Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Gorgeous Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 20, 2023

You know you've really matriculated to the cultural zeitgeist when you end up as a clue on Jeopardy!, and somewhat hilariously just a day or two before this review was being written, there was in fact a clue on that venerable game show about a rather famous Sting song involving a message in a bottle, though the clue did not reference Gorgeous, a film which is based upon the very conceit mentioned in the title of Sting's tune. This is a rather sweet romantic comedy that easily could have been adapted for American audiences with stars like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, and if its supposed "magical realist" qualities are only hinted at courtesy of things like some kind of comical CGI rendered dolphins (who seem to be considerably more intelligent than some of the humans), the underlying emotion of a sweet rural girl traveling to the big city to hopefully find true love may in fact be a kind of "magical realism" in and of itself, in terms of the kind of wish fulfilment that often seems to suffuse this kind of comedy.

One of those dolphins in fact seems to more or less deliver a message in a bottle to Bu (Shu Qi), a sweet young girl from the sticks. The note seems to suggest her true love is waiting for her in Hong Kong, but in true romantic comedy fashion, fate intervenes in a number of ways, with the author of the note being unavailable (for rather interesting reasons, especially given the production era of the film), and an entrepreneur named Chi-Ng (Jackie Chan) ultimately catching Bu's eye. There's some probably needless conflict added courtesy of a business rival of Chi-Ng's, but the relationship between the two focal characters is actually probably more interesting than Chan's action stock in trade, which gets a passing nod (and/or kick) or two, but really isn't center stage.

Gorgeous Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gorgeous is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. Despite a rather nicely appointed insert booklet, 88 Films doesn't really provide any technical information on the transfers other than a passing comment on the back cover that these offer "2K transfers from original film material of the Hong Kong & International versions of the film". There's somewhat variable color timing at play in both versions, but in the most brightly lit outdoor moments, things pop generally quite well, and primaries are especially vivid, offering a suitably warm and sunny account of some nice looking scenery (the always expert Frank Djeng provides a rundown of some of the locations in his commentary). Occasionally some of the less brightly lit moments can have a slightly blue and/or yellow cast to them, which can in fact combine to make flesh tones attain a weird and sickly green appearance. Close-ups offer good fine detail levels, but some midrange material is a bit on the fuzzy side. A grain field is apparent, but this still looked like it had some high frequency filtering to me.

Gorgeous Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Gorgeous features Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 for the Hong Kong Cut, and either Cantonese or English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 for the International Cut. There's really not a huge difference between the Cantonese and English options on the International Cut, though toggling between the two may disclose an every so slightly fuller sounding midrange on the Cantonese version. Both tracks offer good reproduction of dialogue, effects and a rather charming score. Optional English subtitles are available.

Gorgeous Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• HK Cut (HD; 1:59:40) and International Cut (HD; 1:39:20) options are available under the Play Menu.


• Shy Guy (HD; 17:01) features Andy Cheng discussing Brad Allan.


• Boxing Day (HD; 23:54) features Vincent Kok Tak Chiu discussing the film as well as giving some biographical information.


• The Making of Gorgeous (SD; 30:03) is an archival piece. Subtitled in English.


• Music Video (SD; 4:07)


• Music Video 2 (SD; 4:07)


• Hong Kong Trailer (HD; 2:04)


• English Trailer (SD; 1:32)


• Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng and FJ Desanto is available on the HK Cut.


• Audio Commentary with Action Experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema is available on the HK Cut.


• Audio Commentary with Jackie Chan is available on the International Cut.

Additionally, the keepcase offers a reversible sleeve with new artwork by Sean Longmore along with the original Hong Kong poster art. The keepcase itself houses a very nicely appointed insert booklet with some interesting writing and a lot of pictures, as well as a folded mini poster. Packaging also features a slipcover.

Gorgeous Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The romantic comedy angle of this film is probably much more involving than any passing attempts at making this a more "traditional" Jackie Chan film, but both Chan and Shu Qi are charming, and the film is undeniably sweet natured. Technical merits are generally solid (I'd say audio arguably a bit more than video), and the supplements are very enjoyable. Recommended.