Review of CJ7 (2008) by Robin W — 01 Sep 2008

After an absence of nearly four years, Hong Kong martial arts-comedy maestro Stephen Chow has finally returned and done so with a family film that's a variation on "E.T." - albeit a very unique and bizarre one.

Those expecting another "Shaolin Soccer" or "Kung Fu Hustle" may be disappointed as there are no martial arts on display and its star gets surprisingly little screen time, playing second fiddle to the alien creature and Jiao Xu, the young actor playing his son - who's so convincing that I didn't even realize until afterward that she's actually a girl! Anyway, the movie contains scenes that would never see in a North American family film and its jumps in tone are sometimes jarring, but it is genuinely moving in places and has enough funny moments to make it worth a look for hardcore Chow fans.