The above just about sums it up: if you dig the film's sense of humour, you'll enjoy it so much more. Alas, most western viewers probably won't, so will brand its uniqueness simply as a "mess".To be fair, this is a very "seen it all before" story, but with warp-speed cuts, great use of SFX, above par wire-fu and superb cinematography, the flick is elevated way beyond its humble plot. I think that when film fans talk about "vision", they mean something like what the director managed to convey on screen in this very film.So, what's it all about?A kid with the mark of a born kung fu legend is exploited into fighting for a cult, until a doctor warns how such violence will lead to his death and that he needs to learn the passive art of tai chi in order to live a happy life... as opposed to plain dying. Naturally then, our somewhat dim-witted lead ventures off to Chen village to learn, only to be constantly turned away, as the art isn't taught to outsiders. And on it goes...With eye-candy galore, this film truly caters for men! I mean: a fast-paced kung fu flick full of gorgeous women? Yep, Tai Chi Zero ticks all the boxes, but again, it's that sense of humour that'll make or break the film for you, and for me, despite all its positives, there was only so much enjoyment from this that I could get.It seems obvious, but I'll nutshell anyway: others will call Tai Chi Zero "dumb" or "awesome", but the only real way to determine if you'll enjoy this film for yourself, is to watch it.

When I saw the trailer for this movie I thought it had the potential to be the next "Kung Fu Hustle". Another cool and entertaining wacky/cartoony fighting movie. While the premise is similar to "Kung Fu Hustle" the narrative and build up is just so darn boring. It just constantly just tries to rely on gimmicks instead of it being well crafted and entertaining movie. In fact there is hardly any fighting in this movie. Yeah, the main protagonist hardly has any good fight scenes. It just constantly relies on pop ups which makes references to comic books, video games and other kung fu references. Which could have worked, but felt more like a random gimmick in order to make this crappy movie hip and cool. Which isn't the case, it just comes off corny and lame. And heavily relies on the 3D aspects of this movie when it hit theaters in China. I managed to sit through the build up, because I was anxious to at least see some cool climatic fight sequences. But that doesn't even happen. Instead it goes in a "to be continued" which is fine. But just about nothing about this movie is satisfying. I think it's okay to leave room for a sequel. As long as the movie itself is satisfying but makes you crave for more. That isn't the case here, this flick is far from being satisfying. And by the end you felt cheated.3/10

Watching this movie reminded me to Bunraku, or Scott Pilgrim where there are comic elements fused in, but better. After a while I lost interest in watching Bunraku or Scott Pilgrim, they became boring and dull while Tai Chi 0 still has lots of things to offer till the end.This is the 1st Stephen Fung's movie that I watched and he surely does a good jobs. The fight choreography by Sammo Hung, visual (and comical)& sound effects, scores, some camera works, the acting from Tony Leung and Angelababy (gosh, she's so fresh n pretty) are the good part of this movie.However, the acting of both leading male and that British woman are wooden, even the village people give better performance. While Angelababy delivers decent acting but her moves as a fighter is not convincing. The pace drags a bit in the middle of the movie, the camera work inside that giant machine are dull/not creative, the story is quite thin - without any elements add in, it may only make half of a movie. I should give '8' to this movie, but considering these lacks, I can only give 6.Kudos especially to Stephen Fung and Sammo Hung, which from this poor script and resources still can make an enjoyable flick. And I still want to see the sequel "Tai Chi Hero", hopefully it will be better.

The first thing that'll jump out at you should you watch the trailer and promotional clips, is the steampunk influences in this martial arts film. But don't let that bother you too much because it's nothing but a large red herring, and something of a gimmick, that added a fun element to the typical story of a zero to hero, only that this Stephen Fung directed film comes in two parts, splitting it down the middle to focus on its protagonist's journey from a nobody to a somebody, surrounded by a village full of highly skilled exponents out to defend their livelihood.The plot is pretty generic and derivative, but thankfully the film has its technical department to thank for, in dressing this up really beautifully, with the story focusing on its countless of different easter eggs to bring on the laughs, or the surprises, that keep on coming in fast and furious fashion. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and has many tongue in cheek moments clearly set to lull the viewer into what would be an anime inspired presentation gone life action, and it worked incredible wonders, even though it's half a story, with the promise of more to come in the sequel (which is already primed for release later this month) for this mixed-genre film.It centers around Yang Lu Chan, played by newcomer Jayden Yuan, who himself is a former world champion in Wushu, likely to follow the footsteps of Jet Li if this film takes off at the box office, given that this is quite the showreel for the young martial artist turned action actor. His character is born with a small horn at his right temple, which is indicative that his is a life blessed with natural kung fu prowess if harnessed correctly, and destined for something great. But he ended up with the rebels fighting an ailing Qing dynasty, before having to flee to the fabled Chen Village, where he is to seek the village chief in order to be imparted a set of Tai-chi inspired martial arts, in order to control and expel the inner injuries he's sustained, threatening his life. And each time he uses his skills, the shorter his lifespan becomes, during this critical stage.But things are never made easy for the protagonist of course, and he gets bullied by Master Chen's daughter Chen Yu Niang (Angelababy), and other skilled exponents all trained in the same arts, which has been decreed never to be taught to outsiders. Most of the film deals with Yang's persistence, at times comical, in wanting to pummel his way to the village and pick up the necessary skills, made easier through his innate ability to pick up skills through observation. The real adversary comes from the external and manifold. There's Eddie Peng as Fang Zijing, a western educated man who finds no love from the Chen Village where he comes from, and is the fiancé of Yu Niang, having put in a crossroads where he's heading a project for the government in building a railway cutting right through the Village. He's slimy, and he's a cad, and it'll be interesting to see how his character develops in the next film. Then there's the threat of the Qing forces combined with the British forces who now find it lucrative to come exploit the Middle Kingdom. And if that's not all, the final scene sees two strangers at the brink of infiltrating the village, primed to lead into the next film.And let's not forget about the steampunk inspired designs of a huge railway builder, which is just the tip of the iceberg on the technical strengths that this film boasts, from visual effects, to sets, to martial arts designed none other than Sammo Hung himself. Angelababy had the stunt team to thank for looking believable as the village chief's highly skilled daughter, fighting with a degree of grace, while Tony Leung Ka Fai's role also had him work with the stunt wires to lift him up the pedestal of one of the movie's greatest combatants, and then some. The playful character introductions throughout the film is something of a highlight as well, as Stephen Fung managed to assemble a variety of legendary actors, directors, and martial arts exponents to pop up as cameo and supporting characters for a scene or two, such as Shu Qi, Andrew Lau, and even Bruce Leung, amongst others, so keep your eyes peeled.Some may dislike Tai Chi Zero for being all over the place, but that is nothing but its primary appeal, and Stephen Fung has assembled a extremely unique piece of martial arts filmmaking, dabbling into the era of silent films for flashbacks, animation for the opening credits and then some, and with a general eye, and aggressive camera work to visually spice up the narrative with a playful look and feel from first person perspectives, to anime and comic book styled fonts that appear either to move the story along, or translate sound effects into a comical visual treat. I'm already all pumped up for the follow up film, since there were many sub story arcs left hanging in the balance, and am reserving my call whether this could possibly be a favourite amongst the year's selection.