By Tay Yek Keak
HONG Kong director Wong Jing looked all the way to the year 2080 in Future X-Cops and came up with a cartoon universe.
His sci-fi flick, about Andy Lau playing a futuristic cop, is a combo of RoboCop, Judge Dredd, Speed Racer, Terminator, Spider-Man's Doc Ock, Astroboy and, what looks like the discarded drawings of the 1960s cartoon series, The Jetsons.
If you've got a problem with that, remember that Wong, by nature, is a commercial director (Kung Fu Mahjong, My Kung Fu Sweetheart).
If anything, his foray into outlandish future-world territory shows just how important it is to approach that subject with intelligence and foresight.
Still, it's important to note that this is one of Hong Kong and China cinema's first forays into the world of tomorrow.
Here's my defence for Wong: Don't think, for an instant, that it's easy to create a brave new world.
George Lucas was very good at it with Star Wars, but he still came up with Jar Jar Binks.
But there's a lesson to be learnt for Chinese and Hong Kong film-makers here, and that's that any good science-fiction storyteller will tell you that the statement he's making is often a lesson for the times he's living in.
The good guys in the Terminator flicks, for instance, came back in time to ward off a nuclear holocaust caused circa the present time.
Blade Runner, whose visual look of highrises is copied by Future X-Cops in its opening scenes, was about relentless androids (substitute for illegal immigrants, strangers, criminals, clones or former wives) running loose among humans.
All those films expressed the fears of a highly industrialised Western world steeped in technology which seemed helpful, yet threatening and untrustworthy at the same time (check I, Robot for verification).
Wong's future world is, in comparison, rather kindergarten- ish in concept. To be fair, his intention, presumably, was never to postulate anything new.
Wong comes from a movie- making world and culture that has a strong historical past, is still in love with wuxia, and is just sending people into outer space.
Thus, the Chinese inclination towards a future world, judging from X-Cops, is encapsulated in Lau's funny costume that looks like a zipper bag.
--------------------------------------------
Lau hopes sci-fi film breaks new ground
By MIN LEE (AP) – 2 days ago
HONG KONG — With the market inundated with kung fu and historical epics, Andy Lau hopes his new sci-fi movie will break new ground for Chinese-language cinema.
The 48-year-old actor-singer attended the premiere for "Future X-Cops" in his native Hong Kong late Wednesday, describing his role as a police officer in 2085 who travels to 2015 to protect a teenager destined to become a prominent scientist.
"I think we've taken the first step in making sci-fi movies. I hope more people will try to shoot these kinds of films. I hope our skill and ability will improve and pull us closer to Western sci-fi movies," Lau told reporters.
Lau said he wore a green jumpsuit during shooting so a computer-generated armor could be applied onto his body.
"We wanted to present something new to audiences. People have seen many action movies. They've seen many comedies," director Wong Jing said.
But "Future X-Cops," which co-stars actresses Fan Binging and Barbie Hsu, faces a tough challenge coming shortly after the massive success of "Avatar," the James Cameron 3-D epic that went on to become the global box office champion of all-time. It was also a huge hit in mainland China.
"Future X-Cops" is also Lau's first release since he was exposed for lying about his marriage, which was seen by some as a ploy to maintain his appeal by projecting the image of a bachelor. The veteran entertainer denied that he was married in a TV interview last February, but Hong Kong journalists tracked down marriage records that showed he wed his Malaysian girlfriend Carol Chu in the U.S. in June 2008. Lau was forced to make a public apology.
But Lau's popularity appear unaffected at the Hong Kong premiere on Wednesday. He was cheered on by about 200 squealing fans after he emerged on an outdoor stage near a popular mall in the Causeway Bay shopping district.
-------------------------------------------
More like blast from the past
By Han Wei Chou
'Future X Cops'
SINGAPORE: In "Future X Cops" Andy Lau plays Kidd, a policeman from the future tasked with protecting a scientist who develops a new technology that renders fossil fuels obsolete by providing clean, affordable energy via solar energy conversion.
The scientist ticked off the petrol consortiums as his invention prevents them from making obscene amounts of money, so they send a group of cyborgs to kill the good scientist.
The cyborgs' plan is foiled by Kidd but not before their leader Kalon (Fan Sui-wong) manages to kill Kidd's wife Millie (Fan Bing Bing) and Kidd kills Kalon's brother. The consortiums then hatch a plan to send the cyborgs back through time and kill the scientist (a la "Terminator"), so his technology would never be discovered and they would regain control of the energy market.
Kidd wants to avenge his wife and agrees to be sent back in time to protect the scientist, who is still a young boy in that era. He also agrees to become a cyborg in order to have the strength to fight Kalon and his companions.
