Film #138 - The Wesley’s Mysterious File (1992)
Viewed May 18, 2006
I came across The Wesley’s Mysterious File at a local record store and it looked interesting enough that I picked it up. It led me to buy a bunch of Asian films, several of which I have already covered. But I never actually watched the film. Sadly, although it looks interesting and has some neat ideas, it ultimately fails on almost every level.
As a director, Andrew Lau must be commended for attempting to incorporate CGI effects into the film at a level not really tackled by Hollywood at this point (Jurassic Park would come out the next year). But there is a reason that Hollywood hadn’t done it yet: the technology was simply not ready. Even given that Lau would have been working with an effects company nowhere near Industrial Light & Magic’s level, the effects are still clearly just not compatible with live action footage. Some of the CGI creatures are ridiculously cartoonish and none carry the visual weight necessary to work in this kind of environment.
The story is one of the most convoluted piles of nonsense I have watched and, frankly, none of it makes any sense in the final analysis. The whole thing revolves around some kind of alien that infests people and some relatively friendly aliens called “blue bloods”. Really, I couldn’t follow it.
The performances don’t help, as Lau (who in addition to directing plays the titular Wesley) tries to make himself look cool in every scene, ultimately meaning he never actually defines his character. The others aren’t any better. Rosamund Kwan as the the “damsel in distress” alien gives off a certain sense of longing and desperation, but without any depth to back it up. Qi Shu as Sue just stands around pining after Lau.
Even fans of asian action films or sci-fi actioners in general will find little to enjoy in The Wesley’s Mysterious File. There just isn’t anything to latch on to.