Ah Shit Here We Going Again

Follow u.s. on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

As someone who was forced to exist a hermit nearly seven days a week thanks to Covid-19, going out for events accept been such a treat.

It'due south like an extended break on top of my hour-long lunchtime, if you will.

So when my editor arrowed asked me if I could go for the media preview of Jack Neo's "Ah Girls Go Army" (AGGA), I said near enthusiastically, "Ok can".

Here's the official synopsis:

"WHAT IF, in the unforeseen hereafter, when there are non enough boys in Singapore? If Girls accept to serve National Service also, what will happen? The story volition focus on the starting time batch of female person recruits, a bunch of Gen Z teens and youngsters with different backgrounds and education. Equally they trained nether the fierce leadership of Sergeant Chow and Lieutenant Roxanne, they find themselves being pushed to the limit of their potential. Together, they overcome hardship and initial resistance to serve NS and discover newfound abilities, using it to solve and mend relationships in their personal life as well."

And here's the trailer:

"The travesty," some motion-picture show snobs (and, let's exist honest, normal filmgoers likewise) might exclaim.

Even before the movie hit the big screens, it's already gotten some flak.

Viewers criticised the film's earworm of a theme vocal, too as the graphic symbol name "Amanda Man" played by transgender actress Kelly Kimberly Cheong .

The name was later inverse to Amanda Ong.

Undeterred, I was determined to scout the movie objectively as a Singaporean woman who had petty to no understanding of how National Service works.

The review

Here's the good and the... not so good.

Easy-to-remember characters

Like other Jack Neo films, most of the grapheme names reflect their traits.

Can you tell that her name is Princess Run across? Stills from "Ah Girls Become Army".

• Princess Run into, played by Yang Guang Ke Le: A kind-hearted recruit. Princess See sounds like "princessy".
• Yuan Yuan Yuan, played by Xixi Lim: A plus-sized recruit who has a child. Yuán literally means a "round object" in Chinese.
• Goh Bee Bee, played by Samantha Tan: A leader-like rule-abiding recruit. Her initials are GBB, which tin also mean "become by book".

It is not pre-mature to say that viewers will find problematic what Neo attempts to laissez passer for a joke in this era.

Piece of cake-to-catch humour

Now, this is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, the comedic elements are piece of cake to grasp, every bit expected from a family unit-friendly picture show.

A recruit falling in while wearing a facial mask and recruits mispronouncing bravo as mabok are uncomplicated haha moments.

But it won't make you go hahahahaha.

On the other hand, some jokes were recycled from past movies.

For instance, Princess See said "terrigible, horrigible, vegetable", a line from "I Not Stupid".

Though, I'm slightly disappointed Liang Po Po didn't brand an advent whenever the sergeants said "My grandmother can run faster than you lot".

120-minute advertisement with a hint of a pic

Ok, that's an exaggeration.

But if you think the devil works hard, the sponsorship team works harder.

Much like past Jack Neo films, AGGA is generously seasoned with a lot of product placements.

Barely 5 minutes into the moving picture, the platoon sergeants treated the new recruits to a meal delivered in big pink foodpanda paper bags.

Look at the foodpanda paper bags. Screenshot from trailer.

Scared you'll become insect bites in the bunk? Don't worry because the sergeant explained that it has been painted with Nihon Paint, which apparently has anti-mosquito properties.

Before the female person recruits put on the widely-detested camo cream, a recruit gave out samples of New York Peel Solutions confront cream to her mates.

Other sponsors that my brain remembered just from watching the movie:

• Carro
• Ogawa
• Livingcare

Go get that pocketbook, I gauge.

The theme vocal

Yous know which i I'one thousand talking about.

Considering it sounds so much like a plant nursery rhyme (think one, two, 3, 4, 5 One time I Caught a Fish Alive), I went out of the theatres humming "don't anyhow hang bra and panties."

Be warned, this song is played at least three times in the film.

Send. Help.

Very simple plot

The motion-picture show started off with the recruits at Girls Basic Military Preparation (GBMT)... and ended with them however at GBMT.

Yes, they learnt some paw signs while out on the field, were told to "down 20" multiple times and had the "marching in the rain considering that shit builds character" scene.

Still from "Ah Girls Go Army".

But in that location wasn't much of a plot and characters were just introduced without much progression.

Not plenty Amanda

Cheong was one of the reasons I looked forward to the screening.

However, she merely had a few lines.

But her scenes were also amid the almost thrilling, including the role where she protected her friends by singlehandedly conveying the bully away.

Ends with a "To be continued..."

While I was relieved that the film ended, I was also slightly enraged that there was no proper ending...

BECAUSE It ENDED WITH A CLIFFHANGER.

So many questions unanswered

If there's a GBMT, is at that place a BBMT (Boys Bones Military Training)?

If GBMT is non in Tekong, where is it located? Is the drop-off point also at Pasir Ris?

When will the theme song terminate replaying in my head?

How often practise real platoon sergeants say "bloody [insert expletive]" in a day?

Verdict

I'd rather be cooped up at home and assigned to cover a Parliament's debate (if theparliament editor is seeing this, no you didn't) than to sit through this flick again.

My biggest hang-ups? The cliffhanger and intentionally terrible English language.

That said, I'd rather watch the movie than listen to the theme song.

Seriously, make information technology end replaying in my head.

"Ah Girls Go Army" will be in the theatres from Feb. ane, 2022.

Elevation image from "Ah Girls Go Army".

wisenals1951.blogspot.com

Source: https://mothership.sg/2022/02/ah-girls-go-army-review/

Share this post