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THE MERMAID (Hong Kong 2016) ****
Directed by Stephen Chow

Starring: Yun Lin, Chao Deng, Yun-Lin Jhuang

Thanks to Sony Pictures, THE MERMAID gets a distribution release in Canada and the United States. I just previewed the film on the second day of opening on a Saturday evening in a full-house of Cantonese speaking Asians. It was quite the experience.

THE MERMAID is produced, co-written and directed by Stephen Chow whose KUNG FU HUSTLE was widely released. To those unfamiliar with his works, his films are pure silliness. Lots of action, slapstick, fast dialogue with CGI added to this 3D comedic hilarity. The film has already broken records after opening Chinese New Year in Asia. See paragraph below (figures from and courtesy of Sony Publicity) before the review.

“MĚI RÉN YÚ (direct translation: Pretty Human Fish i.e. Mermaid)” opened in China on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Day (February 8) and shattered box office records. On opening day in China, it opened in the #1 spot, grossing a whopping $66 million. In Hong Kong, the film also opened to #1 on opening day with $709,000. To date, the film has grossed over $348 million in China. In Singapore, the film was the highest grossing Sony release for a Chinese film with $838,000, while in Malaysia it was the highest grossing opening day of all time for a Chinese-language film at $528,000. In Malaysia, it was also the highest grossing film opening on New Years and also the highest opening day gross for director Stephen Chow.

THE MERMAID tells the tale of a mermaid (Jelly Lin) who falls for the evil business tycoon (Deng Choa) she’s been sent to seduce and assassinate.

The CGI in THE MERMAID is used for the most ridiculous purposes. The flapping of the mermaid’s tail, the movements of the octopus’ tentacles, the shoals of fish in the sea, the air-borne back-strapped contraption are some examples. But, they do to Chow’s credit generate the most laughs.

Anything can happen in a Stephen Chow film and the man will do anything to get a laugh out of his audience. Take for example the important scene in which an old sage (in the form of a mermaid) tells the legendary tale of how humans and fish used to co-exist. All the mermaids and other fish are listening. Before she ends her story, she falls asleep snoring. Another is the octopus cook acting as if nothing is happening while his tentacles are being cooked up in the open kitchen.

The film contains, as in all comedies, hits and misses. The hit/miss ratio, thankfully is high, with the laughs coming fast and furious. There will be classic segments that might go down in Hong Kong comedy history like the chicken cooking/exercise segment in the Hui Brothers’ THE PRIVATE EYES. One of these is the segment where Deng Chao goes to the police station to report being kidnapped by the mermaid. (See trailer below or part of this segment.)

If you can throw logic and sanity out the window, THE MERMAID will turn out to be a big treat. THE MERMAID is as silly (and hilarious) as can be. The millions of asian moviegoers cannot be wrong.

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