Man tian shen fo

Man tian shen fo (or Ghosts Galore) is an entertaining outing by the Shaw Brothers that is equal parts comedy and martial arts action. Two best friends are on a journey to rid themselves of a ghost. There is also a subplot with two siblings (brother and sister) who have escaped to China from Japan being hunted by the 'clan' that they left behind. Billed as a 'horror comedy', the 'horror' is in name only because of the 'ghost' theme...the main female ghost seems downright friendly. Calling it 'horror' is like calling Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein a horror film. It may be given the theme, but the emphasis is on comedic elements in a 'horror' context. The chemistry between Siu-Ho Chin and Cam Cheung (aka 'Fat Chicken') is funny to see. The subtitles aren't bad. The lighting is a bit dark at times, but overall film quality is good.

First things first, I really have to congratulate Chin-Yung Shing and Chen-Hou Su: their score is one of the first aspects of the film to truly command one's attention, and for my money it's one of the best, too. At some points their compositions fit neatly within the tenor of what one expects from Hong Kong action flicks, yet there are at least as many instances where the themes more closely resemble what it might sound like if Mike Patton and Merzbow collaborated - a delicious hodgepodge of synthesized sounds and music cues, sometimes recalling retro videogames or early electronic music, that are unique and imaginative. It's the type of soundtrack that I'd quite like to add to my music collection, were it available in a medium to do so. Yet while this caught my ear so fiercely, as the length advances I found myself impressed again and again with what 'Ghosts galore' has to offer. I'm not saying that this is totally perfect, but it's tremendously clever and fun, and far more worthwhile than it first seems from the outside looking in.

It's well worth observing that insofar as this feature bears a weakness, it's in the writing. Specifically: a complete, coherent narrative is imparted, and it's one that's enjoyable in and of itself even without consideration of how it primarily serves as a vehicle for the movie's strengths. Nonetheless, it's a narrative that struggles to attain cohesiveness, for it kind of feels like ideas cobbled together from two or three different screenplays and weakly strung together. Even the most lofty and artistic pictures, or the most convoluted thrillers, can often be broadly described with a spoiler-free synopsis of one or two lines; the "unifying through-line" of this action-comedy (inasmuch as it has one) is so weak that I don't think I could rightly say what the plot is without laying it out in its entirety. (Any such synopsis that I've seen others try to give has been wildly inaccurate, meekly grasping at fragments.) Where the tale begins is not where it ends, and I feel like the path made a left turn at Albuquerque.

The good news is that the story is serviceable all the same, and like the fetching music, at large 'Ghosts galore' is so splendidly inventive and well done that the shortcoming ultimately feels unimportant. I cannot overstate how fantastic this is, in every capacity that matters here. The stunts and action sequences are exquisite, choreographed and executed with a fluidity and finesse recalling more famous or more highly esteemed kin; we expect as much out of Hong Kong, and the Shaw Brothers above all, but still the fights are superb - and golly, there are a lot to be had. The film is also plainly flush with special effects, perhaps even more than one generally sees in like fare, and there's a welcome variety at that. Mostly we get a an overflowing bounty of practical effects that are an outright joy, but there are also many instances of tricks of editing or the camera that come of swell, and some post-production wizardry. It's safe to say that those visuals added in post for this 1983 flick are quite modest, yet this is an example where the bare-faced inauthenticity of the inclusion actually sort of works in the favor of those moments where they are employed. Kudos!

Sitting in the director's chair, Hsia Hsu's orchestration of every shot and scene is marvelous as he ties together all the disparate parts with a mind for spectacle and entertainment. To that end, I also admire Mu-To Kung's active, crisp cinematography in addition to the work of editors Hsing-Lung Chiang and Bao-Hua Fang that's appreciable even where it doesn't distinctly stand out. Even the sets, costume design, hair, makeup, props, and weapons all benefit from application of the utmost skill, care, and intelligence, lending to the all-around magnificence of the visuals and bolstering the viewing experience. Meanwhile, though I think the overall plot was in need of tightening revision, Chia Yeh's scene writing is simply grand, treating us to one delight after another. Yeh embraces a glad whimsy beyond what the genre commonly entails, and this is never more true than in the lengthy climactic sequence that takes ordinary conceptions, twists them together with the mysticism, spiritual rites, and supernatural flavoring that characterizes the whole, and just runs wild with it. Really, when you get down to it I think most facets of 'Ghosts galore' are such a blast that in and of themselves they make this worth watching, and to Yeh's credit, the climax is one of them.

So yes, I'm of the mind that the feature falls short of perfect with one especial deficiency. When all is said and done, however, that deficiency feels minor, for the storytelling is of less importance in this case than the highfalutin extravaganza of action and light comedy, and as far as I'm concerned the result is altogether stupendous. Once again, in all those ways that are of most importance the movie is so wonderfully well done, from start to finish it's unfailingly fun. If I'm being honest it was only by chance that I stumbled upon this in the first place, but I'm so happy that I did, because in my opinion 'Ghosts galore' is an underappreciated Shaw Brothers classic that deserves much more recognition, and I'm pleased to give it my enthusiastic recommendation!