Review of CJ7 (2008) by Chads. — 07 Mar 2008

"E.T." beget "The Last Mimzy" beget "Cheung Gong 7 hou"(American title: "C7"). It was a matter of time before this filmmaker turned his attention towards the sky.

His live-action cartoon style is a natural for science fiction. The physical laws that govern time and space are ignored repeatedly in "Shaolin Soccer" and "Kung Fu Hustle". In "Cheung Gong 7 Hou", sci-fi is out of the closet.

Ironically, the socio-economic status of Dicky and his father(Stephen Chow) suggests an affinity for Ken Loach films. Ti works as an unskilled laborer at a construction site so Dicky can attend a fancy private school.

If "Riff-Raff"(Loach's best film) had a sci-fi component, it might look something like "Cheung Gong 7 hou". The alien that Dicky(a name that operates an inside joke; like "E.

T.", the male owner presumes his new friend is a boy, but where's the genitalia?) cares for has the bloated head of an ugly bird that's seemingly grafted onto an elastic body. It's sort of cute, but you're always aware that C7 is a special effect, or an expensive toy.

Dicky and the alien seem more like "Calvin & Hobbes" than Elliott(Henry Thomas) and the extra-terrestrial. Because C7 never truly feels alive, Dicky gets away with behavior that would raise the ire of the Humane Society.

Dicky has a surprising cruel streak. He's not entirely sympathetic. In fact, he's whiny; sometimes exasperatingly so. In other words, he's like a real kid. Dicky uses C7 to improve his life, which is why the final act packs a surprising emotional wallop.

The alien loves the boy more. Dicky just wanted to be the cool kid with the cool stuff at school. He used C7 to be popular. When it's too late, he finally learns to be a true friend. "Cheung Gong 7 hou" reminds me of the tamagotchi fad from last century.

C7 is more virtual pet than alien.