Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
WillSushyMedia
This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Nicole
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Shawn McKenna
Some films seem destined to have sequels. This is especially true if you have a multitude of popular stars that do not have to contribute to the whole film (and if one does not work out replace him), a boilerplate formula and financial success on the first movie. In fact, My Lucky Stars (1985) was more of a hit in HK than its predecessor Winners and Sinners (1983) with the original raking in 22M HK dollars and the sequel 30.7M HK. While I have grown in appreciation of the first film, I have also grown a little less interested in the first sequel though a few segments transcend above the mostly mediocre material. When watching this film it is good to think of this as an ensemble piece not a Jackie Chan or a Sammo Hung film (though Sammo did direct this in his most prolific period and after the success of The Own and Dumbo (1984)). That frame of mind might help in enjoying this uneven picture more.In the beautiful locale of Japan, Muscles (Jackie Chan) is chasing a corrupt Hong Kong cop (Lam Ching Ying: Mr Vampire) though an amusement park with the help of Ricky (Yuen Biao: Prodigal Son in an extended cameo compared to Winners and Sinners) until Ricky gets whisked away by a band of ninjas. This nice little 11 minute sequence of Jackie works well with the fight choreography and shows some nice jump stunts by Jackie. I am not sure of Sammo's use of slow motion in the beginning though. It just seems timed poorly (I have sensed this problem in a few of his movies like Mr. Nice Guy). There is also a strange scene where Muscles gets stopped by tourists to take a picture. If you were chasing a crook would you let yourself be stopped by tourists? Jackie needs help to find his partner. The help will have to come in the form of five trusted crooks since the cops could be spotted by the former HK officer. The ringleader is Sammo (once again having a horrific haircut) and he (after a stint in jail) has to recruit the old gang: Rawhide (Stanley Fung: The Owl And Dumbo), Sandy (Richard Ng: Shanghai Express), Herb (Charlie Chin) and Round Head (Eric Tsang who is in this movie instead of John Shum from the first film). They will be lead by a legitimate police officer Inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu playing basically the same foil role as Cherie Chung did in the first - I did say this was a boilerplate formulaic movie) who is consistently being hit on by the males (during a very tiring six minute gag) while having to take them to Japan.The whole second act of the film and the majority of the movie are the comedic sequences of Sammo getting the gang together, meeting the female assistant and going to Japan. While some of it can be funny (Richard Ng is almost always hilarious and those damn curly haired bus drivers), some of it is just strange like the Eric Tsang sequence of playing "fly" poker and some jokes just fill like filler. And there is that Bolo Yeung Sze cameo.When the third act starts with the appearance of Jackie Chan the pace of the movie goes from stagnant to ludicrous speed (interesting how the comedy segments were less fun than the action). Without giving too much away the haunted house fight segment with Jackie Chan going through the maze like corridors is quite good and the most talked about aspect of this film is the Japanese villainess played by female bodybuilder Nishiwaki Michiko in her first Hong Kong role (she did not speak Cantonese at the time) and her fight with Sibelle Hu. Her fight introduction (disrobes her kimono and then flexes) has also been mentioned in many male-written reviews. There are other fights with Lam Ching Ying and Lau Kar Wing that are quite good if a bit short. Also check out that nasty fall toward the end - breaking bodies for our entertainment.Fans of action films will find something to like in this movie. While it is quite uneven there are worthy scenes (especially the end and beginning) to watch several times. Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung fanatics will, of course, have to watch this, but on multiple viewings will probably only want to watch the first and third act. If you have not seen Winners and Sinners then see that film first. The comedy aspects did not work as well for me as the first movie and the characters seemed less in depth. Richard Ng was underused and that is enough to make me and anyone angry.
waiching liu
My Lucky Stars is one of those Kung Fu films that western audiences are unfamiliar with. There have been serious hard-hitting martial arts flicks; namely Enter the Dragon, Police Story and yet there are also comedy based Kung Fu movies, such as 'My Lucky Stars', the sequel to 'Lucky Stars: Winners and Sinners'. It combines slap stick comedy with martial arts action, though the humour isn't exactly as silly as that of Kung Pow or Beverly Hills Ninja. It is Hong Kong Chinese humour but with a touch of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Marx Bros thrown in for good measure. The film is mostly set in Japan and there is a lot of Japanese being spoken, although this is still a Hong Kong production. Jackie Chan plays a cop and he and Yuen- the other cop are on a mission to Japan to get hold of a former cop turned thief. When Yuen's character is captured, Chan enlists the help of his friends to rescue Yuen and to recapture the diamonds. Joining the guys is a female cop named Barbera, who apparently takes no prisoners and puts up a decent fight. Most of the scenes feature lesser known names such as Sammo Hung- who later on went to make his US TV debut in the CBS show, Martial Law-, Yuen Biao and Hong Kong comedy actors, Eric Tsang, Richard Ng and Charlie Chin, who are well known faces on Hong Kong television, all interacting with one another and making silly banter. Depending on how receptive you are of the humour, it can take a while getting used to; being Chinese and with Cantonese as my dialect, I understand it better than I do speaking it myself and so I had no difficulties adapting and assimilating to it. Yes it is different but the quicker you get used to it, the more you'll enjoy this movie. It is funny in places and the fight sequences as ever, are excellent. One of the highlights of the film is the battle between the two Chinese and Japanese female characters; it is brilliant to watch and a complete contrast to see women squaring off each other in unarmed combat; not like Police Story where the females such as Maggie Q gets seven shades knocked out of them by the villains. Despite Jackie Chan's appearance being relatively limited in contrast to the other cast members, this doesn't dampen the film's interest. The other characters all play their part; thus for once, Jackie doesn't dominate this movie, as he does with his other efforts. I think that it's a tad shame though that the Hong Kong film industry, thanks to the likes of Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho, no longer churn out these types of movies. The Kung Fu genre began in the 70s with Bruce Lee, continued with Jackie Chan in the 80s and then eventually it died by the 90s, after the efforts of Jet Li and Stephen Chow, only to be replaced by the likes of Hollywood blockbusters, The Matrix and China's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Hero. Chinese cinema, well make that Far Eastern cinema's reputation, laid bare the foundations of Hong Kong film making and it was a reputation that was once lauded by many as one of the very best that ranked alongside the US and Hollywood. 'My Lucky Stars' is one of Chan's under rated hits- which spanned a follow-up titled: 'Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars', released in the same year as its predecessor, and yet if you want to see him in a comedy- based role, then you can do no wrong with this effort. I enjoyed it very much and if you're a fan of his, then so will you. Highly recommended
phrixion
I watched the subtitled version, which I like to recommend because it seems most voice overs lose a lot in translation. I can see why this film received a nomination for an award.The comedic elements in stunts, action and even small humor is entertaining. For instance, the film opens with a great chase scene, rather ingenious how well it was done back then and how much of it has stuck around in more recent films by the same bunch. The story then scoots along.I'll mention a couple entertaining small stuff, for instance during the worker's work break, they play a game with cards where the first fly to land on someone's hand of cards wins.This film really stands out in its large action sequences and comedic elements to the action sequences. The actions sequences still seem cutting edge, even though it was done in the early 80s and many of them are done very similarly today.Conclusion: This film really brought me back to the 80s. How funny the pop culture was back then, however Jackie Chan and gang are just as big as they are today. This film is enjoyable and was funny in a lot of spots, especially in their action sequences.
dragon ma young
this was more comedy than action, but i still enjoyed it. not enough jackie though. more of him in it, and all the lack of action would have been forgiven. but the action that exists is good and fun. my least favorite of the kung-fu-teers films that ive seen, but still enjoyable.