Rating: 3.0

‘Merantau’ is a good-looking film, but in every other department it is just a touch too average to stand out from the crowd.

Though director Norman Law sets up a few interesting rivalries between the characters, the film tends to get too bogged down in its teen romance sub-plot.

If nothing else, this film goes to show how a lack of good material can sometimes be covered over by an excellent cast.

The new material alone isn’t really worth the time investment, and there are far too many missing elements for newcomers to make this their jumping-off point.

Though it’s not in the same league as the Michael Hui hits it tries to emulate, ‘Money Crazy’ is still reasonably entertaining and certainly better than Woo’s other ventures into the genre.

Although there is a great deal of potential within the casting, ‘Mr.Boo Meets Pom Pom’ is certainly the weakest of the Pom Pom quartet.

Thrown together rather than constructed, this is a production where the director has little idea how to generate organic laughs from situations and must therefore shoe-horn them in.

The action and the winning persona of the lead are reasons to give this four stars, but the obvious deficiencies means it’s only a three.

Not a waste of time by any means, and certainly a nice addition to the main stars filmographies, however, it is certainly not up to the standard of its ground breaking prequel.

It never quite capitalises on a spirited beginning, eventually becoming more of a leaden-footed drama than a blood and thunder action flick.

While proceedings do get a little dry and flat on occasion, for the most part this version of ‘Mulan’ is a well-made and entertaining epic that never resorts to heavy-handed storytelling.

This may not be revolutionary film-making, but ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ is ninety minutes of entertainment that will keep a smile on your face.