Rating: 3.0

‘The Mad Phoenix’ has moments that offer the kind of promise that make the finished product all the more disappointing.

There’s little room for Chow’s trademark “fast speak” here, and it’s definitely more ‘Three Stooges’ than ‘Monty Python’.

Despite the potential of being a great otaku rom-com and having two good actors playing the brothers, two hours worth of minor incident and low-key humour quickly outstay their welcome.

An interesting premise is given a reasonable treatment by experienced director Herman Yau and well-played by a very capable cast.

With a predictable script and some seriously under-par actors, it was never really going to amount to much more than a set of average fight sequences.

It is an elegant, richly designed and photographed tale of love from beyond the grave that rarely bothers itself with the imagery or shock-tactic clichés of the genre.

The main problem with ‘The Medallion’ is it looks just like a Hollywood film with a modest budget. In fact it’s not even as good as his Hollywood films, including ‘The Tuxedo’.

This is a real love it or hate it kind of movie and while I found it to be extremely amusing and entertaining, I have only given it 3 out of 5 as it is not likely to be viewed more than a couple of times.

What could have been a classic is rendered merely enjoyable by the prominence of some very weak comedy.

‘The Occupant’ doesn’t appear to be sure if it wants to be a horror or a comedy as while it is genuinely funny, this does tend to undermine the horror elements.

The plot is paper thin, with little characterisation taking place in the short running time. In its place are a number of special effects set pieces and action clichés leading up to the ultimate showdown.

‘The Order’ is a welcome step backwards for Van Damme that will undoubtedly prove popular with fans of his earlier outings.