An amiable buddy-buddy-just-plain-weird comedy offering, a follow up to WINNERS & SINNERS and following much the same mould. This time around the ensemble cast travel to Japan to outwit a criminal gang, cleverly located in an amusement park which makes a great backdrop for the action. Unfortunately, despite the kick-fest indicated by the trailer, action is exactly what MY LUCKY STARS is short of. It's a film of two halves. The first ten minutes and the final half an hour is one film; the hour in between is another. For the most part, the middle of the film is a meandering comedy film reuniting the jokers we all know and love; Kidstuff, Roundhead, Rawhide, Sandy, and Herb.
The jokes are pretty childish but there are plenty, and a fair few hit home. It's likable enough but not exactly what action fans are looking for and it doesn't always help that the Chinese comedy is so different from what Western viewers are experienced with. However, I find the jokes improve on repeat viewing, especially the hilarious 'dinner' scene that makes fine use of the language barrier. Of the cast members, the funniest is Eric Tsang, playing the stupid one of the group and usually at the butt of everyone else's joke, although all of the actors get some nice scenes to themselves.
Thankfully, the beginning and end of the film feature Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao engaged in some fine work, the martial arts battles. The film kicks off with a hilarious and exciting chase by car, complete with a far-fetched stunt and a battle with some ninjas. Movie heaven, to be exact. Then Biao and Chan disappear and Sammo is left to carry the can as both star and director, something he does with skill. However things get really exciting at the finale, where the good guys storm the amusement park and Jackie Chan goes into the House of Horrors to fight the baddies.
Lots of spooky shenanigans follow in an expertly shot sequence from Hung, who also directed, reminding me of FANTASY MISSION FORCE. Things culminate in a massive bust-up in which Jackie fights regular villain Dick Wei (PROJECT A), Sammo fights a whole load of bad guys, and a female bodybuilder comes on the screen to make an impression. It's crazy and fun. My only complaint with the action is that it's sped-up, which I found really noticeable in this instance. The resulting movie is a strange combination, not one of the total classics from the decade like DRAGONS FOREVER or PROJECT A but still good fun if you're in the right mood.
The jokes are pretty childish but there are plenty, and a fair few hit home. It's likable enough but not exactly what action fans are looking for and it doesn't always help that the Chinese comedy is so different from what Western viewers are experienced with. However, I find the jokes improve on repeat viewing, especially the hilarious 'dinner' scene that makes fine use of the language barrier. Of the cast members, the funniest is Eric Tsang, playing the stupid one of the group and usually at the butt of everyone else's joke, although all of the actors get some nice scenes to themselves.
Thankfully, the beginning and end of the film feature Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao engaged in some fine work, the martial arts battles. The film kicks off with a hilarious and exciting chase by car, complete with a far-fetched stunt and a battle with some ninjas. Movie heaven, to be exact. Then Biao and Chan disappear and Sammo is left to carry the can as both star and director, something he does with skill. However things get really exciting at the finale, where the good guys storm the amusement park and Jackie Chan goes into the House of Horrors to fight the baddies.
Lots of spooky shenanigans follow in an expertly shot sequence from Hung, who also directed, reminding me of FANTASY MISSION FORCE. Things culminate in a massive bust-up in which Jackie fights regular villain Dick Wei (PROJECT A), Sammo fights a whole load of bad guys, and a female bodybuilder comes on the screen to make an impression. It's crazy and fun. My only complaint with the action is that it's sped-up, which I found really noticeable in this instance. The resulting movie is a strange combination, not one of the total classics from the decade like DRAGONS FOREVER or PROJECT A but still good fun if you're in the right mood.