User reviews

First I do realize that this style of humor is not for everyone, and in fact some of the jokes fall flat on me, but I must say, for the most part I found this film to be hilarious. The young kids in this film, both the main character and his enemy at school are amazing actors for their age, the director Stephen Chow not only directs a good film but delivers a great performance as the main characters father as well. If I had any complaints at all it would be about the special effects, I do admit that they are very good at times and I'm willing to guess that they were intended to look the way they do, but I personally thought they just looked to fake. Also for this being a kids film, I sure thought there was a lot of anger coming from the main character towards CJ7 especially in a few surprisingly violent films, sure it's cartoon violence but in a kids film that doesn't work for me. I have heard many comparisons between this film and E.T. which in some ways I would agree with, but correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember Elliot ever beating the crap out of E.T. So yes there is that small detail, but that is all easily over looked along with some of the jokes that fall flat because despite it, a great film with great acting that at times is down right laugh out loud hilarious lies beneath.

This is an unusual Stephen Chow movie in that it isn't as nonsensical as it could have been, but more touching. It reveals a lot more about Stephen Chow, who also came from a very poor background, and worked his way up to where he is. He doesn't want to lose sight of it, and wants the audience to know it's OK, he no longer has to sneak his values and disguise it in mo lei tou anymore. This movie is in line with what he wants to point out- that one may have a heart no matter what station of life, and that only the poor can rise to greatness as only they can understand the true values in life. Of course, his pick-up line at the end was hilarious as he tried to woo the pretty teacher. She asked him how he was feeling, and he says something is wrong with his body, he is far too handsome now. She said that's really funny! He said, no, not funny, I am really too handsome!! Ha ha ha.

There are so many set-ups to potentially unwatchable kid flicks within this film and yet the story somehow carves a unique path around them. Example- My first impression of the main character, the poor yet adorable little Dickie, was that of an adorable slum-born prodigy. Turns out, he's a spoiled brat and he sucks inschool. What's worse, his poor father is working his ass off so little Dickie can go to private school. Yet the story revolves around this cute little kid like he's the second coming of Macaulay Culkin. Hard to swallow if it weren't for the fact that he, like the alien, are cute as a button

There is something so great about taking an overworked Hollywood premise and handing it over to someone like Chow. It's as though he is making a tired mass-appealing movie, yet the scenes he chooses to tell the story make me think it's all tongue-in-cheek.

This damn toy alien, CJ7 is going to catch like Pokemon wildfire wherever this film is shown. Yet, within the film he's slapped, drowned, hacksawed, strangled, drilled, probed, flattened, choked, trapped in a plastic bag and stabbed with a banana- and that's just what the kids do to him!

In any event, I almost left when the cute alien arrived in the movie, but I'm glad I stayed. The movie is just too weird to pass up. If Shaolin Soccer is Chow's Bad News Bears, CJ7 is his ET. Both very entertaining films crammed into their genres like a fat-footed woman trying to wear pumps- with hilarious consequences.

This was a totally entertaining movie. A movie from a different culture. The winer about brutality to CJ7 needs to view the movie completely, without the sappy American insights. Hey, the kid thought it was a toy - we don't all have the insight of the movie viewer. This was like a revised E.T. without the Spielberg sermonizing. Lots of fun. Interesting in the similarities in the father's workplace, and his boss to our culture. Rent it, don't buy it as once is enough... but once is enjoyable. I loved Kung Fu Hustle, and this movie shows another side of Stephen Chow. Of course, I can't wait for Kung Fu Hustle 2! Watch this one forthe fun of it... kids should enjoy it immensely.

Another Chow movie has intrigued me yet again. Though, a little different to his other known humour such as ,'Kung-fu Hustle' and 'Shaolin Soccer', this particular movie has portrayed more than just the random bursts of laughter.

The storyline may be somewhat average but because it's aimed at a younger audience, it mostly doesn't matter. What's most important, are the contents that are being portrayed. There's an underlying message conveyed to the audience, not only just to the children but to the adults as well and that is, you should cherish the things you already have in life, most importantly your family. Which, in this case the film has portrayed very well to the point where I almost shed a few tears.

