rebzombie reviews

There’s this trend of Hollywood remaking Asian Movies but this time around it’s an Asian crew remaking a Hollywood movie. Connected is based on the movie Cellular. Barbie Hsu rehashes the role of Kim Basinger, the kidnapped mom that called a stranger from a broken phone. Playing the part of the stranger, Bob, is Louis Koo.

If you’ve seen the original, then you’ll know that the stranger was a punk who did not take anything seriously. The difference with Connected is that the stranger is a father who has a hard time keeping his promise. This is emphasized all throughout the movie.

Playing the role originally done by William H. Macy is Nick Cheung. He is not as hilarious as Macy but his action scenes were better. The fight sequences were well choreographed just like any Chinese movie. But then there were stunts in Connected that I’ve already seen done by Jackie Chan. On second thought, he has done it all so I just it’s OK for them to be repeated.

The Hollywood version had Nokia to thank for its success. As for Connected, it is Motorola. You’ll hear the familiar Hello Moto ringtone at least once in the movie. I could have gotten the model used by Bob if only it didn’t break when during one of the intense battles.

Connected is entertaining with its fast paced action, much like Cellular. The scenes were somewhat copied from the original but were given an Asian twist. Based from what I’ve seen, Connected felt like it got more heart. By focusing on the father-son relationship, the ending of Connected gave a much warmer connection to its audience than the Hollywood version.

*Spoiler*
Turns out the kidnappers were bad Interpol agents and they are working with the local cops. During the final battle, the bad guy had Bob over the edge of a high ledge. Just when Bob was falling, he managed to send the video to the proper authorities. Then when he thought that he is about to die, he manages to snag a net on the ledge that the bad guy was standing on. Bad guy fell to his death while Bob is alive, with his foot entangled with the net. Then fast forward, Bob’s son saw him on TV while at the waiting area. Then the aunt let the kid see his father.

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