The Chosen One Review: Zong Zijie-Led Exorcist Flick Works Better As A Romance Than An Action Pic

The Chosen One  (NC16)

Starring Zong Zijie, Yao Yao, Angel Lim, Gurmit Singh

Directed by Lim Suat Yen

Call this The Wasted One.

A young temple medium in Penang, Ah Jie (Zong Zijie of the Mediacorp drama While We Are Young) — who's dubbed the No. 1 Exorcist — can see ghosts and cast out demons. But due to a deeply personal reason, he curtails his powers and instead cons people who seek his help for possessed victims.

Their bodies are taken over by vengeful ghosts of dead Japanese soldiers from World War II, unleashed after a hidden tunnel is unearthed at a construction site. Notwithstanding generations of happy Hello Kitty and Pokémon consumers since then, those angry expired souls still have decades-old beef to settle.

Here's the thing with The Chosen One.

The secret Ah Jie conceals for not using his powers is actually a good gotcha moment. I totally didn't see this pic's big twist coming.

But this lightweight horror-dramedy, helmed by Singaporean director Lim Suat Yen (The Road Less Travelled), stays as basically same-old unexceptional fare due to missed opportunities with its set-up being way better than its proceedings.

The film is dragged down by dated, cheapo-looking demon-busting CGI-ed action. And Gurmit Singh bringing his trademark schtick as the unfunny comic relief.

He hams it up as Master Bai Yun. A goofy white-bearded older ghost-caster resembling Santa Claus, who guides Ah Jie on his paranormal path by delivering dimestore-philosophy lines in English like “You're running to your destiny, my child” when nobody else speaks a lick of ang moh.

Anyway, the younger exorcist opens portals to banish demons into other dimensions in a swirling mix of lights, colours and special effects which seems like it's made by a kid at a computer screen. Including a surreal-clocks sequence looking like that kid could quite possibly smell like Salvador Dali's teen spirit.

Meanwhile, you lament what this The Sixth Sense-Asian Ghostbusters-Sweet Love Tale-Penang Location Brochure show could have been because director Lim evidently knows how to shoot the seedier parts — dark alleys, red-light area, dingy housing block — of the Pearl Of The Orient as an uncut filmic gem.

She splits her flick kinda into two angles.

An effective coochy-coo Taiwanese-inspired love story between Ah Jie and his somewhat forlorn prostitute-girlfriend, Ah Jiao (Taiwanese actress Yao Yao aka Kuo Shu-Yao aka Yao Kuo), who's seemingly sad and clingy for some unknown reason which, for your enjoyment purposes and the safety of my mortal soul, I will not disclose.

The exorcist dude is forced to deploy his banishment powers like a magician in a lit-up kung fu show in the movie's weaker, predictable, wrap-it-up second portion when the evil Japanese ghosts strike.

Plus a kaypoh supernatural influencer-vlogger, Sora (Angel Lim), keeps trying to make him come out of hiding for her own deal which isn't clearly explained. The film loves to zoom in on a significant talismanic scar on her arm which seems to mean something. Whatever that is.

By which time, you'd wish that this pic maybe should've just stuck to the cutie tale between Ah Jie and Ah Jiao as the charismatic Zong and the pleasant Kuo exude cosy Penangite chemistry.

“I believe you will send them to a beautiful place,” Ah Jiao encourages her bf about kicking demons straight into hell.

Must be a Penang thing. (2/5 stars)

Photos: Oak 3 Films