Crazy Alien (2019)

Crazy Alien is a West Chinese (“Chinese”) science fiction comedy film that has so far grossed $327 million, becoming the 5th-highest-grossing film of 2019.  It is not rated (in Australia).  The following are the 6 IMDb reviews for the film.

7/10

Dope Chinese film !

exchange-7985110 March 2019

Warning: Spoilers

Crazy Alien is this dope Chinese film about a monkey trainer in circus who happens to find a fallen alien. And then they sort of get into this adventure with American spies who are after the Extra Terrestrial and so on. So yeah the plot is a lot like typical chicanery of sorts but the film is lovely and genuinely weird. It’s like a stoner comedy without bongs but with loads of boozing. Even the alien gets hooked up on juice. It’s pretty rare to see this kind of comedy done with CGI characters and the alien here is full CGI so this flicks – even with its nod to Spielberg’s ET has actually more to do with Mark Wahlberg’s Ted. Guess it’s a lot funnier after a few beers but still lovely

9/10

Very Funny – If you know some Chinese culture

jngyzh10 March 2019

I would say this is funnier than Ning Hao’s previous movies, i.e., Crazy Stone series. However, there are some Chinese culture elements that are essential to understand the joy.

You will notice there are a lot things about alcohol, which is a very important culture element. For instance, drinking high degree alcohol is a way to bring people closer in a dinner table, and these alcohols are very popular in China. No wonder people want to sell them to aliens!

In the late half of the movie, the alien is angry and made a mess in the theme park. This is paying a tribute to the most famous fairy tale character, the monkey king, who has made a mess in the royal palace in the heaven.

For Chinese watching CCTV’s Spring Festival, you will hear the famous theme Nan Wang Jing Xiao, reminding you that this is on stage for Spring Festival holidays.

For western viewers, you guys probably only understand the theme song from 2001: A Space Odyssey. You are really missing a lot of the culture funs in the movie.

Finally, I find the most powerful nation “ArmarNika” (sounds close) pretty funny.

5/10

but the laughter is not good enough

yoggwork9 March 2019

In the effort to make fun, but the laughter is not good enough. The distorted images of aliens and monkeys in the film seem to be trying to say something deeper, but they are too deep.

6/10

This is a lovely movie

spanner_me15 February 2019

This is a lovely movie. Don’t be too strict. Who knows if the humorous style of this movie is the next one wulitou style. Ning Hao is a smart director who understands the tastes of the most ordinary Chinese audience. It’s interesting, but it doesn’t give up the plot. Not forgetting to salute the classic movies, not forgetting to satirize the society

7/10

Pretty Funny – Similar to Crazy Stone and Crazy (Bicycle) Race

heath-jeffrey11 February 2019

I found Crazy Stone to be pretty funny and Crazy Bicycle Race to be hilarious. This was somewhere between the two.

If you go to watch it expecting a bit of ridiculousness and fun, you’ll get what you expected. There’s some decent witty humour hidden here and there throughout and a double dose of visual and other more obvious humour.

A highlight that will often be overlooked is how a few key features played double-work in plot development and humour. In particular: * The special effects used with the alien character make it seem quite natural (not cartoon-ish nor ‘Dr Who’ costume-ish, but realistic) and importantly its human-like facial features are central to plot and laughter. * Similarly, the location, a theme park of famous monuments and buildings from all around the world, is central to plot and laughter.

Expect to feel sympathetic both for the alien and the pair of guys stuck with him, because both are going to suffer hilariously!

Ning Hao needs a better story

TheBigSick9 February 2019

Ning Hao is probably the best filmmaker of his generation, and this film Crazy Alien is solid in cinematography, editing, visual effects and score. Also, Shen Teng and Huang Bo are two of China’s most talented actors. However, I have to say that the plot is thin and lacks credibility. The story is much worse than that of Crazy Stone or Crazy Racer.