CJ7

Review in a Hurry:  CJ7, phone home. In this E.T.-inspired fantasy, an underprivileged boy befriends an extraterrestrial doggy-thingy that's left behind by a spaceship. Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow, best known for his martial-arts comedies Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, indulges his love of Spielberg but risks alienating fans with this alien pic.

The Bigger Picture:  If you're hoping to see Chow karate-kick some butt, as he's done so impressively in previous films, you're probably gonna be disappointed. Though his first foray into kiddie-friendly fare features some of his trademark slapstick, Chow himself—starring as Ti, a construction worker—never whoop-asses any baddies, not even his a-hole boss who, like, totally deserves it.

A single dad, Ti shares a shanty with his young son, Dicky (Xu Jian), and works long hours to send the kid to an elite private school. Dressed in shabby clothes, Dicky gets teased by classmates for being poor and not owning "cool" toys, like the popular robotic pet CJ1.

One night, while scouring the junkyard for shoes, Ti finds a mysterious green orb and gives it to Dicky to play with. To the boy's surprise and delight, the odd ball reveals itself as a "superdog from space," possessing extraordinary powers. Dicky tries to keep his new friend—whom he calls CJ7—on the DL, but the rascally critter soon creates chaos at school. Together they take on the playground bullies in several f/x-heavy scenes.

Chow's directorial work has an endearing silliness—a loopy innocence mixed with outrageous caricatures and Looney Tunes-style violence—and when he sticks to the schtick, CJ7 succeeds. He also fares well in early acting scenes, establishing a warm, easy rapport with actress Jian, completely believable as a boy.

But for all Chow's Spielbergian attempts to tug heartstrings, his last-reel emotional scenes lack impact—partly because his homage to E.T. becomes so literal that we can see story resolutions coming light years away. Plus, for all its manic antics and cutesy expressions, CJ7 is more a slick CGI creation than a flesh-and-green-blood character.

Some wee ones might be won over, but the rest of us Chow fans will have to wait for Kung Fu Hustle 2.

The 180—a Second Opinion:  The flick taps into every picked-on kid's rage when—in a funny, satisfying dream sequence—Dicky, with CJ7's help, humiliates his enemies and screams, "Bitterness, like the sea, is boundless!" Indeed. So, who wouldn't want an intergalactic bodyguard that gives you superpowers?