Dragon Reloaded

This is one for the hardcore Hong Kong comedy fan only. Vincent Kok is well known for his over-the-top comedy antics, Dragon Reloaded seems to be taken the old formula to new extremes. I'm pretty used to Hong Kong comedy by now, but even I was gasping for air by the time the film had ended.

I think Ronald Cheng shouted every single line he was given. The rest of the cast is equally loud and hyperactive. Calling it overacting is a gross understatement. On top of that, the film's pacing is excruciating. There's nothing that resembles a coherent plot, so Kok simply dashes from joke to joke at breakneck speed. And while some of it is probably offensive by modern standards, it's clear that it's just for laughs.

Now that pure comedies are increasingly rare, there's definitely value in that. There are more misses than hits here, but because Kok moves so fast the good jokes tend to stick, while the bad ones are quickly forgotten. And because Kok goes at it like a loose canon, he's able to slip in a good few original jokes. Now, this won't be everyone's cup of tea and it sure is somewhat of a strain, but it's also extremely goofy and entertaining. Not a great film, but good fun.