Mr. Vampire

The extremely polished production here may obscure one of the film's major virtues. This is pure ensemble movie-making, there are no "auteurs" or "artistes" here. The most recognizable actors in the film - Lam Chi Ying, Chin Siu-hou, Moon Lee, Wu Ma - turn in what were for them(at the time) very uncharacteristic performances, and do so splendidly.

In fact, there is no "star" here, these actors are all taking turns with extraordinary grace as characters who at best "bumble through", and at worst fumble like, well, pretty much like any average person faced with exceptional challenges (how often does one get saved from a rotting zombie by an amorous ghost?).

Despite the stunts, and regardless of its genre origins, this is not a"kung-fu" film, but a top-notch horror-comedy on a par with Polanski'sunderrated "Fearless Vampire killers" and superior to "Abbot & Costello meet Frankenstein" (which admittedly set the standard, after all). Two plus-values in favor of this film: It provides a lot of information about Chinese vampires, ghosts, and zombies (and their traditional remedies), but does so visually or casually, without the heavy-handed verbal explanation frequent in western horror films. And there is an incredibly haunting children's song (!) about a love-lorn female ghost that is wisely used over the closing credits and which is unforgettable. Indeed, the only weakness in the construction of the film is that we really want to know more about the broken-hearted ghost of the sub-plot than the vampire-centered plot allows. Fortunately, Ching Siu Tung apparently also noticed this, and devoted an entire three-film series to investigating the problem, the remarkable "Chinese Ghost Story" trilogy; but Ching Siu Tung is exactly the kind of "auteur" that would weigh a film like "Mr. Vampire" with intellectual burdens its "pure entertainment"-directed plotting simply couldn't bear. "Mr. Vampire" is not a "work-of-art-for-the-ages", but it is a lot of fun, and spooky to boot, and on that level works as really great movie making, regardless of genre or "ethnic origin".

This movie has found its way into my collection, purely by accident, and stayed there for quite a long while till I finally found the chance to watch it .. The plot should be evident by now: the movie is basically about a 'master' specialized in dealing everything super natural and his two 'apprentices', tying to get rid of a powerful vampire .. There is also a nice sub-plot as a bonus, featuring a female ghost seducing its victims .. The movie is satisfying from the first moment till the last, never dragging too much in a certain scene, letting you watch the whole experience in awe .. The master is powerful and knowledgeable, the apprentices seem dumb nevertheless efficient in their work (with minor 'clumsiness/laziness' factor causing most of the accidents filling the whole movie) .. The support characters do their job well adding to the richness - they are mostly stereotypes but good ones at that .. The jokes were amusing and imaginative although most of them are slap-stick .. I can't comment on the fight scenes in particular (never been a fan but never been a hater) but I found them mostly intense with clever choreography .. The visual effects were not great but never failed to satisfy the viewer .. As a summary, I found this movie in the same league with A Chinese Ghost Story series, and to be honest enjoyed it more than that trilogy .. Also enjoyed it more than any of the Jackie Chan movies :) ..

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.

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.