Petaling Street Warrior: nice action, not so funny, good effort

I have high expectation for Petaling Street Warrior. It costs 3 million. It was shot in Perak. The story is supposedly based in Petaling Street, with local flavour. And it stars Mark Lee, and Yeo Yann Yann, both stand out in what they do previously; Mark in his Singaporean comedy and hosting while Yeo is our local drama queen. And to top it off, Namewee is in the movie.

Then, why didnt I enjoy the movie that much?

The story is cliche, but simple enough. Mark Lee is a Hokkien Mee seller, with his wife Yeo lives in Petaling Street. Unknown to him, he is actually a descendant with royal blood. His identity was disclosed accidentally and since then the ninja clan, Chinese eunuch and local English police after him for a treasure map. Yeo and few friends were entrusted to protect him without his knowledge and by keeping him a virgin throughout the marriage, Yeo hope to train him in "virgin kungfu" secretly. At the end of the day, one can expect that Mark will become a kungfu expert and saves the day. And they live happily ever after.

I tried to enjoy the show. Mark and Yeo gave a solid performance. Acting is good, and the chemistry is actually believable. Even Namewee is good in his limited screen time. Action is on par, although not something to shout about; and is the saving grace for a bulk of the movie. Mixing comedy and kungfu although is a formula for boxoffice return, is not a easy film to make. I blame the average production on the script and direction. The jokes is rather forced, although Mark tried to make it believable. Most are rather slapstick or sexual inuendos; and most are used in other movies before. eg. The chastity belt jokes is used in Love Guru. Marashita hargetei! And how Mark become kungfu expert suddenly after his near death experience is a direct rip off from Kungfu Hustle. The pace for at least the first half of the movie is snail speed. My wife and I was watching our watch on and off. And most of the scene in the whole movies are tight, or zoomed in. Not much shots on how Petaling Street actually looks like. In the end, the whole movie felt like a TV movie instead. The only really wide angle shot is in a rubber estate where Namewee and Yeo having tea. It is a pity on how much details they put into the background, but is not explored at all.

However, the movie is not that bad. The meticulous details and how they recreate a whole town is awesome to look at. There is some really funny moments here and there. The funny reference to local scene is there, typical of local movies. The joke on Namewee is unexpected, and this prove the gentleman is able to laugh at himself. Jack Neo cameo is really funny as well. The second half of the movie is more acceptable with the jokes more spontaneous and there are some chuckles heard in the cinema.

Overall, I cant help but to compare this to other recent local production. It definitely is way better than I love WingChun (which to me, was one of the worst movie I watched in cinema this year). The story, no matter how cliche, is better than Nasi Lemak 2.0 but Nasi Lemak was way funnier and the jokes although lame at some point is more spontaneous in Namewee maiden movie.

ratings: 2 half poink!

comments: the longest funniest moments are the NG cut scene after the movie ends. The other saving grace is Namewee's song for the movie.