Fly me to Polaris - R3 Dvd review

[slasher13]

Review Written By Nadeem Rasool
Film Director(s): Ma Chor Shing
Starring: Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi,Richie Yam Yin-chai, So Wing Hong, Eric Tsang
Released: 1999
Distributor: Deltamac

Synopsis:
What if you are granted a wish in Polaris (aka "Heaven"), would you do the same as Onion, who was blind and dumb when he alive?
Longing to "See" his dream lover nurse Autumn, Onion spent his wish in exchange for five days on Earth; only nobody knows his real identity. However, Onion finds that being able to see and talk does not make much difference...
At the end of Onion's stay on Earth, a Meteor Shower will bring him back to "Polaris", after he and Autumn say goodbye.

There is only one word i could describe this movie... beautiful. The movie itself, the emotion, the actress, the cinematography, the musical score. Everything about this movie is beautiful.
I have only seen Cecilia Cheung in Tsui Hark's Legend of Zu, and even though i really liked that movie, she didn't impress me. But watching this movie, she blew me away.
This is the first movie i have seen of Richie Yam, and have to say; he is good in this movie. He has to play two roles in this movie, which he pulls off successfully. Both actor and actress play off each other perfectly and this is the main strength of the movie, and the supporting cast are just as excellent. Special mention should go to the musical scores, which i have to say is simply ... beautiful

I was sceptical to see if a Hong Kong movie can rival India and Korean romantic movies, but this movie as well as In the Mood for Love, proves that it can.


[DVD REVIEW]
Image:
The image is very clean with no colour bleed. Some parts of the movie takes place in the night time, and the dvd is very clear here, with no blocking. The picture is framed at 1:85 and is not anamorphic, which is a shame.

Sound:
The musical score heavly influences your emotion in this movie, The sound is in Digital Dolby Surround 2.0, which complements the movie.

Extra:
You get the standard profile of Richie and Cecilia Cheung, and you also get the music video of Cecilia Cheung lovely song - Xing You Xin Yuan. Suffice to say, i was playing this alot. Such a lovely song.

Subtitle:
English, Chinese (traditional and simplified) are provided, as par the standard for Hong Kong release. The subtitles themselves are very easy and clear to read. The subtitle helps the movie portray the feeling of the movie, so the grammer and english is excellent. The timing of the subtitles are perfect as well.

Summary:
This movie is simply excellent, i would advise to anyone who liked Il Mare, Failan and My Sassy Girl to watch this movie. This movie proves that Hong Kong film, are up there on the romantic genre with India and Korea.

Equipment:
Toshiba 32" WideScreen Tv,
Dolby Surround 5.1 Speakers
Whalfdale multiregion dvd player