Jay Ch... whoops sorry, Initial D (2005) Movie Review

....

Its better than I initially expected.

I'm not a fan of the anime series, nor am I a sports car freak or a street racing fan (You'll definitely not catch be hoooting and cheering along the sidelines of a street/drag racing session alongside busty women in short shorts.) ... BuuuUUuuut... I just may make an exception when Jay Chou is going to make an appearance.

Hence, me, Saturday morning, moviehouse, lights off, watching a cantonese movie.

Unless the movie is really, REALLY good, I usually don't spend my money on cantonese movies. They've usually been crappy, with some exceptions, of course, but in general, cantonese movies like Initial D where a cast of whiny teenagers go around doing whatever it is they do normally - isnt really my thing.

Of course, I've already mentioned Jay Chou as a deciding factor to be silly... sometimes.

I admit, against my boyfriend's complaints, I still keep on crooning and gushing like a little girl when I get the chance to see one of my favorite singers on video. My boyfriend has demanded that I keep my distance away from any Jay Chou material, just because it's shamefully embarrassing to be acting like a giggly fan, I know, and at my age too. You'd think that I'd grown out of those teenage, star struck years... but the guy is simply... adorable. :)

Well, now all my readers know I'm a Jay Chou crazy fan, and its the kind of thing that prompted me to buy tickets for his transition to moviedom. I have to be frank and say that he's not really a good actor at the moment.. I never liked any of his videos when he's acting. He's still a far better singer/songwriter than acting. But he's been typecasted for the lead role, so there's not much acting into this, anyway.

So really .. on with the review. I'm serious. :)

I was actually expecting a crappy movie... the one where you sleep through when your favorite actors aren't looming over the 80 foot screen. Lets see, there's Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, and Chapman To. These names dont impress me much, and I've never liked their acting. I've yet to see Infernal Affairs 2, where the first two mentioned starred, but for others.. I feel like they act as pretty boys in a screen picture drawing in crowds of girls for pumping up ticket sales. But surprise, they dont need these 2, they just need Jay Chou to do that for throngs and throngs of HK girls. (It always come back to him when I'm talking, doesnt it?)

What I was actually impressed with was the fact that Anthony Wong played Jay's character's father. His presence actually gave the film a lot of lift and substance ... at least up until the end. Typecasted Jay Chou plays the lead role as Takumi, an shy and introverted 18 year old kid who helps with his perpetually drunken dad (Anthony Wong) with the tofu business. Takumi is asked by his father to take over and go through the twist and turny Mt Akima route to help with the tofu deliveries, and learns to do it, real fast and pretty smooth, over time. Unknowingly, he's named as the Driver God of Mt Akima by street racers in the area, and with his identity virtually unknown, fans all the racers' curiosity alike. With the thrill of challenge from a ghost driver, these racers set out to find the identity and challenge Takuma and his AE86 with their expensive GTOs. Begrudingly, Takumi gets into the racing scene, and finally wins the audience's attention: Despite having Jay Chou marketing, or Anthony Wong actors' credibility, nothing is more spectacular and exciting in the movie than the racing scenes themselves.

The characters spout out car terms that I dont recognize; So most I just let them drift by. Having no previous exposure with car mechanics or physics, this film easily overcomes the terminologies by giving the audience a very clear and easier explanation: The racing scenes are what the movie's made of. Despite my inclination towards loving Jay Chou's character, I can't help but be at the edge of my seat when the final race is in play. That's where the magic is,.. and at that point, I'm not distracted by my never ending Jay Chou obssession - there's no time to be distracted; You'd have to make sure you catch each and every turn and twist from each racer, every skid, every drift, every break and flooring... and in that way, I think the movie is actually worth mentioning AND watching.

Anthony Wong gives substance, Jay Chou gives great marketing (and soundtrack, too!), Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, I think might have again made a decent movie. It wouldn't hurt their portfolio, and I'm sure it would help with the ticket sales too, especially when hordes and hordes of girls wanting to see the movie and Jay Chou... and like me, ending up enjoying everything else.

Cheerio! :)