Hong Kong movies entertain because of their trashy mix of high-kicking action and playful comedy. The Twins Effect (known as The Vampire Effect in the USA) follows this formula and features two girls, instead of men, fighting vampires. Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung are the very cute pair known as The Twins, a pop sensation in Hong Kong picked from the EEG New Star Competition. They are known and liked for their simplicity and pureness, not so much for being sexy and attractive. The Twins Effect is like Buffy the Vampire Slayer times two, Chinese-style.
Charlene Choi & Gillian Chung Fight on the Roof
The bamboo pole fight scene on the rooftop is the highlight of the action in The Twins Effect. Fans of Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung will be amazed to find how much real action is executed by the Twins themselves, as explained in the extra features on the DVD. The scene starts with Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung fighting over a teddy bear and escalates into bamboo wielding martial arts, seldom seen in action movies. Donnie Yen’s choreography is inventive, and Dante Lam uses freeze and slow motion editing to highlight the effects. It is simply a great action scene for the girls!
Jackie Chan Battles the Vampires
Jackie Chan has a couple of cameo appearances, doing both comedy plus great stunts for the camera. For a film starring so many big names (Ekin Cheng, Karen Mok and Anthony Wong), directors Dante Lam and Donnie Yen manage to blend Jackie Chan seamlessly into the story. The funniest part of Jackie Chan’s fight scene with the vampires is at the end, when he pours drug tablets into their mouths. The result is hilarious.
Ekin Cheng Gives a Comic Turn
Another famous actor in Hong Kong, Ekin Cheng gets a chance to show off his comic talent in The Twins Effect. Ekin plays Reeve, the top vampire hunter, who subsequently turns into a vampire and chases Gillian Chung (who plays Gypsy) for her blood. Instead of playing it serious, Ekin Cheng hams it up by sniffing up fruits and banana cakes. Hong Kong viewers who are used to Ekin’s more tranquil action persona will find this scene unusually funny.
Twins are Earnest and Cute
Charlene Choi is a very earnest actress who is adoringly straightforward in her performance. She is a delight to watch onscreen, and she plays her emotional lines with subtlety. Gillian Chung is just as cute, as attractive as a Japanese keepsake! Her banter with Ekin Cheng’s character is romantic and enjoyable. Both actress-singers are very watchable and also wear very fashionable clothes! The Twins Effect is very much a trendy film, featuring Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung in gamine high street fashion with sewn-on badges and trinkets.
Edison Chen is just as trendy, playing the good vampire Kazaf, and also Charlene Choi’s romantic interest. He shares comic scenes with Anthony Wong who always delivers.
Is The Twins Effect Trashy?
The Twins Effect is light and entertaining but viewers should not expect too much. The Twins Effect cast seems to include some racial stereotyping as evil vampires are mostly European. Fans of Hong Kong movies who understand the nonsensical humour may appreciate this film better. For Westerners, the action choreography is entertaining fare on a late night.
Source:
[1] AsiaFinest Twins Gillian Chung & Charlene Choi. AsiaFinest.com, 2003.
- The Twins Effect (Vampire Effect: USA)
- Director: Dante Lam, Donnie Yen
- Writer: Wai Lun Ng
- Actors: Ekin Cheng, Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung, Anthony Wong, Edison Chen, Jackie Chan, Mickey Hardt, Josie Ho, Karen Mok.
- Running time: 107 minutes
Lynette S.K. Webster - Copywriter turned Freelance Writer Copywriter for 4 years in Singapore, writing radio, print, TV and recruitment ads for national radio ...
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