CJ7 review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Hong Kong writer/director/star Stephen Chow found a wider Western fan-base with 2004’s delirious Kung Fu Hustle. Surprisingly, he takes a back seat here, playing a poor, uneducated construction worker who slaves away to send his young son to a pricey public school. Dickie (Jiao Xu, a nine-year-old girl playing a boy) doesn’t appreciate his efforts – they live in a condemned hovel, and he’s routinely bullied for his tatty clothes. That is, until his dad presents him with a new toy – a marvelous shape-shifting orb from another planet. It’s ET in HK, obviously influenced by both Spielberg and Chaplin, albeit with a more vulgar streak. Chow’s kung fu fans may be disappointed that he’s made a family film, but on its own terms it’s well crafted, quite touching and frequently LOL.

NOVERDICT

More info

Available platformsMovie
Less

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.