It is hard to believe this is her first acting gig, and let’s hope she manages to continue in this vein.

It isn’t all perfect though. After a fun opening scene that doesn’t really have much to do with the rest of the film (although does get a callback near the end), the sequence introducing Xuan doesn’t quite work. And the biggest criticism of all is the fairly ropey CGI which populates large parts of the film. It isn’t too much of a distraction, but it isn’t up to modern standards.

“Mermaid” is a funny, well made film, with a star-making central performance, and at it’s core, has a serious message. I haven’t laughed so much in ages (actually, I did laugh a lot at “Deadpool” two weeks ago, but that was a totally different experience). Maybe my impression of the movie was coloured by seeing it amongst a mostly Chinese audience, but for now, it is getting a hearty Highly Recommended.