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The Mermaid
美人鱼
2016 94 min China, Hong Kong R 16+
★6.8
Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Director: Stephen Chow
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
When Xuan's real estate project threatens the home of mermaids, Shan is sent to stop him. When they fall in love, he is encouraged to cancel the project. However, he must save them from bigger danger.
Budget:
$60.72M
US Gross:
$3.23M
Worldwide:
$553.81M
Starring
Chao Deng
Actor
Show Lo
Actor
Yuqi Zhang
Actor
Awards
Asian Film Academy 2017
— Best Debut
Saturn Awards 2017
— Best International Feature Film
Key opinion
Stephen Chow’s 'The Mermaid' is a highly polarizing fantasy-comedy that blends environmental messaging with crude, slapstick humor. While fans appreciate its unique, postmodern take on the fairy tale and distinctively absurd authorial voice, detractors criticize the film's unrealistic visual effects, jarring tonal shifts, and uneven acting.
| Theme | The narrative serves as a transparently sincere, if tonally chaotic, anthem for environmental protection. | |
| Originality | The film utilizes an absurdist aesthetic and postmodern tone that feels consistent with the director's unique comedic sensibilities. | |
| Production | The visual effects are frequently criticized for looking cheap, fake, and implausible. | |
| Humor | Humor is deeply divisive; some find it refreshingly sharp and irreverent, while others perceive it as crude, vulgar, or forced. | |
| Acting | The acting is split between those who embrace its theatrical, pantomime-style delivery and those who dismiss it as overacting. |