Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)

To me, this movie is perfection.

One of my all time favorites.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

In Ming Dynasty China two pairs of siblings are strangely destined to be together; one the emperor and his sister, Wushuang, and the other Phoenix, a restaurant owner, and her wayward brother, Li Yilong AKA King Bully. The princess escapes, dressed as a man, and finds herself befriended by Li Yilong who is trying to find a nice man for his sister to marry. While he is trying to get Wushuang interested in his sister it is clear that she is actually falling for him; she even tells him she is a woman but he thinks she is joking. While they are away the Emperor, travelling incognito, finds himself in the same town and befriends Phoenix! Over the course of the film there are many misunderstandings and even when Li Yilong finally learns that Wushuang really is a woman it looks as if they won't be able to get together as the dowager empress strongly disapproves of him.This comedy of misunderstandings manages to be funny at the same time as being quite silly. An example of the silliness is the magistrate's son who has an ear almost the size of his head! It is also hard to believe that anybody would mistake the beautiful Wushuang for a man whatever clothes she was wearing. If you aren't put off by such things this film is a lot of fun; the cast do a fine job; especially Tony Chiu Wai Leung who plays Li Yilong, Faye Wong who plays Princess Wushuang and Wei Zhao who plays Phoenix. There are some fight scenes although these too are played for laughs rather than excitement so there is no real sense of danger. Overall I'd say that this film was a lot of fun and is well worth watching although I suspect the silliness might put some viewers off.These comments are based on watching the film in Cantonese with English subtitles.

I have just watched the 2009 release -- 90 minute version -- and what a outstanding movie. It translates well to English -- though I recommend watching it twice (once to read, once to watch the expressions etc).It is very funny, particularly if you know something about Wong Kar-Wai movies, or even movies that feature martial arts fighting (new and old); particularly Chungking Express (story 2) would be wise to have seen before.The story is very very good .. and you have to be a bit on your toes with the dialogue as it features gender switching rolls -- remember the Princess escapes the Palace by dressing as a man.Spoiler: One character -- Solid Gold Love -- my advice, he is introduced early and appears here and there in the movie; pay attention to him when he is on screen -- you will get a feeling that more is going on then the story we are seeing.The cast are just amazing .. they are very good at comedy and you can tell they are enjoying themselves doing it and the chemistry is truly amazing! The 90 minute release has the Chinese opera scene removed, plus some sub-plot jokes. I suspect they wanted to tighten up the story as it is just so effective.

I's not as is this film is truly bad, in fact just as you are about to give up and switch off something genuinely and originally funny happens. The main problem is that it is just that, a few jokes evenly spaced and just enough to keep you watching to the end but leaving a dissatisfied feeling that you could have watched something better in the same amount of time. The acting is passable and in some cases rises above average but again it's nothing special.Unfortunately the best word to describe the film is mediocre and with the addition of a paper thin plot to sustain it, it just doesn't match up to much better examples in the same genre and region.

Chinese Odyssey 2002 is a really funny movie. If you've seen Ashes of Time, Chungking Express, He's a Woman, She's a Man, and any Zhao Wei movie, or the original Chinese Odyssey movies you have to see this. It's hilarious in a silly Hong Kong comedy way. And it has all the elements: action scenes, magic, love stories, and a Bollywood-style song number you will never forget. Oh, get it out of my head!I don't know why it's not faring so well in the polls because I've seen it so many times but it still makes me laugh, and I haven't shown it to anyone who didn't find it funny.The shocking part is that it only cost me $2.70 to buy this movie. In a state of recession, cheap laughter is twice as enjoyable.