6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ti (Stephen Chow) is a poor father who works all day, everyday at a construction site to make sure his son Dicky Chow (Xu Jian) can attend an elite private school. Despite his father's good intentions to give his son the opportunities he never had, Dicky, with his dirty and tattered clothes and none of the "cool" toys stands out from his schoolmates like a sore thumb. Ti can't afford to buy Dicky any expensive toys and goes to the best place he knows to get new stuff for Dicky — the junk yard! While out "shopping" for a new toy for his son, Ti finds a mysterious orb and brings it home for Dicky to play with. To his surprise and disbelief, the orb reveals itself to Dicky as a bizarre "pet" with extraordinary powers. Armed with his "CJ7" Dicky seizes this chance to overcome his poor background and shabby clothes and impress his fellow schoolmates for the first time in his life. But CJ7 has other ideas and when Dicky brings it to class, chaos ensues.
Starring: Stephen Chow, Jiao Xu, Lei Huang, Yuqi Zhang, Tze-Chung LamForeign | 100% |
Family | 31% |
Fantasy | 5% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Thai: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Mandarin (Traditional), English, Indonesian, Korean, Thai
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Mixing humor with satire while using old CGI tricks that propelled his Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004) to prominent heights Hong Kong actor/director Stephen Chow returns with yet another comedy feature meant to entertain rather than impress – CJ7 (2008). Less flashy and with a stronger adult flavor pic won’t disappoint those who follow Chow’s work, winning the hearts of the undecided however is unlikely.
Ti (Chow), an honest but incredibly poor widower, pours everything he earns into his son’s (Xu Jiao) education. Day after day he goes to work wishing that young Dicky will achieve everything he hasn’t been able to accomplish. Yet at school Dicky is routinely reminded by his teacher (Lee Sheung-ching) and friends where he belongs, what makes him different. During such moments the youngster’s only consolation is the beautiful and kind Miss Yuenyoung (Kitty Zhang) who quickly understands how brittle Dicky has become.
During a trip to a local toy-store Dicky asks his father for the much desired by school kids CJ1. But Ti cannot afford it. Heartbroken Dicky heads to a massive industrial garbage field not too far away from his home where he finds a most unusual substitute – a strange, furry toy, capable of impressive gigs. Dicky names his new friend CJ7.
Back at school things suddenly turn around. The once failing youngster quickly surprises everyone with impressive scores, earns the respect of his teacher and friends, and shocks everyone with his athletic skills. Unfortunately all of this proves to be just a dream with reality ready to test Dicky and his father yet again.
Luck is nowhere to be seen
Still, knowing the type of cinema Chow has become famous for fans would certainly want to give CJ7 a chance. There is enough here to keep those who appreciated the visual excess in his Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle glued to the screen.
CJ7 arrives on a 25GB disc presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. What we have here is a sparkling transfer with an excellent degree of detail and a well-rendered color scheme that will certainly impress even the most demanding of viewers. The transition from daylight to nighttime scenes is rather impressive as detail is very prominent and natural grain well preserved. The abundance of digital effects has also granted this transfer with a sharp look that blends quite successfully with some of the more natural looking scenes. Finally the black levels are very strong with the nighttime garbage scenes showcasing excellent detail as well. The only issue some may notice with this transfer is that when CJ7 is present on the screen it becomes fairly obvious where and how CGIs are being used, thus, the picture does tend to reveal a rather unnatural edginess viewers would either embrace or end up being uncomfortable with.
CJ7 arrives with three different lossless tracks mastered in Dolby True HD 5.1 – Mandarin, Cantonese, and Thai. This being said the True HD treatment here is hardly as impressive as some of the recent mix jobs heard on such discs as Cloverfield and Rambo. Still, it is impressively well-balanced and crisp. A few of the scenes where Dicky reveals his newly developed talents come forward in a brisk fashion but they will hardly test your home systems. Nevertheless, the basics are well covered here and you won't be disappointed with the audio treatment this disc has received.
Unfortunately, there aren't any supplements on this BR disc.
After a four year hiatus Hong Kong actor/director Stephen Chow returns with CJ7. While not as impressive as the director's previous efforts the film certainly makes for a good transitional material that will keep those eagerly anticipating the arrival of Kung Fu Hustle 2 (2010) busy. There are enough of Chow's old tricks here that while not this reviewer's cup of tea are indeed one of the major reasons why his work is appreciated by many. If you happen to be one of those admirers this well produced BD disc is for you.
(Still not reliable for this title)
美人鱼 / Mei Ren Yu
2016
To hok wai lung / 逃學威龍
1991
蜀山傳 / The Legend of Zu
2001
외계+인 1부 / Oegye+in 1bu / 祖宗膠戰外星人
2022
回魂夜 / Huí Hún Yè
1995
國產凌凌漆 | Gwok Chaan Ling Ling Chat | Remastered Edition
1994
1996
Original 121 minutes HK Theatrical Version / Wu ji
2005
怪醫D老篤
2020
Limited Edition | Xī Yóu Jì Zhī Sūn Wù Kōng Sān Dǎ Bái Gǔ Jīng | The Monkey King: The Legend Begins
2016
功夫聯盟 / Gong fu lian meng
2018
Mr. Vampire IV / 殭屍叔叔 / Geung see suk suk
1988
奇門遁甲 / Kei moon duen gap
1982
To hok wai lung 3: Lung gwoh gai nin / 逃學威龍 3 之龍過雞年
1993