[Review] Moon Man (7/10) {Du Xing Yue Qiu}

 

Title - Moon Man (7/10) {Du Xing Yue Qiu}
Production - Alibaba Pictures Group, Beijing Mahua Funage Company, China Film Group Corporation
Starring - Shen Teng, Ma Li, Chang Yuan, Huang Cai Lun, Li Cheng Ru, Jackie Li, Z. Tao
Writer - Zhang Chi Yu, Qian Chen Guang, Dai Si Ao
Director - Zhang Chi Yu
Release - 29 July 2023

Just that sequence of how Shen Teng's protagonist kept missing seeing the evacuation warning on every screen can and has put a smile on my face. The first act of this comedy has kept a smile on my face throughout. I could not believe how funny it was.

Then, to my surprise, we got introduced to the CGI character of a buffed-up kangaroo. I'm not a fan of these characters because they never look real; and I wouldn't say they have made this kangaroo work, but it wasn't terrible. I'm not thinking back now and cringing. So at least there's that.

At first I thought it was kind of a Wilson situation in Cast Away, but the kangaroo became a real part of the story. The fight between Shen and the kangaroo got a little too long-winded, with a lot of scenes in-between that I didn't care for. But overall, I was still fine with it.

The magic of this movie was in the humour. Most of the time it worked. And by the final act, there was a great performance by Shen as well that could touch the audience. Still, a little too "copycat" from other Western movies like said Cast Away and, of course, The Martian; but it was still charming. Shen carried the movie really well.