little_wackie
This movie is great at first, makes you wonder what will happen to the passengers on the bus, then ends telling you nothing. This was set up to be a great horror movie, but fell flat. 17 people get on a bus, and once the bus leaves a tunnel, they are the only ones left, everyone vanishes. You watch then try to survive their empty world and just when you think you'll get some answers......they roll the credits. This was kind-of a waste of time, could've been a great movie, but it has no ending.
niehow
Certainly not a film for an average American used to seeing the marvel "super-hero" movies that proliferate Hollywood. If you need action, guns, and 5th grade plot structures then you won't be able to follow a film that has atmosphere, characters and the need for Intellect. A good film is one that needs many viewings and asks questions that can't be answered. Also, there is such a culture divide for china it takes many years living their to even begin to understand (been there, done that). With this all said i would still give this film a try, it's much better than most others.A closing comment, another reviewer of this film degraded himself by actually ridiculing the director's name! Exactly like a fifth grader would do, which is probably the limit of his intelligence.
lcocsj
there are many schools of thought out there about this being an allegory of the state on Hong Kong. balderdash. while this film may be based on a web-novel, it's clear the director took too many liberties and destroyed what was originally intended by the author. if the book is a political message, the film is basic - - - 17 astronauts are trapped in hypersleep. they wind up being lost in space for 6 years and are slowly realizing that they must find a way home. they were all chosen for the mission because they all needed large sums of money. while the film has no ending whatsoever, this is what can be determined from all of the images and personal stories we see in the film. some things are still unanswered (why does one girl appear somewhere when she is not really there? an alien doppelgänger perhaps?). the film started out great, and fell flat before the final inconclusive scene. be clear here - this is a film directed by a guy named Fruit based on a novel by a guy named Pizza. there you have it, in a nutshell. a senseless directionless film. don't invest your time.
Thaneevuth Jankrajang
I found this ambivalent film most annoying. If I were from Hong Kong, would I have gotten any more messages than I did as a foreigner? The first blow to this film is that the director and screenwriter do not know how to translate some serialized web stories into a coherent film. Without a coherent story and theme, no believability is established. Disbelief is not suspended, and exposed throughout. If a message is to be delivered, they have lost their audience right after the first 30 minutes. The audience simply gives up caring. Characters, supposed to be rich and various, do not matter to them, even with so many background stories laid down. The second blow is a real bad mix of suspense and humour. I feel like watching an unstable storyteller who can't keep his or her pace. One minute there is a hope, then another minute, dashed. The third point is an absolutely unnecessary length of over two hours. Too long of a half-cooked film turns the audience against it. Dialogue and sub-stories should have been made concise, and helped the flow of the storytelling. I have a feeling that director Fruit Chan must have written or re-written the script as he went along. Otherwise it would not look like a film made by a drunk. Hong Kong films are usually with certain standards. Their low-graded films are usually not so low. But this film by Fruit Chan is a few notches lower than the usual. Not recommended.
AD
