5 Jun 2007

Men in White

Original Title: Gui Ah Gui Ah!

Director: Kelvin Tong

Language: Mandarin with English subtitles

Starring: Shaun Chen, Ling Lee, David Aw, Xavier Teo, Ben Yeung, Alice Lim, Benjamin Heng, Laurence Wong

Release: 2007-06-05

Blending slapstick and superstition, Kelvin Tong's Men In White doesn't come together quite as well as the Hong Kong horror comedies which he obviously adores. But it still has some hilarious high points that make it worth watching.

Men In White centers of five ghosts who cannot reincarnate because of Singapore's low birth rates. But even as ghosts they are pretty useless - they don't know how to scare people because, as Singaporeans, they are so used to being told what to do and how to behave by the government.

Things come to a head when another ghost (David Aw) joins the motley crew of the undead and persuades them to start wreaking havoc on the living. All manner of Chinese superstition and local jokes come rattling in.

Men In White is a hodge-podge of original ideas and borrowed ones, and the presence of the yummy cast (which includes Miss Singapore runner-up Ling Lee, Mediacorp hunk Shaun Chen and twinky newcomer David Awwwww) certainly make it worth checking out. But pleeaase, pleeaase leave your brain at the door.