Jack Neo's 'Ah Boys To Men 4' Is Strictly For Fans... And His Sponsors
Is this a movie or a commercial?
Ah Boys To Men 4 (PG13)
Starring Joshua Tan, Maxi Lim, Tosh Zhang, Wang Weiliang
Directed by Jack Neo
Lo and behold, I give you the scariest four words in the English language: A Jack Neo Movie. Then again, depending on which side of the bed you got up from this morning, it may not be a bad thing at all.
The latest chapter in the franchise (which has made more than $20 million so far) sees the Ah Boys posse back for another round of military tomfoolery, this time as reservists undergoing their two-week in-camp training at an armoured unit — wait, weren’t they from the Naval Diving Unit? — under a female platoon commander (Hongkong actress Apple Chan).
If you know your Jack Neo movies, you pretty much know what to expect from Ah Boys to Men 4: It’s patchy, preachy, and packed with product placements. The not-so-subtle advertising is so pervasive that you should play a drinking game — take a sip of [insert your preferred soft drink] whenever you spot a brand dangled in front of your face. Hope you have a large bladder. Have fun. (**)