Youngsters will get a real kick out of "CJ7," a delightful sci-fi comedy from China that should satisfy any child's requirements for a wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Dicky is a grade school boy who lives in an abandoned, dilapidated and roach-infested building with his father, an uneducated laborer who works construction jobs during the day so he can afford to send his boy to a posh private school, and then scavenges the local dumpsites for throw-away items (worn-out shoes, a busted fan) at night. Due to his low class upbringing and background, as reflected in his unkempt mien and disheveled appearance, Dicky has become a constant target of bullying and ridicule at school - until, that is, he comes into possession of a mysterious "toy," or possibly an alien from outer space, that gives the lad the ability to perform feats of astonishing physical and mental dexterity, to the great amazement and amusement of his fellow students. Yet, could this little creature (whom Dicky dubs CJ7, after a similar toy made here on earth) wind up causing the boy more trouble than it saves him in the long run?

Although the sci-fi aspects can become a bit cutesy and cheesy at times, the real strength of the film lies in its beautifully observed relationship between a down-on-his-luck father who's doing all he can to instill the values of hard work and honesty into his boy, and a son who'd rather spend his time devising ways to get out of doing his schoolwork so he can spend all his time playing with his new-found friend from outer space. It's that father/son relationship that keeps the story grounded in reality and that gives plausibility and weight to the more fantastical elements of the tale. Xu Jiao (who is actually a girl in real life) and Stephen Chow (who also co-wrote and directed the film) are utterly charming, winning and appealing as Dicky and his dad, respectively, and they are matched by a whole host of wonderful supporting players, both of the full-sized and the pint-sized variety.

Like all good stories aimed at kids, "CJ7" is just chock-full of rock-solid values like tolerance, acceptance, discipline and hard work, yet it never feels the need to preach or talk down to its audience. Instead, the values filter their way through a well-told story - which, of course, is as it should be.

Sentimental in the best sense of that term - with a hint of "The Kid" here, a touch of "E.T." there - "CJ7" provides near-perfect entertainment for the young, as well as those still young enough to remember what it was like to be young.

I found a mistake here.

Original Audio in this movie is "Cantonese" not "Mandarin" In Hong Kong they usually talk Cantonese. I don't know if its possible to contact you in other ways. Would be nice if you can correct that part.

The Movie is pretty funny. Maybe not Chow Sing Chi's best movie but for sure also not the worst. I can recommend this movie to all people who would like to watch a Asian comedy movie. Humor is sometimes kinda typical Chow Sing Chi style.

Thanks

regards,

Redzepagic H.

This is a very good movie. I have laughed out loud and cried real tears, and that doesn't happen often! There are elements in the movie like in Shaolin Soccer, and it has some of Gremlins. Not everything that happens is possible (like in Shaolin Soccer), but that doesn't disturb the slightest, on the contrary, it's very funny. The young boy is a very good actor; amazingly so (he appears to be at most 10 years old). If anything is wrong with movie then it's that it's too short. I wish it was twice as long! I can highly recommend to watch this with children, but don't let them watch alone, as it contains a very sad scene that might need some hugging to get through.

