Next we cut to a live action version of the scene, although it is not what you would expect. The leading roles in this movies (Emperor Qi, The Fairy Enchantress) are played by women, which makes for some funny situations.

Qi is being followed by his entourage which includes: the Prime Minister, a historian and the General. He comes across a sword chained to a rock and goes to pull it out, but he is ambushed by Wu Yen's clan who try to stop him pulling out the sword and in doing so, actually manage to pull out the sword by mistake.

Once she is free, the Fairy Enchantress casts a Love Spell on Wu Yen and will only agree to lift it if she marries him. On seeing the effect of the spell, Qi rejects Wu Yen for being 'ugly' even though he was just about to marry her.

On the way back to the palace, Emperor Qi finds the Fairy Enchantress in human female form and agrees to marry her. Wu Yen objects however and tries to fight him.

Back at the palace, the Fairy Enchantress is attacked by Ancestor Huan, the Great(X5) Grandfather of the current Emperor who is trying to protect his dynasty. The attack backfires however, as he is only a fairy in training.

Wu Yen turns up at the palace, but she ends up down a well and then in jail after appearing to kill Emperor Qi's new lover.

When an envoy turns up from the Yen province, with a warrior carrying the 'Heaven Sword', which cuts other swords in two, Emperor Qi seeks Wu Yen's help. She defeats the warrior easily, but the Fairy Enchantress insults the envoy and he declares war on Qi's kingdom. At the Emperor's request, Wu Yen leads the troops into battle...

Probably the closest thing I can compare this to is a pantomime, where everyone overacts and there are gender bender characters. There are many funny scenes, but it doesn't have many fight scenes (the shadow puppets are used to good effect however).

I would recommend this move to people who like light comedy/romance films.

Legend has it that the cowardly, loser of an emperor was lazy with his duties but spent most of his time with beautiful Xia. However whenever his country ran into trouble with other nations, he would beg the capable but perhaps less physically attractive Zhong to bail him out. Here in this movie, the title character Zhong is played by singer Sammi Cheng, and the emperor is played by versatile actress and songstress Anita Mui. Cecilia Cheung plays Xia who, in this remake, is depicted as a fox spirit who loves Zhong and who transforms herself into the beautiful Xia to try to entice the emperor away from Zhong.

This story is told with a modern, twenty-first century twist. It's silly fun most of the time, with conversations among characters alternating between traditional "wu xia" language and contemporary Cantonese slang. There are also segments where Johnny To attempts to have the audience sympathize with the characters as they reach their emotional lows, which work slightly less effectively but provides a nice balance to the (occasionally ridiculous) jokes which span the entire film.

The leads gave solid performances, and the supporting cast (notably the emperor's advisors) also did a great job providing lots of comic relief. One cannot help but wonder, though, why the directors decided to cast Anita Mui as the emperor. Perhaps I was overly sensitive, but personally I found there were some lesbian-esque overtones in the film. What the producers/directors were hoping to accomplish with their choice of casting leaves me completely baffled.

Having gotten the negative comments off my chest, I want to say to those who are thinking about going to watch this film: some of the jokes may be silly and down right stupid at times, but it should be a pretty good two hours' worth of entertainment for those familiar with the Cantonese language. Overall rating: B

You won't find any eye-catching special effects in this one. Wu Yen has gone back to the absolute basics, cleverly substituting traditional Chinese shadow play for war scenes, complemented by a women's chorus that sings the tale, much like the traveling minstrels of old.

Set in the period of the warring states, this comedic farce tells the tale of a complex love triangle between a female warrior, Zhong Wu Yen, the Emperor Qi and a fox spirit who is in love with both of them. Amid the farcical palace intrigues, Wu Yen and the fox spirit vie for the Emperor's attention and affections.

Anita Mui is excellent in her comeback to the screen after a four-year hiatus. As the very male Emperor Qin, Mui is in her element. From the haughty swagger to the childish petulance demanded of her character, she plays each emotion with such aplomb that you know she's having as a good a time as the audience.

Singer Sammi Cheng plays Zhong Wu Yen, who helps the Emperor win wars but cannot seem to win his heart. Cheng, who showed her acting ability opposite Andy Lau in Needing You, once again wows with her portrayal of a character that is an ice maiden, a vulnerable girl, a tough soldier and a petulant child, all at once.

Christy Chung (Twelve Nights) gets to cross-dress as the bisexual fox spirit, Xia Ying Chun. Unfortunately, despite the possibilities of her role as both man and woman, her character lacks the depth of the rest, making her resemble a one-dimensional Chinese bimbo.

A tongue in cheek cross between traditional Chinese opera and a live cartoon, the entire movie is reminiscent of a Stephen Chow mou lei tao (nonsense) flick which relies on witty one-liners delivered at rapid fire pace to engage the audience. There is even an Aesop's Fable, Chinese style, on how the well-known Chinese proverb "You shi zhong wu yen, wo shi xia ying chun" came about. (The proverb is similar to a friend in need is a friend indeed.)

What a better way to start your New Year than by watching a flick that is guaranteed to have you in stitches from start to finish.