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Edmund Lee

1/5 stars
All 12 members of Hong Kong’s reigning Cantopop boy band Mirror star in a movie together for the very first time in We 12, an unabashedly hollow piece of fan service masquerading as a mainstream commercial feature made for general consumption.
In the past few years, the city’s faltering film business has occasionally been enlivened by the acting of several Mirror members, including Anson Lo Hon-ting (It Remains), Keung To (Mama’s Affair), Edan Lui Cheuk-on (Hong Kong Family), Anson Kong Ip-sang (Back Home) and Lokman Yeung (Mad Fate).
Sadly, their individual charisma is swept aside for this publicity exercise for the collective, which adopts an ill-advised, equal-opportunity approach to idol making: each member gets roughly the same screen time and all 12 of them enjoy top billing – their names are even listed in alphabetical order in the credits in case anyone’s feelings might be hurt.


But noble intentions do not a good movie make. Playing like a heist comedy dreamed up by a five-year-old kid, this witless, lifeless bore of a film is so amateurishly conceived (by director Berry Ho Kwok-man and screenwriter Cheung Lai-sze), it makes last month’s The Moon Thieves – also starring Lui, Lo and Keung – look like a classic of the genre.
Professional due diligence dictates that this writer must begin to provide a plot synopsis sooner rather than later but, readers, that is frankly beside the point here.

Suffice to say that this nonsensical story involves 12 master thieves – played by, and named after, the Mirror members – who are given a rare group mission: to steal a world-threatening mosquito zapper at a science award ceremony held in a Hong Kong hotel, which is guarded by the evil security manager Johnny (Yeung Wai-lun).
The group’s secretive boss begins by declaring that these young men are sorely lacking team spirit – a quip on Mirror’s real-life activities – and this statement immediately raises another question in the viewers’ minds: why should these 12 be anywhere near a world-saving mission in the first place?
As another illustration of the scattershot nature of this mess, every protagonist has been supplied with a special ability, like “lock-picking”, “lip-reading” or “hypnosis”, although quite a few read like unintended jokes: “agility” and “strategic planning” being two, while the guy with “sixth sense” is lauded for being lucky.

Ironically, if not unexpectedly, the effortlessly eccentric Yeung Wai-lun proves the funniest presence in a production meant solely to capitalise on the boy band’s immense popularity. The sweet Malaysian actress Lin Min-chen and members of fellow pop group Error also have diverting cameos, although this is undoubtedly Mirror’s show.
Consider this a litmus test of fandom: We 12 is a must-see for followers of the group and a hard pass for anyone with good sense.
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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

We 12 movie review: Cantopop boy band Mirror make group debut in a heist comedy so awful, it’s a litmus test of fandom

Anson Lo in a still from We 12.

Keung To (left) and Alton Wong in a still from We 12 (category IIA; Cantonese), which stars their 10 fellow members of boy band Mirror. Berry Ho directs 

(From left) Frankie Chan, Jeremy Lee and Jer Lau in a still from We 12.

Anson Lo (left) and Lokman Yeung in a still from We 12.

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A still from Winter Chants, Tsang Tsui-shan’s film about preparations for once-a-decade festivities in her home village in rural Hong Kong that were disrupted by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Ho Chung village chief (centre) in a still from Winter Chants.

A still from Winter Chants.

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Eric Tsang (right) in a still from We Are Family (category IIA; Cantonese), directed by Benny Lau and co-starring Carlos Chan and Catherine Chau.





(From left) Carlos Chan, Alexandra Della Pietra and Catherine Chau in a still from We Are Family.

A still from We Are Family.

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Chung Suet-ying (left) and Sabrina Ng in a still from The Lyricist Wannabe.

Chung Suet-ying (right) as Law Wing-sze and Amy Tang in a still from The Lyricist Wannabe (category IIB, Cantonese), directed by Norris Wong. Eric Kot and Sabrina Ng co-star.

Chung Suet-ying (right) as Law Wing-sze and Sabrina Ng as her best friend in a still from The Lyricist Wannabe.

(From left) Chung Suet-ying as Law Wing-sze, Jeannie Ng and Yeung Wai-lun in a still from The Lyricist Wannabe.

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Aaron Kwok in a still from Rob N Roll.

Aaron Kwok in a still from Rob N Roll (category IIB; Cantonese), directed by Albert Mak and co-starring Lam Ka-tung and Richie Jen.

Lam Ka-tung (front) and Richie Jen in a still from Rob N Roll.

(From left) Lam Ka-tung, Aaron Kwok and Richie Jen in a still from Rob N Roll.

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Stephy Tang as Monica in a still from Table for Six 2 (category IIA; Cantonese), directed by Sunny Chan and co-starring Louis Cheung and Ivana Wong.

(From left) Peter Chan, Dee Ho and Louis Cheung in a still from Table for Six 2.

Lin Min-chen as Meow and Jeffrey Ngai, playing Stephy Tang’s character Monica’s half-brother, in a still from Table for Six 2.

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Witless, lifeless, amateurish, nonsensical and boring, this film starring all 12 members of Cantopop boy band Mirror is meant only for their most devoted fans
In a production meant to capitalise on the boy band’s immense popularity, the eccentric Yeung Wai-lun provides much of the little fun there is to be had


A heist movie that looks like it was dreamed up by a five-year-old, We 12, starring all the members of Cantopop boy band Mirror, is witless, lifeless and above all dull. For true fans only.


Chinese language cinema

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Mirror

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | We 12 movie review: Cantopop boy band Mirror make group debut in a heist comedy so awful, it’s a litmus test of fandom