The Mermaid

2016 action comedy

Rating: 11/20

Plot: A mermaid assassin is sent to dispose of a billionaire whose greedy ways are threatening the mer-people's ecosystem, but she falls for the guy instead.

That plot synopsis might sound pretty pedestrian, but this is a Stephen Chow joint so you know it's not going to be. Chow, in his efforts to blur the lines between reality and cartoons, has lost his mind. His imagination is on overdrive here, but it's not necessarily in a good way. It makes me wonder if he's sort of the Chinese Tim Burton. There are quite a few fun moments in this, but the special effects or budget have trouble keeping up with Chow's imagination, and large chunks of this are just ugly. Scrape off a lot of the weirdness, and there really isn't a story with a lot of meat.