Stephen Chow follows up his sensational martial arts comedies Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle with what I can only hope will be a curio in a long and illustrious career. CJ7 is not a terrible film, per se, just a small and unsatisfying one. Kind of a rip-off of E.T. with a heavy dose of maudlin, Chaplinesque comedy. Oh, and doggy doo. The story is about a poor boy (played by a girl, Jiao Xu) and his father (Chow). Chow is a construction worker who lives in abject poverty because he spends every dime on a high-class school for his son. One might think that gigantic cockroaches and rotten apple dinners might detract from such an education, but not this father. Chow often brings stuff home he finds in the dump for his kid, and one day he finds a glowing green ball. It turns out to be an alien dog-like creature, which the kid names CJ7. The Chinese may be moving ahead of us at green technology production and cheating in gymnastics, but we can be assured that they will never surpass out ability to create CGI that doesn't totally suck. CGI always kind of sucks, but you learn to appreciate the cartoonish Incredible Hulk after you see CJ7. It's the kind of special effect that's meant to be cute, but at best looks creepy and at worst, which is most of the time, it just looks fake. Anyway, Jiao Xu soon discovers that CJ7 has magical powers, and it helps bring him and his father closer together. Pretty lame. The film does have some positive points, though. Chow is an excellent director. I have no idea what possessed him to make this movie (he is credited as a screenwriter, one of six, but I don't know to what extent this movie is "his"), but he comes up with some fine set-pieces. There are at least two sequences which include classic Chow kung fu. I really liked the scenes where Jiao Xu is at school. It would have been nicer if these had been developed even more, or maybe even if the entire movie had been about Jiao Xu's experiences at school. IMDb doesn't have the child actors credited beyond Xu, but I love the kid who plays Johnny, the school bully. There's also a giantess who falls for Xu. The goofiness of Chow's earlier films is still prevalent. Sometimes it's just weird, as in the Rube Goldberg-like climactic sequence which ends in a semi-comic tragedy, but it's as often charming.

Let me start by saying that this film isn't in English so make sure you watch a version dubbed into English if you happen to be watching with children.

Im 41 years old yet this film provoked me into both laughing out aloud and softly shedding a tear or two. It certainly hits the mark. Don't expect anything too sophisticated - this is a simple story told through the eyes of a child.

All of the acting is competent and Jiao Xu steals every scene he's in. CJ7 is adorable and I can only image there will be a soft toy/animatronic on the Asian market by the time you read this.

Well worth the 90mins of your life! 10/10

I am a huge fan of Stephen Chow, and just saw this in Hong Kong on the date of release. Audiences expecting lots of laughs may be disappointed in his new film, as the focus is on the relationship and bonding between Father and Son with many touching moments and a few laughs here and there. If I must categorize this movie, it is more of a Drama/Sci-Fi rather than a Comedy/Sci-Fi as I originally thought. But, I must say that Stephen's and the kid's acting is definitely excellent and very convincing and I saw a few girls sobbing in the theater. (And that's a first for Stephen Chow movies!!!) I guess Stephen Chow is getting more serious in acting and directing as he grows older. But, deep down inside, I am still yearning for the original "mo lei tou" type of comedy which is more fun!

"It can be demonstrated that the child's contact with the real world is strengthened by his periodic excursions into fantasy. It becomes easier to tolerate the frustrations of the real world and to accede to the demands of reality if one can restore himself at intervals in a world where the deepest wishes can achieve imaginary gratification." Selma H. Fraiberg, Child Psychologist

Stephen Chow is a big star in Asia, and his fantasy CJ7 is a big hit. Although I'm not sure American audiences will return a Jackie-Chan-like box office bundle for this E. T. knock off, I do know that allegorical, off-the-wall, science fictional kid flicks like this are rare and fun if you give yourself into their absurdity.

Some critics liken Chow to Jerry Lewis; Chow is much more imaginative than Lewis, relying as Chow does less on slapstick and more on the intriguing impulses of a small Chinese boy, whose poverty serves as a catalyst for his life-defining experience discovering an outer space dog-like companion and his own love for a hapless but adorable father. Overcoming the bullying about his status in the playground and finding love in a classmate, teacher, father, and alien are enough for most of us in a lifetime.

Chow handles the eccentric material with ease as he minimizes CGI and marginalizes himself for the impressive talents of young Jiao Xu (actually a girl) as the growing-up-fast Dickey. The film comes close to Lassie-like sentiment but never fully settles in that territory. The requisite moralizing, in this case about the importance of love and education, is not suffocating, and the imaginative dream sequences are just that: out-there fantasies of a boy who needs a faithful toy and loving father.

