The writer-director-actor-choreographer Stephen Chow disappoints mightily with CJ7, a dreary follow-up to his witty international hit Kung Fu Hustle.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Feb 6, 2018

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 16, 2011

Directed by and starring Stephen Chow of Kung Fu Hustle fame, it's definitely one only for the kiddies - those who are prepared to read subtitles. Should be a smash hit, then.

| Aug 8, 2008

Good for kids, probably of all ages.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 8, 2008

There are some nice surreal touches, such as getting enormous adults to play two of the eight-year-olds. But I can't forgive Chow for a misjudged and frankly offensive ending, which is culpably evasive about the reality of life and death.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 8, 2008

Chow's film is a charming, funny illustration of family life that explores the notion of being given a second chance. A kids' comedy with a heart.

| Original Score: 4/6 | Aug 8, 2008

Chow's loyal fans are sure to be disappointed by CJ7, and the film faces one other significant problem in traveling to these shores: Any kid who is the right age to appreciate this pap is going to be too young to read subtitles.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Apr 11, 2008

Even with its flaws this comedy is more interesting kids' fare than most sanitized studio releases.

| Mar 28, 2008

This is a fable of forgiveness and regeneration, but it delves into a child's deepest, darkest fears. Fortunately, things turn out OK in the end.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 28, 2008

I don't doubt [Stephen Chow's] talent. With this one, though, I doubt his story sense and his borderline-insane mixture of tones.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Mar 27, 2008

For all its mawkish plot turns and indecipherable trippiness, this is not a boring movie. It's just wiggy. And schmaltzy. And Spielbergian. And, uh ... wait. I think I've got a Jujube in my teeth.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 21, 2008

CJ7 is precisely the 80-something minutes of delirium and cheesy special-effects you'd expect from the man responsible for the chaos of Shaolin Soccer and the lunacy of Kung Fu Hustle.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 21, 2008

The presence of Xu Jiao, who never tips her gender for a moment, and is winsome without being cute, is enough to keep the audience watching.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 14, 2008

CJ7 is wildly entertaining at times, but when it comes to telling an actual story, Chow could use some tutoring from the clever folks at Pixar.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 14, 2008

The message, at least, is consistently and passionately delivered. But it's safe to say that this 90-minute flick doesn't require a very big thinking cap or much by way of analysis.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 14, 2008

In other words, this is a highly messy production, and as much as I want to embrace everything that the director has up his immensely intriguing sleeves sometimes a person just has to admit defeat and move on.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 14, 2008

CJ7 is too bizarre an amalgam of sappy sentimentality and life-on-the-streets edginess.

| Mar 13, 2008

It's the low-tech side of Stephen Chow's fantasy that proves the most interesting.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 7, 2008

This is lesser Chow because there is less Chow.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 7, 2008

CJ7 is heavy on slapstick and may appeal to very young viewers who won't need to bother much with the subtitles.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 7, 2008