Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy

Despite the charming cast, 3D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy is a disappointment which does not live up to its hype.

As an erotic movie, it is not as satisfying as a hard-core pornographic movie. As a drama, it has paper-thin and inconsistent characters. That the main character and his wife suddenly miss each other is totally without substance. As a result, it fails to touch some members of the audience and the delivery of the message becomes very weak.

On the whole, it is a cult movie mixing pornography, foul language, jokes, romance, gore and action. However, it falls between two stools. You are advised not to take the plot seriously and expect any hard-core images, or you may be disappointed. A similar Korean movie, A Frozen Flower, is highly recommended.

3D SEX AND ZEN: EXTREME ECSTASY. It's difficult to know what to make of a film with a title like that. It's just so, well, in your face...as are the 3D effects in this film. 3D is showcased throughout, and it comes in the form of some very, very poor CGI. CGI penises, CGI gore effects, they're all presence and correct here and all very silly and fake-looking, but I guess that's part of the charm.

The meandering storyline involves a spoilt young man who marries a beautiful woman but fails to satisfy her in the bedroom. Frustrated, he falls in with an evil brothel keeper who arranges for him to have a penis transplant. Madness ensues, in a plot incorporating transgender villains, rape, sexual torture, and a military coup. None of it makes much sense, and the acting is very poor indeed, apart from the chief villain who looks like he stepped in from an old Five Venoms movie.

What 3D SEX AND ZEN does offer is an endless array of sex scenes, almost all of them involving topless nudity. The actresses are certainly game for a laugh, but it's difficult to identify just what sort of film the producers were trying to make. As a comedy it works in places but the proliferation of rape stuff in the second half makes it hard to stomach, and as a serious drama the character motivations are laughable. It's an oddity all right.

Apparently this did beat Avatar at the Chinese Box Office, so they can't have been that wrong now, can they? Of course "Sex and Zen" seems to be a popular movie series in general in Chinese movie history. Though I haven't seen any other of those movies (this actually played at the Fantasy Filmfest), I can't tell you if it's true that they took the "best bits" from previous movies and put them together here. What I can tell you though, is that this should be taken for what it is: a strange little erotic comedy.

If you can wrap your head around that, there are quite a few OTT moments to "enjoy" here. Until the end of the movie, they never cease to come up with something even more ridiculous than what they've shown you before. Again just don't take it seriously and have a hoot (whole cinema was laughing) and don't mind the "message" at the end of the movie (though it is kind of a nice touch ... no pun intended).

A 3D sex movie, especially one produced in Hong Kong and especially one with a pedigree such as the Sex and Zen movies from the 1990s, should be a lot of fairly harmless fun. There should be plenty of double entendres (and single entendres!), plenty of bosoms heaving out across the audience, and a plot that is as uncomplicated as the sexual positions are complicated.

For the most part, '3D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy' is that film. Extremely handsome boy meets extremely beautiful girl. They make a lot of love, but something's not right. So, the handsome boy goes off to consult various masters in hopes of improving things. That's the first half of the film. Rather unfortunately, the second half turns to violence, sadism, rape and torture, and where five minutes ago one was chuckling about the protagonist declaring "I must make love to ten women at the same time", suddenly one is faced with genital mutilation, followed by rape, then more genital mutilation, followed by... Well, you get the idea with that one.

I suppose a film has to go in a direction, and a sex film especially, once the thrill of seeing the actors and actresses naked has waned somewhat. It can become increasingly absurd and nihilistic, like many Russ Meyer films; change tack and take in another exploitation genre (such as, ummm, 'Zombie Strippers'?); or go for a message, which more often than not is 'actually, this much sex isn't that good for you' (take 'Austin Powers', if you will). 3D Sex & Zen goes somewhere between all three, and despite being about 20 minutes too long, somehow fails to deliver satisfactorily on any count.

The message that it does have is sweet, however, and understandable to people of all nations. And there's something charming about the fact that in Hong Kong, 3D Sex & Zen made more than Avatar on its opening day. Overall, it's worth a watch, perhaps more for what it is than what it says.

The film is promoted as the first 3D porn to attract viewers, it is no doubt a very smart way of making $$ for the movie company, but I think those who pay to watch the film should totally readjust the mindset going into this film.

If you are expecting lots of sex scenes and expecting inappropriate things flying 3D in your face, you are asking for too much. When I bought the ticket to watch this film, I totally expected this to be a nonsense comedy that doesn't really make much sense.

When you take that approach I think this film is way more enjoyable. I find it quite entertaining and laughable at some scenes (so are fellow viewers, who couldn't stop laughing at some scenes), and even though a little cheesy, there is a theme into it.

Thing I give big thumbs up are the costumes and props, it makes me realize the producer is taking this film very seriously instead of just a low budget stupid movie. The musical department also deserves lots of credit as the sex scenes are quite steamy because of the background music they use.

Again, this is NOT an artistic film, just take it as a bubble gum film that makes you laugh for 2 hours.