Review of Tai Chi Zero (2012) by Josh K — 05 Oct 2012

Over the years, the Chinese martial arts epic has been reinvented in countless ways. Itâ(TM)s been played broadly for laughs, modernised, Westernised, soaked in different hues and called high art â" so youâ(TM)d be excused for scoffing cynically when director Stephen Fung declares that he plans to revitalise the genre with Tai Chi 0. (Read that as â~zeroâ(TM), and youâ(TM)ll quickly see the pun the producers were going for in naming the upcoming sequel Tai Chi Hero.).

Plot-wise, Tai Chi 0 isnâ(TM)t anything special. It tells the story of Yang Luchan (Yuan Xiaochao), a sweet, slightly daft idiot (in local lingo: blur sotong) who also happens to be a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy. When he discovers that the type of martial arts heâ(TM)s grown up practising is quickly killing him, he resolves to regain control of his inner energy by learning taichi from the renowned master of Chen Village. But there are many obstacles in his way to becoming a taichi hero, including the village masterâ(TM)s smart, self-assured daughter Yuniang (Angelababy); her childhood sweetheart Fang Zijing (Eddie Peng), whoâ(TM)s helping the government build a railway through the village; and a goofy handyman who keeps picking up the pieces after Luchanâ(TM)s repeated attempts to fight for the right to learn taichi.

The real thrill comes from playing witness to the bucketloads of style and imagination that Fung pours into the film. One of his main goals was to infuse Tai Chi 0 with a steampunk sensibility, weaving the cooler-than-cool aesthetic and Victorian fantasy elements of steampunk into a martial arts epic that still revolves around the more traditional notions of family, love and honour. On this count, the movie succeeds. Luchanâ(TM)s universe is a far funkier one than youâ(TM)re used to, littered as it is with imaginary contraptions that never existed in Chinese history. Troy, for example, is a squat monstrosity of a machine that steams its way up to the village, laying railroad tracks in its wake and serving as a constant, literal reminder of the modernisation that Zijing is hellbent on bringing upon the Chen clan.

The inventiveness doesnâ(TM)t end there. Watching Tai Chi 0 is a lot like having all your senses and your brain assaulted by a Tarantino film â" just as cultural magpie Tarantino merrily mashes up genres for his movies, Fung plunders from a wide range of cinematic influences to create Tai Chi 0. Luchanâ(TM)s childhood unfolds in utterly charming fashion via a Chaplinesque silent-movie homage. Fung cites Hayao Miyazaki as one of his favourite film-makers, and accordingly, there are boldly colourful, arresting anime sequences littered throughout the film. At other times, it feels as if Luchan has unwittingly led us into a video game or a Spaghetti Western, by way of a Looney Tunes cartoon (complete with onscreen info-graphics that are both helpful and mischievous).

Fortunately, thereâ(TM)s a fairly solid movie underpinning Fungâ(TM)s playful quirkiness, or it might all become a bit wearisome after a while. For the most part, Tai Chi 0 gives us characters with both dramatic depth and comic potential. Itâ(TM)s easy to laugh at Luchan as he bumbles into a brawl with yet another highly-skilled Chen villager, but you do also find yourself caring about the outcome when he tries valiantly to defend the village and almost loses what life he has left as a result. Even Zijing, the antagonist of the piece, isnâ(TM)t the standard 2D villain â" heâ(TM)s given a backstory that plausibly explains why heâ(TM)s so eager to bring change to the village and, ultimately, why he pledges to destroy it.

Thatâ(TM)s not to say everything is perfect â" there are so many gags flying about that itâ(TM)s inevitable for some to fall flat, and a subplot involving Zijingâ(TM)s dalliance with the wonderfully-named Clare Heathrow (Mandy Lieu) comes off as awkward rather than romantic. Thereâ(TM)s a dramatic reason for why a key scene between them is performed in English, but itâ(TM)s painfully evident that Peng â" despite his best efforts â" is not comfortable with his English dialogue.

It remains to be seen whether the younger, untried members of the cast can provide the sequel with more emotional heft as the trailer suggests theyâ(TM)ll have to do. For the purposes of Tai Chi 0, at least, the completely untested Yuan fares well enough â" he might not be the most skilled of thespians, but, much like the film heâ(TM)s starring in, heâ(TM)s a boundlessly energetic puppy and it would be almost impossible to hate him. Angelababy and Peng provide able support, even if theyâ(TM)re nowhere near as instantly charming as the veteran Tony Leung â" who waltzes in and out of the film, stealing every scene heâ(TM)s in.

Though not quite as revolutionary as Fung would have you believe, the incredibly cheeky, stylish Tai Chi 0 is like nothing youâ(TM)ve ever seen before â" in a very good way. You would have to be a grouch of the first order not to find at least something to like in this whirlwind blend of tongue-in-cheek humour and stylishly off-the-wall action.

BASICALLY: This zero is already a hero.