Mo deng ru lai shen zhang

This is a Hong Kong comedy that is a spin-off from the 1960s Chinese martial arts story, Buddha's Palm. Friends Charles and Chi (Andy Lau, Pak-Cheung Chan) visit Mainland China and discover an ancient cave that houses what is supposed to be the tomb of the legendary martial artist Lung Gim-Fei. The friends find an old spell book and practice some magic, which unintentionally breaks open a wall and releases a dormant princess (Joey Wang) and her handmaiden (Siu-Wai Mui). Charles and Chi take the Princess and her Handmaiden back to Hong Kong with them, unaware that they were followed by the just-awaken evil warlord, Tien Chien (Wah Yuen).

Lead actors Lau and Chan does a good job in delivering comedy and charm, as do lead actresses Joey Wang and Siu-Wai Mui. There are plenty of puns, mostly courtesy of Chan and Siu-Wai. While there are some acrobatic superpower scenes, from Lau taking down a bunch of knife-wielding gangsters to Wah Yuen's powerful drop-kick, the comedy consumes much of the picture, leaving lesser room for action and suspense. I would have liked to see the Buddha Palm plot device emphasized more and the Joey Wang and Siu-Wai Mui characters given a larger purpose in the film.

Overall, it is not a bad comedy, but would like to see more of the fantasy elements emphasized.

Grade B-