Few weeks ago, my friends and I went to see Kung Fu Hustle. Previous work I've seen by director Stephen Chow was Shaolin Soccer. I recall upon arrival of the DVD I got from YesAsia.com several years ago, I've been showing around that DVD to my friends (along with My Sassy Girl). Needless to say, I thought the flick was hilarious and the use of CG as a storytelling tool was breathtaking. The previous movie before Shaolin Soccer where I saw CG working to its benefit was Storm Riders. Story wasn't built around the CG aspects but the CG made the story better. Wacky imaginations just come alive in CG form. And, generally, that's what Kung Fu Hustle is all about. Stephen Chow doesn't hold anything back, but throws tons of conventions and cartoonish humor with dazzling look and pazzazz. Here, he paints the movie using genre conventions as his brushstroke--a man who obviously loves the Kung Fu genre, sappy love stories, and cartoonish wackiness. The slapstick in the film work mostly because they are CGs done with great artistic delivery. The scenes are also beautifully lighted and shot. The action scenes are dazzling. Overall, it's a very well-done comedy with lots and lots of imagination. If there is any fault with this movie (it's not really a fault, really), it would be that, as a story, it's not as well-structured as Shaolin Soccer. In Shaolin Soccer for example, you can generally see things being set up (bad guys are introduced, etc) and they will all somehow come together. Kung Fu Hustle is somewhat less predictable and some things come out of left field, often in a good way, and in some cases, odd ways. But, hey, one has to realize it is a comedy and that already allows it to have its own rules. Did it work as a whole? If you don't like it, you will at least appreciate it for its virtuoso film-making.