I Love Maria (1988)

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

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.

Imaginative action sequences (particularly the clash of two robots, and one involving a flying motorcycle), impressive special effects (mostly just good old-fashioned mechanical stuff), and Sally Yeh's incredible beauty and solid acting make up for a less-than-engaging story in this bizarre Hong Kong action-fantasy-comedy, which I would recommend mostly to experienced HK viewers, and maybe comic book fans. The first 40 minutes or so are kind of hard to sit through, but then some of the jokes start working, the action becomes more frequent, and Sally Yeh begins to play a bigger part in the movie. Actually, she plays TWO parts: a vicious villainess, and a robot that's made by the bad guys to look just like her and eventually gets re-programmed by the good guys to help them out. It also starts developing human emotions, and it's to Sally Yeh's credit that, using only a few expressions, she manages to give this robot a human soul and make you care about her. And did I mention she is just incredibly, pause-the-DVD-to-admire-her-face beautiful? (**1/2)

The hardest thing to understand about this movie is what on earth Tsui Hark, responsible for some of the best films to come out of Hong Kong over the last 30 years was doing acting in this terrible science fiction "comedy".Even though the special effects are pretty ropey, that's not what makes this such a bland movie. Far worse is the confused story where it's hard to tell whether we should be rooting for the Hero Gang (odd choice of name for baddies) or the cops, who seem even worse than the villains.Not Hong Kong cinema's finest hour, by a long shot.

Martial arts action with robots. It's like a live action anime from Hong Kong. Strong plot, strong story, cool robots.ON A SCALE OF 1-10 (10 BEING BEST)I GIVE "I LOVE MARIA"9 1/2 STARSON THE POSITIVE SIDE (+ SIDE)1) COOL STORY (It never wavered)2) COOL ROBOTS (Perfect designed)3) LIKEABLE HUMAN CHARACTERS (The lead characters are very funny and likeable)ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE (- SIDE)1) NO DUBBED VERSION (It only has subtitles and that gets in the way of watching the story)

A sci-fi action film and gag filled comedy is about an improbable love triangle between washed out gangster Whiskey, put upon police scientist Curly, and a robot named Maria. The Hero gang has been terrorizing Hong Kong at will with their giant robot, Pioneer One. Bumbling reporter Ching attempts to track down the story, only to have his efforts thwarted at every turn by the police. Meanwhile Whiskey and Curly fall under suspicion from both their employers when they befriend each other during a bar fight. They flee, only to be hunted down by the Hero Gang's latest robot, Pioneer Two. Modeled after the gang's beautiful second in command, Maria (and intentionally resembling the Maria robot from Metropolis)the robot becomes damaged during it's pursuit. Curly rebuilds her to aid him and his friends to clear their names, and spends the rest of the film battling Whiskey for her affections. (In order to issue her a command one must begin with "I love Curly", much to Whiskeys annoyance.) This fun film epitomizes the "can do" attitude of 1980's Hong Kong film making. The special effects may seem clumsy, but the earnest effort and shear joy of film making shows through. The eventual triumph of the three friends (four if you count Maria) should put a smile on anyone who's ever felt like an outcast.