The Yangtze River is known as "Changjiang" in Mandarin, therefore the shortened "CJ," which is also the name for Chinese activities such as space probes. No matter, for these multiple references serve to emphasize the lighter than air world of a man, his boy, and a space dog.

E. T. has come home again in a different form with much less fanfare, yet every child has to love the anarchy.

This is my first comment.

The first part that you will like in the movie is the boy who comes as Dicky. His expressions are really good. Especially when he sees CJ7 first time in the cupboard, you cant stop laughing.

I am not sure whether the film has been inspired from the Hindi film "Koi Mil Gaya", but its far better than that. Don't expect anything serious from the movie. Just spend few minutes to see the superb performance of the boy and the super dog.

Finally i give 6/10 of which the boy takes 4 and the dog takes 2. Thank you.

There're many good and highly budgeted films released same time with the release of CJ7. Knowing its Stephen Chow movie, I don't hesitate to watch it first of all other newly released films. When the movie started, I notice one thing in common with all of his movies, Stephen Chow = poor person. Well, at least in his acting roles for the past 3 or more movies he has starred in.

This movie is more kiddish like, very different from his previous roles. However, even though it's mostly for kids viewing pleasure with that cute little alien dog or what it's called CJ7, there are some points in the movie that might fright you out of the blue. It got me pretty good with that red cloth hanging on the ceiling (I'm pretty sure the 1st time it appears to be really scary and 'real' than it's revealed what its supposed to be h'm...for kids?) Anyway, if you like cute little animal, this movie is definitely worth watching. Don't expect goofs and funny acts, not in this one.

This movie had a good advice for the child. Father sacrifice his life to make his child life happy but every child don't realise that...

CJ7 (2008) is a very enjoyable creative piece. It is full of lighthearted events, though behind every scene there is also a preponderance of sobriety. The ridicule of the school bully, for example, is effective. No school is more worthy than the one that can quickly extinguish the school-yard bully. What makes this movie special are the many dual interactions that are at play. The dominant one, of course, is the father-son relationship. But also challenging are those between employer and employee, between teacher and student, and between the student from a well-off family and the poor, single parent student. All these dynamic interactions are brought together in a meaningful way by a most lightweight yet intricate visitor from outer space. Watching CJ7 (2008) is like going back to the future using simple technology that cannot be understood by scientists and engineers. Nevertheless, viewers can relate to the conflicts, sorrows, and emotions that are rendered trivial by the powers of CJ7.

Stephen Chow has brought many good films and never let die hard fans down for once. Yet I find it pretty hard to comment on this new work from Chow esp. after 3 year long waiting. There was plenty of joy while watching it, but it's not what I expected. If I have to summarize , then probably tiny bit slapstick + kiddish scenes + Chinese ET + family theme = CJ7

If you love shaolin soccer and kungfu hustle, you may feel very different about CJ7, even disappointed, because it feels almost nothing like a Chow movie, except for some very funny jokes. Sure you will still laugh at few scenes where dark humor or hard jokes fly around. The story is no longer serious or ambitious, it's simply about a kid who discovered a new alien cute friend and learned the meaning of life.

After many years, I think Stephen Chow finally can sit down and build a story of his own without worrying about film market or what other people may think.This time he is not even the leading actor in this film. No Kungfu, no strange costumes, no play-like-a-fool jokes, it's pure imagination for kids, maybe one of Chow's dream when he was a child.

I don't plan to spoil any more details , but I have to warn those who haven't seen this movie but very looked forward to seeing it. It's a movie that aims for young audience and it's not any movie like shaolin soccer or kungfu hustle(well, some part still yes, same enjoyable maybe). If you don't mind watching a family/feel good movie, or specially you have children to go with, don't hesitate to see it. It will be worth the one and half hour of your life.

You will not laugh like an idiot, but I am sure you will still smile like a fool.

"We may be poor, but we don't lie, we don't steal, and we don't swear...We must study hard so that in the future we can become someone that is useful to the society".

The movie is about a very poor father working very hard to to just survive day by day and to keep his son in School, when they suddenly get an alien creature who the boy names CJ7. Well that is the main plot of it anyway.

