Film Name: 魔翡翠 / Magic Crystal / Jade Crystal
The 1980s marked a golden age for Hong Kong cinema. Over the decade from 1980 to 1989, trailblazers like Jackie Chan, the Hsu Brothers, Michael McGarry, and Chow Yun-fat took turns claiming the top spot in annual box office rankings.
Other superstar figures we know well, such as Jet Li, Stephen Chow, and Andy Lau, entered the film industry in the 1980s. While some achieved overnight fame across the country, their true breakthroughs occurred in the 1990s.
Take the 1986 Hong Kong box office rankings as an example: Chow Yun-fat’s A Better Tomorrow topped the charts with HK$34.65 million in revenue. Also making the top ten were films starring Sammo Hung, Mak Ka, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Lam Ching-ying, and Tsui Hark.
That same year, Andy Lau starred in two films: “The Heavenly Swordman and the Spoiled” alongside Eric Tsang, and “Magic Crystal” with Wong Jing.
While “The Heavenly Swordman and the Spoiled” performed modestly and remained largely overlooked, “Magic Crystal” proved to be a standout success.
Inspired by the massive success of Hollywood blockbusters “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” Wong Jing sensed a commercial opportunity. He drew elements from both films, blended them together, and assembled a star-studded cast to create “Magic Crystal.”
Even by today’s standards, the film boasts an impressive cast. Led by Andy Lau, the ensemble includes Wong Jing, Alan Tam, Michelle Cheung, Simon Mok, Richard Norton, Laura Lu, Shi Jian, Cheng Kui’an, and Xiao Binbin.
True to Wong Jing’s vision, the film is positioned as a fantasy-action-comedy with contemporary flair, resulting in clearly defined roles for each actor.
As the male lead, Andy Lau was at the peak of his looks, so he primarily served as the visual anchor; Wong Jing and Alan Tam delivered the comedic elements; Rufo, playing an Interpol agent, and Richard Norton, portraying the main antagonist, both came from martial arts backgrounds, enhancing the action sequences; The famous child star Xiao Binbin and the jade stone from outer space provided the cute factor and sci-fi elements respectively.
The film was shot on location in Greece, which added to its sense of grandeur.
The plot is actually quite straightforward: the villains seek to seize the jade stone, while the heroes fight desperately to protect it. Yet it’s precisely this simple story that makes it far more satisfying than many contemporary films.
“Magic Crystal” is a pure commercial film. In an era crowded with strong contenders, its final box office haul of HK$11.38 million still secured it the 18th spot on the annual box office chart.
People often say that the young Andy Lau only knew how to look cool, but in my view, his acting back then was far more natural compared to his performances today.
For its time, “Magic Crystal” achieved quite well among such strong competition. Combined with its overseas sales, it was a box office hit back then.
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