CJ7
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

  • Starring: Kitty Zhang Yuqi, Stephen Chow
  • Summary: Ti is a poor father who works all day, every day at a construction site to make sure his son Dicky Chow can attend an elite private school. Despite his father's good intentions to give his son the opportunities he never had, Dicky, with his dirty and tattered clothes and none of the "cool" toys, stands out from his schoolmates like a sore thumb. Ti can't afford to buy Dicky any expensive toys and goes to the best place he knows to get new stuff for Dicky: the junkyard! While out "shopping" for a new toy for his son, Ti finds a mysterious orb and brings it home for Dicky to play with. To his surprise and disbelief, the orb reveals itself to Dicky as a bizarre "pet" with extraordinary powers. Armed with his "CJ7," Dicky seizes this chance to overcome his poor background and shabby clothes and impress his fellow schoolmates for the first time in his life. But CJ7 has other ideas, and when Dicky brings it to class, chaos ensues. (Sony Pictures) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 18
  2. Negative: 5 out of 18
  1. 80
    This utterly beguiling foray into family comedy from Hong Kong director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) may be the tribute to Spielberg's "E.T. Extra-Terrestrial" the gleefully childlike filmmaker has had up his sleeve forever.
  2. 50
    Heavy on slapstick and may appeal to very young viewers who won't need to bother much with the subtitles.
  3. Reviewed by: Maggie Lee
    50
    A hyperactive, wishful-thinking special effects fantasy suitable for family outings.
  4. CJ7 is roughly as grating as that “Flubber” remake.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. BellinoP
    10
    Mr. Chow is one of the best under rated Directors of all time. This is a great film.
  2. ChadS.
    8
    "E.T." beget "The Last Mimzy" beget "Cheung Gong 7 hou"(American title: "C7"). It was a matter of time before this filmmaker turned his attention towards the sky. His live-action cartoon style is a natural for science fiction. The physical laws that govern time and space are ignored repeatedly in "Shaolin Soccer" and "Kung Fu Hustle". In "Cheung Gong 7 Hou", sci-fi is out of the closet. Ironically, the socio-economic status of Dicky and his father(Stephen Chow) suggests an affinity for Ken Loach films. Ti works as an unskilled laborer at a construction site so Dicky can attend a fancy private school. If "Riff-Raff"(Loach's best film) had a sci-fi component, it might look something like "Cheung Gong 7 hou". The alien that Dicky(a name that operates an inside joke; like "E.T.", the male owner presumes his new friend is a boy, but where's the genitalia?) cares for has the bloated head of an ugly bird that's seemingly grafted onto an elastic body. It's sort of cute, but you're always aware that C7 is a special effect, or an expensive toy. Dicky and the alien seem more like "Calvin & Hobbes" than Elliott(Henry Thomas) and the extra-terrestrial. Because C7 never truly feels alive, Dicky gets away with behavior that would raise the ire of the Humane Society. Dicky has a surprising cruel streak. He's not entirely sympathetic. In fact, he's whiny; sometimes exasperatingly so. In other words, he's like a real kid. Dicky uses C7 to improve his life, which is why the final act packs a surprising emotional wallop. The alien loves the boy more. Dicky just wanted to be the cool kid with the cool stuff at school. He used C7 to be popular. When it's too late, he finally learns to be a true friend. "Cheung Gong 7 hou" reminds me of the tamagotchi fad from last century. C7 is more virtual pet than alien. Collapse
  3. Not the best Stephen Chow film, but it is still pretty entertaining and funny. It is also pretty touching and emotional. Like Mr. Chow's other films, the story is silly, but it doesn't matter since there are enough hilarious scenes to keep you intrigued. My score: 77/100 Expand
  4. E.H.
    0
    I am a fan of Stephen Chow's works. However, CJ7 was highly offensive due to the fact that the space alien "dog" was severely and continuously abused throughout it's short life! This was totally unnecessary and was not the kind of viewing that is "just for fun" viewing! Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

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