For the first 20 minutes of the film, I was only thinking about cheese. It is not because I particularly like cheese or had developed a sudden craving for cheese nachos sold at the cinema, but because the special effects and the character designs were so cheesy and dated.
The cyborgs were themed after various animals such as the porcupine, bat, snake and mantis, but the character design was incredibly poor and looked ridiculous, sort of like a really cheap transformer costume. Their mechanical limbs, wings and what have you also looked like they were crafted from cheap plastic or cardboard and looked incredibly flimsy.
One cyborg for example could extend numerous snake heads from his back to kill people but ended up looking like a sad, pirated version of Doctor Octopus from "Spiderman 2".
Kidd's cyborg design was also really ugly and looked silly, borrowing heavily from the science fiction classic "Tron".
The special effects are the backbone of any science fiction film ("The Matrix", "Avatar") so if they are poorly done, as is the case here, it cheapens the entire experience.
This problem is compounded further by cheesy music and sound effects that sound like they came from an early 90s science-fiction B-movie.
However, "Future X Cops" is saved from being another sci-fi flop by the abundant comic moments peppered throughout the film. The dialogue is witty and riddled with humorous jokes. The sharp dialogue draws genuine laughter from the audience and makes the film bearable.
Add to that a bunch of eye-candy actors (Fan Bing Bing, Barbie Hsu and other starlets make an appearance) and a few cute child actors (such as "CJ7" star Xu Jiao) and you get a reasonably watchable show.
Still, I can't help but feel director Wong Jing could have done more with the film's premise. For example, the part about Kidd losing his humanity to get his revenge is not fleshed out at all, despite being highlighted in the film's blurb.
This show is great if you are looking for some fun or just want to kill time, but just don't go into the cinema expecting to see the next "Avatar" or you will be sorely disappointed.
----------------------------------------------
Chinese robocop
2010/04/07
By WENDY WONG
FUTURE X-COPS
Directed by Wong Jing
Starring Andy Lau, Barbie Hsu, Fan Bing Bing, Xu Jiao, Louis Fan
KIDD Zhao (Andy Lau), a policeman from the future, travels back in time to protect Dr Masterson, a scientist who has invented a solar energy substitute.
A group of oil tycoons fears this will hurt their power monopoly, so they hire cyborgs to kill Dr Masterson.
The show opens in the year 2080. Kidd and his wife Millie (Fan Bing Bing) are assigned to protect Dr Masterson who is attending an opening ceremony.
When cyborgs storm the event to assassinate Dr Masterson, Millie and a cyborg are killed. Kidd and cyborg leader Kalon (Louis Fan), brother of the dead cyborg, vow revenge.
When their plot fails, the oil tycoons steal the time machine to send the cyborgs back in time to kill the young Dr Masterson.
Kidd agrees to be transformed into a half-human, half-robot and go back in time to protect the young scientist. He brings along his daughter Kiki (Xu Jiao). In 2020, Kidd pretends to be a regular cop. With help from policewoman Holly Wang (Barbie Hsu) and his superior (Mike He), he searches for Dr Masterson.
Age seems to have overlooked Lau. He plays both roles with ease — as a cool and serious police officer in 2080 and a nerdy, bespectacled officer in 2020. There are some tender moments with Hsu and Xu, the child actor in Stephen Chow’s CJ7. Xu is now a young woman and she portrays her role convincingly.
Can’t say much for Fan though, as she appeared only for the first 15-20 minutes.
The action is CGI-heavy and sometimes, seems unrealistic. With a hefty price tag of US$20m (RM66m), the film was originally planned for Chinese New Year, but it was delayed because the special effects had not been completed.
The film marks Lau and director Wong Jing’s first collaboration after 10 years.
---------------------------------------------
Back to the FutureGenevieve Toh
ANDY Lau's latest film has him playing a 2080 policeman who travels back in time to 2020 to protect a young boy, who would grow up to be a powerful scientist who holds the key to mankind's future from assassins of the cyborg variety.
Erm. Didn't Schwarzenegger star in this film?
With such a far-fetched (and rather familiar) movie as Future X-Cops to promote, the 48-year-old actor/singer was expectedly friendly as he chatted up a group of six local journalists over the phone from Hong Kong.
Andy was charming. He was slick. He was debonair. He side-stepped the secret marriage question. Darn, he's good.
"It was very fun because I got to fly here and there," Lau said of the Future X-Cops filming process. "Plus, I think both Barbie (Hsu, his co-star) and I worked really well together."
