The Rooftop Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Jay Chou, Eric Tsang, Wang Xueqi, Xu Fan

Director: Jay Chou

Format: Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, THX, Widescreen

Language: Cantonese

Subtitles: English, Chinese

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: December 10, 2013

Run Time: 120 minutes

        Very little about The Rooftop feels very original, with a great deal of the storyline and feel of the film seemingly taken directly from Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001). It is entertaining and fun, but also a bit predictable, melodramatic and self-indulgent. Fortunately, the target audience likely won’t mind these shortcomings for the chance to see Jay Chou shirtless and singing.

 

        Chou is best known in the Unites States for his supporting role as Kato in The Green Hornet film adaptation, playing the role made famous by Bruce Lee, but in China he is a huge pop star as well as an actor. This film makes for a natural transition into directing as well, allowing him to control a film that allows him to display his most admirable assets. There is plenty of singing and dancing, a lot of fighting, and endless scenes with Chou’s abs proudly on display.

 

        Chou stars as the free-spirited rooftop dweller named Wax. When he happens to meet his dream girl, a movie star named Starling (Li Xinai), Wax is able to win her over by taking a job as a stunt man on the film she is working on. The biggest obstacle is the leading actor, who is also interesting in the beautiful young star. This love triangle becomes ugly, especially when it becomes clear that Starling prefers the sincere Wax to a conceited movie star.

 

        This film is nearly as goofy as Kung Fu Hustle, almost as romantic as Moulin Rouge!, and not quite as colorful as either. It isn’t a terrible film, but forgetting all the others it seems to be imitating is difficult to do.

       

Entertainment Value: 7/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 6/10

Historical Significance: 5/10

Disc Features: 1/10