Genre: Comedy

‘Gift From Heaven’ is a low-key comedy, but a very watchable 90 minutes.

Although it is undoubtedly still an enjoyable arc from the show, the decision to make ‘Gintama: The Movie’ a collection of existing episodes feels somewhat disappointing.

Though ‘Girl With The Diamond Slipper’ has a fine finale and some excellent physical comedy throughout, the decidedly flat middle section eats away at the viewer’s patience.

The film itself is relatively well paced, shoehorning in equal helpings of genuinely amusing comedy set-pieces and soft-focus “cheeky moments”, seemingly flittering by in what feels like no time.

It is a true genre-defining classic that will go down in Hong Kong cinema history as one of the greats.

Much like a television movie version of ‘God of Gamblers’, but stripped of many of the elements that made the original work, this 2020 unofficial update is low budget and low entertainment value.

The film has neither the charm or magic of the original ‘God Of Gamblers’ and fails to competently put together a back story that is worthy of its hero.

With lazy writing and weak comedy, ‘God Of Gamblers II’ often feels like little more than a typical Wong Jing cash grab.

Just when you thought the ‘God Of Gamblers’ series was dead and buried, Wong Jing somehow manages to find a pretty nifty way of bringing it back.

While there are flashes of his trademark fight scenes, it’s the fairy tale love story that always takes precedence.

A few bone dry moments of humour are blended into the forced wackiness and these are the redeeming points for an overstuffed cacophony of empty spectacle.

By no means a classic, ‘Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu’ is still an undemanding and quite enjoyable early Chan film.