Australia Media Preview Screening of "The Treasure Hunter" - Movie Review

Date: 11^th January, 2010.

Time: 6.15pm for a 6.30pm screening
Venue: The Reel Room
Basement level State Theatre Building
49 Market Street
Sydney, NSW

Myself and Clint Logan were invited to the preview screening of The Treasure Hunter.

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Kevin Chu
Cast: Jay Chou, Lin Chiling, Chen Daoming, Eric Tsang, Miao Pu, River Chen, Will Liu, Kenneth Tsang
RunTime: 1 hr 46 mins
Released By: GV & Scorpio East Pictures & Mediacorp Raintree Pictures
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.treasurehunter.com.tw/

Synopsis: In the northwest desert where countless prosperous dynasties have flourish and fallen, there is rumour of a buried treasure of unbelievable riches. A group of mysterious guardians have kept the map to the location of the treasure safe, until a fierce rivalry erupts. A notorious international crime group, The Company hunt down the map keepers and before they manage to secure it, the keeper passes the map to a young chivalrous man Ciao Fei (Jay Chou). Ciao Fei is forced to give up the map to save the live of his mentor's daughter Lan Ting (Lin Chi Ling). Teaming up with Hua Ding Bang (a famous archaeologist) and Lan Ting they embark on a dangerous journey to recover the map and fight to protect the ancient treasure.

My thoughts on the film:So Jay Chou is like the biggest rockstar across Asia with is superb musical talents making his hits a constant chart topper time and time again, however, his transition into action adventure Asian-Indiana hasn’t been soothe so far. His role as Qiaofeng, a treasure protector is way too “cool” for me.

So much, that I just know engage well with his character. He is set on a task to rescue the boss’s estranged daughter, Lan Ting (Lin Chiling) from Pork Rib (Eric Tsang).

Overall, Rib is after a map of a Lost City and kidnapped Lan Ting to put her up for ransom for the map in exchange.

Then there’s the character of Hua (Chen Daoming), a famous archaeologist (moreso emo) who made an ill-fated trip to the Lost City years ago with a group of his friends.

The film is overall, long winded, choc a bloc full of special effects that just can’t stop you from laughing (unintentionally of course!) and very weird. Plotlines drop in and out, important one moment and out the door the next. Same goes with the fight sequences, needless and unjustifiable between two ex-lovers called “Eagle of the Desert” where the guy character accidentally stabs the girl character and then dramatically realizing that they were meant for each other.

I don’t want to say much more. Not my kind of film.