Gorgeous

I feel this is the perfect evolution of films for this week.

After the success of Rush Hour in 1998, Jackie Chan returned to Hong Kong with a very different kind of movie idea, wanting to branch out into full romance comedy but as the script was fleshed out bits of action were thrown in and what we get is a silly, endearing, very good film that I was extremely happy to see. The story in this movie is a bit bonkers, fancy free entertainment that definitely won't work for everybody but if you can roll with it I think you'll have a good time. A young girl named Bu finds a message in a bottle floating near her home and decides to track down the individual in hopes of finding true love, but she finds it not in the man who wrote it but in a one Mr. C.N. Chan, and a quite cute and sweet relationship blossoms between the two. But all is not well when Chan's (that's a bit confusing but I mean the character) childhood rival gets a wee bit jelly and sends a skilled fighter to beat and humiliate him so he can have Bu all to himself. It's an almost childlike plot in a way, logic doesn't have much of a foothold here like most romances truth be told, it's about the emotion that carries the film. I personally very much enjoyed the romance factor here, Jackie and Shu Qi genuinely have heartwarming chemistry together and it's even better after seeing the previous films I've reviewed. Going from a hopeless romance situation, to Jackie chasing girls left and right, to a proper good relationship. Not too little, not too much, perfectly balanced as all things should be. The action is sparse, but the dynamic between Jackie and Bradley James Allan who sadly passed away just this month, is nothing short of amazing and unique. Cause they really have no animosity towards each other, no negative feelings, they treat each other with equal amounts of respect and consideration making the fights more a friendly sparring session than antagonistic brawling. I can't really say I've seen that much in cinema, you just get so much character and personality from these people in their matches. It's really amazing stuff, and the choreography brings ample amounts of lighting quick strikes and nothing short of 110% effort but it also has such a lightness to it, with creative and funny moments that make it markedly different from other fights in Jackie's career. It's simply a film that does not take itself too seriously and embraces the fun of the story and characters, which I have infinite respect for. It's such a different beast, but well worth your attention if you need some fluffy light fun times. 4 stars, 8/10, new movie coming tomorrow and one I didn't even really plan on watching but the trailer firmly had my attention so see you next time.