Huo zhu gui

The literal English translation for this movie's title is "Fire Ghost," which is a bit misleading since you would expect some sort of fire demon to pop up with a title like that. The English title is Burning Sensation, which suits the movie better as this is a ghost comedy with a romantic touch.

Carol 'Do Do' Cheng plays the female lead Ling, a ghost whose memorial shrine was recovered by firefighter Chien (Kenny Bee) and, as repayment, she vows to protect him. Their initial friendship turns to romance as the movie progresses into what is a hopelessly-in-love tale between the two. But, what really makes this film interesting is the evil ghost of seductress Piu-Hung played by Yin San Lai, who lures men to their deaths and has her eyes set on Chien. What results is a battle between the good ghost Ling and the evil ghost Piu-Hung, throwing cat fights and magic at each other, which is the highlight of the film I thought.

Ma Wu has a supporting role as Chien's brother, Ma Hou-Pao, who is a DJ and loves mahjong - there is a scene in the film where he plays the game with three pals, which really has nothing to do with the plot but was probably added as a comedy source or as a filler scene.

The acting was decent and the music score was good. The plot was somewhat well-paced, though, there were some loose ends toward the end. For example, the scene toward the climax with the repeat of Ling's past was not elaborated upon very well. But, overall, it's a decent film - not as fun as the vampire comedies, but still good entertainment.

Grade B