It's a good thing he had a good time because things could have gone terribly pear-shaped. Lau had signed on to do the movie before he even read a page of a script - all in the name of friendship. It is a decision he defends passionately today.
"I've said this many times before to the press and I'll say it again - the investor of this film is a very good friend of mine. I don't have many really good friends in the entertainment circle, so I agreed to do this movie right away," he said. "I also didn't know theme of the film or that Wong Jing would be the director till the very last minute. I really wanted to help my friend and so I did."
Of course, both the Heavenly King and us mortal six knew that movie-related questions were just the genial warm-up to asking the good stuff. You know, the secrets behind his savvy celebrity public relations abilities. Like not being single anymore.
Would he change anything - anything at all - if he could do it all over again? Absolutely not, Lau said. "I accept my decisions, my mistakes. I don't regret anything," he said, perhaps alluding to how he was brandished a "lying Heavenly King" by the press when his secret 2008 Las Vegas wedding to former Malaysian beauty queen Carol Choo was exposed last August.
Lau added that he was very happy and satisfied with his life now. "There is no such thing as perfect happiness in life, but I have to say I am very close to bliss. I get along with the people around me, and I am with the person I love. It's all been very good."
Oh well, we tried.
And to "make things very clear to all reporters" about the recent "misquoted" reports about him retiring in two years, Lau said he never specifically said such a thing. "All I said was that in two years' time, I would have completed all my existing movie and music contracts. And only then can I decide what's next," he said.
Well, nobody knows for certain what the future holds. Nobody besides Schwarzenegger. But that's a totally different film.
-------------------------------------------
Hong Kong Sci-Fi Finally Arrived?Future X-Cops could be the next big international smash, a total disaster, or something in between.
Admittedly, that’s not saying a whole lot, but the unprecedented nature of the film makes predicting its future difficult. Yes, it’s a science-fiction film; however, it comes from Asia, where studios tend to lean more toward kung fu, historical epics and fluffy romantic comedies. Future X-Cops does star Andy Lau, recognizable on this side of the pond from Infernal Affairs (which was remade into Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning The Departed), but whose past attempts at Hong Kong sci-fi have ranged from mediocre to disastrous.
Yet Lau, who plays a police officer in 2085 who travels back to 2015 to protect a teenager destined to become an important scientist, views Future X-Cops as a necessary first step in making quality sci-fi in Hong Kong.
Related Content
"I hope more people will try to shoot these kinds of films," the 48-year-old said at last week’s premiere (as reported by the Associated Press). "I hope our skill and ability will improve and pull us closer to Western sci-fi movies."
Many consider special effects to be what separates genre product in Hollywood from other parts of the world, and there‘s no denying Asian audiences love their SFX—James Cameron‘s Avatar was a huge hit in mainland China. For Future X-Cops, the filmmakers tried to bring in cutting-edge visual trickery as well; Lau wore a green jumpsuit during shooting so a computer-generated armor could be applied onto his body.
"We wanted to present something new to audiences. People have seen many action movies. They've seen many comedies," said director Wong Jing, who has worked in many genres himself throughout his career.
Having seen the trailer for the film, Jing’s penchant for genre hodge-podge might work against Future X-Cops, which looks more than a little cheesy (although the armor Lau’s character wears is rendered fairly well). Meanwhile, the movie probably won’t make much of a dent in Western markets outside big-cities with large Asian populations. It’s easier to think of it as a necessary first step.
---------------------------------------------
Lau hopes to break new groundHONG KONG - WITH the market inundated with kung fu and historical epics, Andy Lau hopes his new sci-fi movie will break new ground for Chinese-language cinema.
The 48-year-old actor-singer attended the premiere for Future X-Cops in his native Hong Kong late on Wednesday, describing his role as a police officer in 2085 who travels to 2015 to protect a teenager destined to become a prominent scientist.
'I think we've taken the first step in making sci-fi movies. I hope more people will try to shoot these kinds of films. I hope our skill and ability will improve and pull us closer to Western sci-fi movies,' Lau told reporters.
Lau said he wore a green jumpsuit during shooting so a computer-generated armor could be applied onto his body. 'We wanted to present something new to audiences. People have seen many action movies. They've seen many comedies,' director Wong Jing said.
But Future X-Cops, which co-stars actresses Fan Binging and Barbie Hsu, faces a tough challenge coming shortly after the massive success of Avatar, the James Cameron 3-D epic that went on to become the global box office champion of all-time. It was also a huge hit in mainland China.
Future X-Cops is also Lau's first release since he was exposed for lying about his marriage, which was seen by some as a ploy to maintain his appeal by projecting the image of a bachelor. -- AP
