The Mermaid (Photo : YouTube)
Because the 90-minute movie of director Stephen Chow was actually a lecture on the environment pretending to be a romantic movie, the film disappointed critics. “The Mermaid” opened on Monday, the first day of the Spring Festival in which only local films are shown.
Global Times cited the assessment of Chinese movie site, mtime.com, that gave "The Mermaid" a rating of only 7.9 out of 10 because it failed to live up to the hype. The few details given during the film’s shooting lead to anticipation from Chow’s fans that it would be an entertaining movie worth their time and money.
Chow apparently failed also to live to moviegoers’ expectation as a film genius who creates masterpieces out-of-the-box. But his latest movie is just “a common film that does little beyond the story synopsis.”
Its plot revolves more around the coastal land that billionaire Xu Xuan (portrayed by Deng Chao) developed but damaged the region’s ecosystem. Included in the collateral damage are the homes of the mermaids. The mermaids assigned Xuanxuan (played by Lin Yun) to make Xu fall in love with her, which she succeeds, resulting in a happily-ever-after ending wherein the billionaire even becomes an environmentalist.
“The Mermaid” also pales in comparison to Chow’s 2013 movie, “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,” also released for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Global Times recommended “The Mermaid” to cinema goers who do not mind watching a replay of Chow’s old jokes with just some slight variations. However, for viewers “looking for something fresh or something the family can watch together,” the daily said it should instead look for other options.
But while it did not fare well with the critics, many Chinese lapped “The Mermaid” which helped established a new record in China for box office receipts for a single day on a Monday. According to China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the local movies earned 660 million yuan ($100.5 million) and broke the record of 425 million yuan set on July 18, 2015.
“The Mermaid” earned 270 million yuan, followed by “From Vegas to Macao 3” and “The Monkey King 2,” both of which earned more than 100 million yuan each, according to Shanghai Daily.
