Geung see sin sang

I do not lie.

This movie is perfect on every count. Its funny, clever, action packed, great musical score, thrilling, scary. You name it, its got it.

Everyone should see this movie. Lam Ching Ying is perfect (as usual) so go watch it now!

Version: Cantonese, with English subtitles (by SBS)

I borrowed this, and several other movies, from a friend a couple of months ago. Most of these movies I'd already seen, except for this. I can't think of why I hadn't seen it: It had been taped from SBS, it was an action / horror / comedy from Hong Kong, and it was awesome.

The movie follows Master Gau (Ching-Ying Lam), a vampire hunter who discovers at a reburial that the corpse has turned into a vampire. Along with his two assistants, Chou (Siu-hou Chin) and Man Choi (Ricky Hui), Master Gau has to stop this vampire and any other demons, but Chou is being distracted by a succubus and Man Choi is turning into a vampire.

OK, I'll admit that the plot was rather confusing. The above is how I understood it, but who needs a plot when you have vampires, and kung-fu, and evil lady-demons who detach their own head for no apparent reason? I know I don't. Awesome. The martial-arts scenes are the best parts of the movie, but the horror / comedy sequences are still entertaining. Anyone interested in kung-fu movies should check this out for Siu-hou Chin's performance alone. The guy is incredible, and puts on some great fights.

9/10 - Anyone who is fan of Hong Kong action movies should check it out.

This is a perfect example of how DVD removes barriers prohibiting wonderful movies, such as Mr. Vampire, from entering my living room. My viewing was enhanced because a friend from Singapore provided added commentary. Believe me, if you enjoy a good laugh, a little slap stick, a completely different view of the undead (vampires) and ghosts, well choreographed kung fu fight scenes and an overall fun movie, you won't need a friend from Singapore.

I hope the mention of slap stick doesn't misled, as the balance is perfect between comedy and seriousness throughout the 94 minutes of this movie. There are movies I've enjoyed watching once....this will be a repeater, many times over.

Personally, I think that everyone should see Mr. Vampire, if only so that they can claim to have seen a kung fu zombie comedy. But, in my opinion, this is almost more of a Chinese Ghostbusters with some kung fu sprinkled in than a kung fu movie, which was somewhat of a disappointment for me. The story is fun, fresh and full of more than just zombies (although I won't reveal any surprises). The action, when it occurs is fully justified, which is something I always like to see, and is choreographed quite well by Lam Ching-ying. The comedy is somewhat hit or miss, but it didn't bother me very much. I had a lot of fun but I came away wanting more action.

If you feel the same way, try Encounters of a Spooky Kind, which has all the zombies you love, but with more kung fu.

I'll say this right now. I'm not a fan, or a follower of kung fu movies, Chinese or otherwise.

That being said, this movie is incredible. It is a perfect blend of slapstick physical comedy, one liners, martial arts, and Chinese superstition. Mr. Vampire is genuinely funny, but not at all in a campy "So bad it's good" way at all. Fight scenes are good and often amusing, but are not the focus of the film.

Some people despise dubbing in foreign films. Having watched both subtitled and dubbed, I'd say the dubbing is funnier. For a complete laugh riot with the DVD, watch both. the jokes made in both versions are quite different, and seeing the way the two interpretations differ is funny in and of itself. The mood of some scenes are distinctly different.

All in all, the film is spectacular. Anyone who likes physical or witty humor which is snappy (but not cheap) should watch Mr. Vampire. Fans of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge will love the dubbing especially.