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Released by: Well Go USA
Released on: February 25th, 2014.
Director: Xu Zheng
Cast: Wang Baoqiang, Fan Bingbing, Huang Bo, Xu Zheng, Tao Hong
Year: 2012
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The Movie:
Lost In Thailand, directed by Xu Zheng in 2012 struck box office gold in its native China when it hit theaters and the movie was a huge success. The story follows Xu (Xu Zheng), a scientist with an interest in a new technology that's being developed by his company, a supergas that could help China's energy problems in a big way. In order to secure his company's stake in all of this, he has to travel to Thailand to find a shareholder vacationing there and convince him to sign off on it. And so he does. He gets on his plane and winds up seated beside a goofy man-child with a blonde bowl cut named Wang Bao (Wang Baoqiang). Xu isn't particularly interested in making friends but Wang is definitely interested in talking Xu's ear off about everything from his relationship with his mom to his girlfriend, beautiful actress Fan Bing Bing.
Xu's got some competition for the prize, however, and that comes in the form of Gao Bo (Huang Bo), a man who might have a better lead as to the stockholders whereabouts than Xu does. Upon landing in Thailand, the two men wind up in competition but Wang inevitably finds in Wang the help he needs, even if Wang has got his own to do list for his Thailand vacation, a list that includes visiting the Taj Mahal and checking out some ladyboys.
This is pretty predictable stuff, with Xu the straight man and Wang the goofy, somewhat dimwitted source of comic relief for the bulk of the movie. Of course as it all plays out, the two start to strike up an oddly legitimate friendship with Xu learning from the simpler, more relaxed Wang - who is an awful lot like Zach Galifinakis' character in The Hangover (you definitely get the feeling that director and leading man Xu Zheng was inspired by that domestic blockbuster for this picture). Throw in Bo as the chief foil for the both of them and you wind up with the trio you need for a road movie like this. Of course, Xu starts off as deceitful, he's taking advantage of Wang, but we all know he'll have that predictable change of heart before the end credits hit the screen…
As to how much enjoyment you'll get out of it? That's going to depend a whole lot on your appreciation (or lack thereof) for Wang Baoqiang's performance here. Comedy, more so than most other genres, is extremely subjective and given that he mugs for the camera and really just generally hams it up, well, not everyone is going to take away the enjoyment from his work that evidently appealed to the masses overseas. Some of the situations are funny and some of the reactions to the various antics that take place throughout the movie are funny as well but the whole movie is made up of a series of clichés that we've seen far too frequently in the last ten years. This hurts the movie, and the admittedly impressive location photography and sometimes touching moments in the latter half of the movie don't really make up for it.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Shot on high grade professional digital video cameras, the transfer on this AVC encoded 1080p high definition release frames the movie at 2.35.1 widescreen and it looks excellent. As you'd expect, there's no dirt or debris here (one of the benefits of a digital to digital transfer) and detail is generally outstanding. Colors are nicely reproduced and look quite natural most of the time even if they are a little on the bleak side in terms of style. Black levels are strong throughout and contrast is solid. This is an excellent looking transfer from Well Go USA.
The Mandarin Chinese language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is also very strong. There are moments of interesting surround activity throughout though that adds to the goofiness of the storyline, but dialogue stays clean and clear and primarily in the front channels. Bass response is strong but never overpowering and there are no problems with any hiss or distortion. The disc also includes Mandarin Chinese Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. Optional English subtitles are available.
The main extra is a sixteen minute behind the scenes featurette that contains some cast and crew interviews that really just let the leads talk about how much fun they had working with one another on the movie. It's not particularly deep. Outside of that? We get a trailer for the feature, trailers for a few other Well Go USA properties, menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Well Go USA gives Lost In Thailand a very nice Blu-ray release and fans of the film will no doubt appreciate that. Western Audiences may fail to catch on to some of the humor here, however, so as far as the movie itself goes, your mileage may vary.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
