Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)

Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)
by Jeffrey Lau

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DVD details

Actor: Chen Chang, Faye Wong, Tony Leung, Wei Zhao
Director: Jeffrey Lau
Brand: KINO INTERNATIONAL
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Cantonese (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-10-06
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: KINO INTERNATIONAL

DVD Reviews of Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)

DVD Review: Great Fun, plus a Terrific Romance Story
Summary: 5 Stars

It won picture of the year and best actress for Faye Wong, in Hong Kong. It is a comedy, but you need to see where it comes from -- the Producer is Wong Kar-Wai, who made, Chungking Express, Days of Being Wild, Fallen Angels, 2046, etc. -- as such, those movies are all "spoofed" along with Chinese fight movies in general. Jeffry Lau is a very well known "Action Director" (who directed action sequences in movie's like The House of Flying Daggers and Hero -- both were directed by Zhang Yimou, but he got Lau to help with the fight scenes). Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would be another example of where the comedy is coming from.

Next Tony Leung and Faye Wong -- you know them from Chungking Express and 2046 where they worked together; are just OUTSTANDING with so much chemistry it is amazing. You can tell they just love each other and had such fun -- which is SO nice to see after the seriousness of the Wong Kar-Wai movies. The other leads I was not familiar with -- but they were just outstanding too .. Wei Zhao comes across as such a "character" as my Dad would say -- her sweetness and comic understanding just comes through.

As with another movie I just love, Happy Times by Zhang Yimou; this comedy as it goes through you really start to just fall in love with the characters and you care about the PLOT suddenly and wanting it to end well for them all in a manner of a good book -- and the story is a real good one.

Think of Shakespeare and how he played comically with male and female role reversals in order to get the context of the plot twist and turns right. Now add the story of a Princess who wants to experience life as a "commoner" and escapes the Palace by dressing up as a man - and you can see where things are going to get funny. Now add to that a brother and sister who own an Inn; the brother had a bad romance and has been rude and cold since, so no one like him - his sister is a Tomboy who can't attract a boyfriend as no one wants to be related to her brother. Now the brother and sister "think" they have a form of ESP so they view the people through each others eyes - so when the Princess (dressed as a man), comes to town the brother decides to get his sister and the new fellow together -- so the two "men" become drinking partners, with the sister being included in all the fun. So you get confusions such as the Princess being suspected of being the young Emperor - now if the real Emperor suddenly arrives on the scene you can see how complex the misunderstandings can be.

This might give a bit of the plot away - but pay attention to the character of Solid Gold Love. He is introduced early on and appears "suspiciously" throughout. For instance he is there partying with them and leaves with them all happy as they wander home, but turns to the camera and gives a very serious look, as he lets them continue on without him. Humm. Another part I almost did not catch onto, was when one character gets his "super fighting power" from people giving him flirty eyes. Very funny.

The original movie was at least 105 minutes long. This release is 90 minutes. The reason, I suspect was to tighten up the story and remove some subplots (jokes) that interrupted the "love story". One loss was a nice dance number (with Faye and Tony) where they are spoofing Chinese Opera - too bad they could not have included that in the "extras".

I highly recommend this movie. The English translations (defaults to being ON) are done VERY well, and the jokes DO translate well. Try to see the 2nd half of Chungking Express in order to get a bit of context.

Description of Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)

Winner of the Best Actress and Best Film Awards from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, Jeffrey Lau s Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a unique martial arts comedy-romance that sends up Shakespeare, the Shaw Brothers, Beijing Opera high-wire thrills, and even producer Wong Kar-Wai s signature stylistic excess. A movie that (packs a lot of laughs and action into a beautifully shot 105 minutes - Variety), Chinese Odyssey 2002 follows royal heirs Princess Wushuang (Asian pop diva and Chungking Express heroine Faye Wong) and future Emperor Zheng De (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon s Chen Chang) as they escape the Forbidden City to taste life among Ming Dynasty China s have-nots. But in a gender-bending twist, the princess disguises herself as a fierce male warrior who proves equally beguiling to both martial arts master King Bully (In the Mood for Love star Tony Leung, cast hilariously against type) and his sister Phoenix (Shaolin Soccer scene stealer Wei Zhao). When King Bully plays family match-maker, the foppish (and afro-wigged!) young emperor is forced to compete with his own sister for the beautiful commoner s hand. Combining swordfights, slapstick, satire, songs, and genuine sentiment into a lightning-paced big-screen farrago of (identity changes and gender confusions; plot contortions, clever puns and a great punchline - Time Out London), Chinese Odyssey 2002 may be the mother of all mo lei tau films the crazy-quilt Hong Kong super-farces recently popularized in the West by Stephen Chow.

2002 Hong Kong 90 min. Color Letterboxed (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 TVs In Cantonese with Optional English Subtitles

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