Imagine if Disney’s The Little Mermaid had a baby with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Well that is a pretty good description of the trailer for 2016 Chinese-Hong Kong science fantasy romantic comedy film (you read that description right) The Mermaid. The odd film has gone on to become the highest grossing film of all time in China with almost 3.4 billion, beating out Hollywood heavyweights like Furious 7 and Transformers: Age of Extinction.
The plot is simple – playboy businessman (Deng Chao) falls in love with mermaid (Lin Yun) sent to assassinate him. Simple right?
The bonkers trailer (the second video below) features various odd scenes including a man peddling a fake mermaid, our mermaid heroine dashing through the water, various fish like people and an half man/half octopus shouting as he flies through the air and then having one of his tentacles chewed on by a guy.
The film is the latest from Chinese director Stephen Chow who previously gave us the sports/martial arts/comedy mash-up Shaolin Soccer (2001) and hilarious over the top martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle (2004).
If you enjoyed his outlandish over the top style, highly stylised action sequences, and reliance on physical humour and sight gags in these two films then The Mermaid will be the perfect catch for you.
I first learned of the film via a video posted on Facebook (the first video below) and the bonkers action blew me away. It looks like a lot of ridiculous fun and I cannot wait to see it and review it. The movie is currently available for rent or purchase via Amazon but no word on when and if it will hit be shown in cinemas outside of China.
So what did you think of The Mermaid trailer? Feel free to comment below.
For more wacky movie posts you can follow me on Twitter @suprememango012. Julien is outie like a navel. l8rs.
NB – All photos courtesy of China Film Group