The hotly anticipated latest film from hotshot visual stylists the Pang Brothers Re-Cycle reunites the directing twins with Angelica Lee, star of their biggest hit The Eye. By far the most ambitious of the Pang Brothers' films to date Re-Cycle continues to demonstrate the Pang's over-reliance on visuals over narrative, the script essentially existing to move Lee from set piece to dazzling set piece, but when the visuals are as strong as they are here that's not exactly a bad thing and while it doesn't reach the heights of The Eye, Re-Cycle is quite easily the strongest film from the directing duo since their breakout hit.
Lee stars as Chu Xun, a successful romance novelist struggling with a new genre, stricken with a case of writer's block so severe that she can't even get out of the starting blocks on her new supernaturally themed novel, doing little more than scribble rough character ideas on a sheet of paper to just crumple it in disgust and throw it away. The pressure is mounting on her thanks to her publisher announcing the book prematurely and the re-emergence of a long gone boyfriend - the motivation for her previous romance novels who she has tried hard to forget - so when she begins to experience a string of strange phenomena she is tempted to put it down to simple stress. But as the strange events continue to escalate she begins to notice striking similarities to discarded ideas from her novel until, finally, she is drawn into a bizarre alternate reality filled with all of the people, ideas and objects discarded, abandoned and forgotten in our world.
Dominated by a Hong Kong in ruins this decaying world populated by suicides, rusting toys, ignored ancestors, and aborted fetuses is the real star of the film, Lee essentially providing a tour guide to the Pang Brothers' catalog of neglect and regret. Every trick in the vast Pang arsenal is pulled out to bring their nightmarish vision to life, from digital effects to large scale models and good old fashioned camera trickery, and the visuals are frequently breath taking. From the extended necks of the hangings, to the twisted bodies of the jumpers, to the vast field of abandoned playthings stretching to the horizon, to the tunnel filled with amniotic fluid and squalling fetuses, to a post apocalyptic Hong Kong, the Pangs visual imagination is rich and detailed.
A gifted actress with a slightly undermotivated character here Lee nonetheless performs well, once again making the overall sparseness of her work a confusing thing. People should be throwing plum parts at this woman and yet she appears on screen seldom. Remaining cast members are limited to a small handful of aquaintances in the real world and a pair of guides in the netherworld, all of whom perform adequately if not exceptionally.
The just released Hong Kong DVD boasts an excellent transfer and a vast assortment of special features, every one of which - including the commentary track - features English subtitles. The subtitles however, particularly on the main feature, could have used a good going over by a native English speaker. As they stand now they may capture the literal meaning of the original dialogue but they are clumsy and feature numerous grammatical and other errors, including repeatedly referring to an old man as 'Granny'. It's more than a little surprising that a company that would go to the effort of subtitling the special features, obviously aware that there is an export market for a new Pang film, would fail to give the subtitles on the feature a proper proof reading.
As time goes on and they get more films under their belt it is becoming increasingly likely that The Eye will represent the Pang's peak, the moment where they found a script and actress to match their vast visual talents. But while Re-Cycle may not reach those same heights it certainly shows that they've got plenty of gas left in the tank and it is a significant improvement over their recent string of substandard efforts.
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I found the film only so-so... Stunning visuals, but why did they suffocate the magnificent premise under worn-out conventions from horror movies and computer games?
It's the standard Pang problem: amazing visuals, lots of ideas, not enough script. It's a definite step up from their last four or so pictures, though, and the visuals are every bit as impressive as the trailers promised.
Funny thing about the DVD: I was trying to show someone the trailer, but couldn't find it. Turns out that it's not amongst the 'vast assortment of special features'. Huh?
Apart from that (and the subs), great set!
After watching this i have now put the Pang Brothers in my do not watch list. The CG was gash, the acting was bad, and the plot was something, i just don't really know or care. Goodbye Pangs!
the acting was bad?
uh...
Having just brought this anticipated movie, it is visually stunning, although the first half an hour or so was a little similar to The Eye and maybe a touch of The Grudge but thank goodness the whole movie didn't revolve around those two movies
and very similar ones inclusive.The box set of the movie is packaged brilliantly with 2 colourful books.I guess my only other minor "grudge" uhhuh is how dark the movie is with it's
at times greenish tinge but i guess that adds to the creepiness and suspense of the movie
I quite liked the film. I found the visuals to be top-notch and the virtual world particularly innovative. The criticism of careless discarding and neglect is one I can agree with, but the emphasis on abortion near the end was perhaps too blunt. It also weighed down the ending too much and destroyed the momentum. But overall it's a neat pick.
Btw, I've heard of accusations of the film being too influenced by Silent Hill (the game), with even the garbled phone messages recycled. Any comments on that?
I really liked it, though I can't say I loved it. I felt that the plot left a bit to be desired and the visuals, while sometimes truly amazing, didn't quite take up the slack. It takes about 40 minutes to get into the fantasy, which is the best part of the film.
What an apt title for a cliche ridden movie!
Though it could also be pitched as When Silent Hill meets Batman Begins meets Pro-life meets Constantine directed by Chris Cunningham
Props to the stunning recreation of the Kowloon Walled City, but I find this dark fantasy (no, it's not horror) rather trite.
Never one to care much about "plotting" (many of my faves are rather plot/narative free), but I couldn't help but wonder why people are so lax about "foreign" cinema when it comes to critique.
The film's "pay off" is sub-sub-sub M Night at his worst (yes, including Lady in the Water). And the acting is on par with those early 80s TVB series, uninspired. Then compounded by the fact that they gave the little girl the densest of expositions -- which she delivered in a way that reminds one of videogames voiceovers, totally flat .
Then there's the "Pro Life" angle... yawn...
I also find it surprising that no one mentioned all those obvious visual references. I mean, are people's memory that bad?
While I certainly believe that there is nothing new under the sun, but the Pang Bros should have looked further than such cliches or at least give them their due like Tarantino does with his stuff.
here's just a few:
1)The Walled City -
A hot "design" property these days, first done in Kung Fu Hustle, then Batman Begins, did this have to do with the fact that a coffee table book on the Walled City was released internationally in 2000?
2) Hanging Corpses and the colour timing of the film -
Chris Cunningham/ Aphex Twins "Come to Daddy" MV ? and Jon Glazer/Unkle "Rabbit in the headlights" and Birth?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/collective/dnaimages/gallery/directordvd/2.jpg
Both of which were released on DVD in Hong Kong early last year.
3) The split- vison zoms/ghosts
hijacked by the film that I feel Re-Cycle most resembled - Tarsem Singh's The Cell*.
4) The disintergrating "Granny" and Daughter... What Dreams May Come revisited?
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~ourminds/reviews/movies/whatdreams4.jpg
Despite being an undeniably good looking film is a disservice to all the true stylists and visionaries in filmmaking today. Scott, WKW, Lynch, Argento, Gilliam, Fincher, DePalma, Kelly, Mann, Night etc. al
*Like Re-Cycle, The Cell is a deliciously unoriginal visual feast, whereby the director "borrowed" every single nifty "idea" from the works on display at the Tate Modern gallery in London. When I first saw it, I thought the serial killer must an art student or 60 minutes' Morley Safer - whom, a year before The Cell began production, ran a piece on the "disgusting" BritArt at the Tate Modern in his show - thereby introducing middle america to Daimen "Split Cow and Calf as Art" Hirst.