Wan pak ng chai

A somewhat playful foray into the world of ghosts and Chinese opera as the ghost of a long-dead Cantonese opera diva returns to tie up the unfinished business of her former life with the aid of her most recent male incarnation.

Despite some unnecessary silliness in parts, this light-weight comedy has some quirky charm particularly in Joey Yung's long-dead gender-bender Giselle. But this is a ghost story and probably not for horror fans. No blood and gore here just the occasional wistfulness over what might have been and what could be for both the living and the dead.

Despite a somewhat simplistic and, at times, weak plot Joey Yung makes the most of her role and is the real reason to see this film. There are a few intriguing but light-weight moments about the backstage activities of Chinese opera. However, the trials of Giselle's contemporary reincarnation are a bit perplexing and are really just a backdrop for the heart of this movie.

Nice costumes and a moderately amusing film.

At the first scene I feel that this movie is a little bit scary, especially when Joey haunted Eason many times. But the thing change after Eason saw Joey's face, Joey doesn't seems scary at all. Joey tell her love story with Nicholas to Eason and ask him to help her to play her rule at opera.

Seems to me that the interesting thing in this movie is not Eason's story but Joey and Nicholas love story. They're both were so romantic together and Joey is much pretty if using lady's gown. But they're not explain does Nicholas see Joey played opera? how can he died? how was his life after Joey died? Yes there still many question and weakness in this movie and this movie is not perfect but it's enough to watch.

As I sat down here in 2023 to watch the 2002 Hong Kong movie "Wan Pak Ng Chai", it was actually for the second time since it was initially released. I remember having seen the movie back around the mid-2000s, however I had forgotten about the story in the movie.

And I figured with the likes of Eason Chan, Nicholas Tse, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong and Joey Yung on the cast list, then it couldn't be all that bad.

Writer Kin Chung Chan, however, compiled a storyline and script for the movie that had very little appeal to me. I supposed it is because I have absolutely no knowledge about the Chinese opera, nor any interest in it, aside from knowing it to be annyoing music and screeching vocals. And as for "Wan Pak Ng Chai" being a horror comedy, well not so much of either of those genres here actually.

The acting performances in "Wan Pak Ng Chai" were fair enough. Nothing outstanding though, and not even with the abovementioned performers on the screen.

I managed to sit through all 110 minutes that "Wan Pak Ng Chai" ran for. But believe you me, I am not returning to this movie a third time.

My rating of director Patrick Leung's 2002 movie "Wan Pak Ng Chai" lands on a three out of ten stars.