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RATING:   
Iconic Hong Kong director Tsui Hark, whose last epic Seven Swords did not live up to box-office or critical expectations, is back with Missing, a romantic supernatural thriller horror.
Yes, you read right - it’s all that and a bag of chips. Well, at least it tries to be.
In typical Tsui Hark fashion, the genre is undecided, the story complicated and the finished product, directionless.
Reputed underwater photographer Dave Chen’s (Guo Xiao Dong) life’swork revolves around the mysterious ancient ruins of a sunken city lyingbetween Taiwan and Japan (an actual Asian Atlantis).
It’s also the hiding place of the engagement ring he was going to use to propose to the woman of his dreams (don’t ask).
When he goes ahead with theplan for a romantic rendezvous at the 10,000-year-old ruins, despite his sister’s (Isabella Leong) warning, things go horribly wrong.
As ambitious as Tsui is in trying to juggle the many genres he’s inflicted on himself, the audience’s patience will be unwarrantably tested and further aggravated by his inability to commit to a strong story arc.
Even with his brave and visually enticing attempts to create ghostly ocean horrors of the deep dark unknown, coupled with fairly competent acting from a highly-regarded cast, the ultimate result is disappointing.
Sacrificing its romantic potential — which seemed like the driving forceof the film — for a grab at everything else, Missing drowns in its ownundefined outlines, disconnecting the audience just when it’s about to do so successfully. - TODAY/ra
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