This movie tries to do a lot of things, and succeeds in almost everything. I had no idea that it was a sad, lesson giving drama but with some really awesome comedy thrown in. This movie touches poverty, school bullying, rejection, acceptance etc etc all the while being a comedy sci-fi ish flick. I don't know how Stephen Chow does it. Great Actor and Director. Having watched his previous two famous movies, Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, this certainly felt different from his usual style, but was pretty good nonetheless.

The CGI character CJ7 itself was great. It has got to be one of the cutest CGI creatures I have seen in a long time. The CGI wasn't of Hollywood level, but it was decent.

There were a lot of Stephen Chow weirdness in the movie too, some good, some not so much but it ain't a Stephen chow experience if it ain't weird.

Overall, I had much fun watching this movie, was completely surprised to see how much more it was from what I expected.

7.8/10

Stephen Chow has an off day, takes a dump, and presents it to his fans. It is really that bad. This movie is not funny, there is no attempt at humor, nor does it make up for with any great visuals or CGIs. There is not a single funny line coming from Stephen himself, and in fact he is not even the main character in the film. The marketing for this film is deceiving, which is why I am ever more disappointed. From what I have recently heard, this film may have been made by Stephen for poor children in mainland China, but even for doing so, his idea falls face flat and it all comes off worse.

Stephen takes a more supporting role and lets the kids (who are all really just annoying brats) run the entire film. In fact I would not be surprised if it were actually the kids in the film who actually wrote, produced and directed the film. To hear stuff like the film took 3 years to make, leaves me wondering what they did this whole time, as the script could have been written in a week's time, the filming in a month, and the CGI and post-production in 3 months.

By all accounts, if you have 6-8 years olds, let them watch this film (that is only if you don't have a good Pixar films around, or ET), but steer yourself clear, as any expectation that you may have for a Stephen Chow film would leave you pulling your hair off your head and throwing up. Steer clear off this junk.

For someone like me, born and raised in China in a poor family, Chow's work was absolutely fantastic! CJ-7 constantly reminds me of those poorly happy times I have spent with my friends and family during my childhood, flashing to my mind those very basic and simplistic values of living to an average Chinese boy like myself. Nostalgic with a touch of humor, to me this movie is simply a 10 star hit! But, viewing it from a more literal perspective, people will see this work as "the same old stuff"... over and over again... that is true, from the use of mo lei tau comedy to computer CG, Chow has not made any improvements not to mention innovation ever since his "Shaolin Soccer" world class movie debut. This generally deducted the 2 stars from the rating.

But compared with a lot of the 3rd rated movies released in 2008 out there, this is sure worth the time!

I got to watch this film as a preview in NYC. As a big fan of Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer I was really looking forward to this film. I came away a bit disappointed. I tried to be open-minded since the film was rated PG and was obviously set up to sell cute stuffed imitations of the title character to children, but a major scene in the film involving the father's relationship with his son really bothered me. It serves only to take the film down a notch. It would have been better if this scene was done differently, and also if the film had ended at a different point than it did. Perhaps it's just a difference in cultures though, and the scene in question is archetypal of Chinese films, but as an American, I find it unappealing.

The son's acting could have been better, or perhaps some CGI could have been used to make his negative emotions appear more realistic for a child.

Stephen Chow did deliver with numerous sight gags and physical humor, including references to the other two films I mentioned.

While his comedy was on target, the dramatic aspects did not work as well. While I don't regret getting to see the film, I don't think I would've spent money on it. Hopefully Mr. Chow will stick to comedies.

A very strange little "comedy". Full of cuteness in the cute kid and alien. Even a sort of cute dad and female teacher love interest. That is where it sort of ends. Lots of violence, beatings, bullying and general nastiness. I am really lost as to the moral messaging in this mess. So so weird!!

Not sure if there is intended to be a plot or not or if I just missed it.

A mild distraction that maybe very young kids could enjoy. Definitely not for sentient adults who want their kids to be exposed to positive moral messaging.