Wesley's Mysterious File (2002)
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With MIIB opening next week, it's appropriate to review Wesley's Mysterious File this week. It is MIB mushed together with ET and a dollop of Terminator 2 to form one glutinous mess.
Wesley is an expert on extra-terrestrials from his association with the Aliens Analyzing Agency, an expensive, but secret, arm of the UN. He meets Fong at an antique shop in San Francisco viewing a curio. It's a skeletal hand made from glowing blue crystal. Fong must have it because of its sentimental value. It was her brother's.
Naturally, Wesley falls for Fong. Fong is from Dark Blue. She is the sole surviving Blue Blood alien having fled her planet when it was infested by the Warlock Toxin Gang. She and her brother, Tan, came to Earth 600 years ago after the lost Blue Blood Bible they need to battle the Warlock Toxin Gang. The Warlock Toxin Gang appear to be worms with a hive mind forming a nasty gestalt; a gestalt that can change its appearance to match anyone it consumes.
2002 was Hong Kong's riff on Ghostbusters. It worked because there was an eastern spin that freshened the material. Using acupressure to block the movement of the worms was the best Wesley could do. Evidently science fiction is not a popular genre in Hong Kong. The jargon is painful. There are "Grade A" and "Grade C " aliens. Dark Blue orbits a star in the Orion constellation. Wesley and Fong do get amorous and we see that same old, same old, psychic sex.
The first half occurs in San Francisco so there is a lot of English. Sadly, none of the performers, including the non-Asians, were able to act in English. Wong Jing, in a bit part as a con artist / scientist is the only one who seems intent on giving value for his pay. Mark Cheng and Almen Wong are called upon to look attractive yet fearsome. They succeed.
The Avenging Fist had more spark than this; apocalyptic Hong Kong easy, extraterrestrials hard. Andrew Lau has done some highly enjoyable films, The Duel and Storm Riders for example. They all had Ekin Cheng. He had little more than a cameo in Avenging Fist and does not appear in Wesley's Mysterious File at all. It must have been a bad break up! Lau still hasn't recovered. He acted as his own DP and there are some nice visuals, such as Warlock Toxic Gang arriving but he was off his game with this one.
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