I Love Maria

Rating:
Summary: Wild Wild Robot Fun in Live Action
Review: BUY THIS MOVIE! 'I Love Maria' is a fun, fast live action sci-fi romp with a decidedly 'Anime' feel to it. The plot is cool, but doesn't really get in the way and the effects are state of the art! The acting is comedic (whether it's meant to be is a mystery) and worth watching. This a fun film, to watch with a large audience and LOTS of popcorn.

Rating:
Summary: Action, comedy, sci-fi, and Maria -- it all works.
Review: Imagine "RoboCop" as rewritten by the screenwriters of "Patlabor" and you've almost got your mind around this thoroughly whacked-out comedy/action hybrid courtesy of Tsui Hark (he directed; David Chung was apparently only responsible for the setting up of shots and the like).

A criminal gang uses a giant robot, Pioneer 1, to perform daring smash-and-grab raids on the city's banks. The police are hopeless, and the one man who has a clue (John Shum) is being marginalized in the department because his work makes the other cops look bad. He runs into a former member of the gang (Hark), the two become friends, and soon they're being chased by Pioneer II -- a robot that looks exactly like Hark's old childhood friend Maria (Sally Yeh), who now happens to be one of the gang leaders. If this sounds complicated, don't worry -- the plot is secondary to wild, inventive imagery, kung fu, things blowing up, and a climactic fight that is straight out of all your giant-robot wet dreams.

A great choice for HK lovers, aficionados of the strange, and anime fans as well. The slightly off-kilter subtitles and on-the-cheap FX only add to the fun. Get hooked.

Rating:
Summary: Action, comedy, sci-fi, and Maria -- it all works.
Review: Imagine "RoboCop" as rewritten by the screenwriters of "Patlabor" and you've almost got your mind around this thoroughly whacked-out comedy/action hybrid courtesy of Tsui Hark (he directed; David Chung was apparently only responsible for the setting up of shots and the like).

A criminal gang uses a giant robot, Pioneer 1, to perform daring smash-and-grab raids on the city's banks. The police are hopeless, and the one man who has a clue (John Shum) is being marginalized in the department because his work makes the other cops look bad. He runs into a former member of the gang (Hark), the two become friends, and soon they're being chased by Pioneer II -- a robot that looks exactly like Hark's old childhood friend Maria (Sally Yeh), who now happens to be one of the gang leaders. If this sounds complicated, don't worry -- the plot is secondary to wild, inventive imagery, kung fu, things blowing up, and a climactic fight that is straight out of all your giant-robot wet dreams.

A great choice for HK lovers, aficionados of the strange, and anime fans as well. The slightly off-kilter subtitles and on-the-cheap FX only add to the fun. Get hooked.

Rating:
Summary: I Love Maria (aka Roboforce)
Review: Not a bad film, with a lot of fx effects and a black comedy feel. This is an intense action-fantasy movie, with famous actors (Sally Yeh, better known for John Woo's The killer and the director Tsui Hark) and a very enjoyable pop soundtrack.

Rating:
Summary: Real fun!
Review: When I first had the opportunity to watch this movie some years ago I had the 'treat' of a terribly dubbed (into German)'comedy' version filled with lame jokes and stupid gags adapted to German humour (or at least what the distributor thought it would be - for example John Shum's character had been dubbed "Inspector Loony"). Somehow, still, the movie survived the treatment (alas, it is a comedy, and a low-key one at some times) and I always had a special feeling for it.

"I love Maria", like so many HK-movies, has a somehow confusing plot, several great action scenes, some very funny moments of cartoon-styled humour and some nice FX work (I prefer the special FX of "I love Maria" over those of "RoboCop"). Sally Yeh (of "The Killer" fame) gives a great performance (love that robot suit of hers), John Shum and Tsui Hark (the same) are funny to watch (I always liked Tsui Hark's excursions into acting).

The DVD is not spectacular concerning sound and picture quality but adequate, the subtitles are clear to read; short biographies of the principal contributors are added as a small extra. If you're into HK-movies this should definitely be a part of your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous, Awesome, Bravo!!
Review: With a blend of Sci-fi and traditional HK Art, this movie rocks. The movie features a plot that was not so much confsung as it was one that changed frequently. Sally Yeh who plays the cyborg is just as sweet as can be. Buy it you'll like it!