#MovieMonday: When Ghost Meets Zombie Review, A Comedy That Tries Too Hard to Be Funny

It hasn’t exactly been a good week for movie-lovers last week.

There was no blockbuster being released last Thursday, and that’s understandable: it’s not every week that a Marvel movie would be released, thought one’s incidentally going to hit the cinemas this Thursday.

And therefore, we had a difficult choice deciding on what movie to review for today’s #MondayMovie

Editor: How about More Than Blue? I saw it on the Popcorn website yesterday

BuffLord95: Sir, that was out in 2018

Editor: And it’s still in cinemas? The world is weird. How about Jacky Chan’s movie?

BuffLord95: We’ve reviewed that almost three weeks ago

Editor: Damn it, if there’s no movie, what the heck are we supposed to do today? Get two singers to act in a movie?

BuffLord95: That’s doable.

Editor: What?

And so, the movie When Ghost Meets Zombie, which starred two Singaporean singers, was born and while it’s released way back in 14 February 2019, it’s still refreshing considering that it starred our very own songbird Nathan Hartono.

But can he act?

Let’s find out.

When Ghost Meets Zombie, a Local Movie with Lots of Potential

When we found out that heartthrob and songbird Nathan Hartono was going to act in a local movie made by Wawa Pictures, a production firm that has brought us some awesome shows in mainstream television, it got our attention.

Not because it’s Hartono starring as the lead, but the genre interest us as well: It’s a romantic comedy, a genre that’s been made popular in recent years by popular movies like Our Times.

It’s also made fangirls drool when it was revealed that Hartono would be showing off his washboard abs.

The movie also starred Ferlyn G, a local singer who made her debut in South Korea through rigorous training.

But everyone, me including, is eyeing at the performance of celebrity couple Jesseca Liu and Jeremy Chan: how would they fare as an on-screen couple when they’re living blissfully together as a married couple?

Here, take a look at the trailer:

Needless to say, the movie has lots of potential, but unfortunately, despite its star power, it fails to deliver.

Here’s why.

Good Theme, Corny Script

The movie itself has a good theme: people who watched it might leave the cinema with an important lesson: that we should always set goals for ourselves, if not we’re just like zombies.

But honestly, if I want to be inspired, I would have watched a Team Fearless YouTube video and become a better person.

I paid over $10 to be entertained, and unfortunately, the movie didn’t do so.

Firstly, you can’t blame the actors: everyone acted well, though you can’t really give credit to Nathan Hartono, since the only line he needed to memorise is “I love you”. Ferlyn G played her role as a local Ah Lian perfectly, and Fann Wong, who acted as her mother, performed splendidly as usual.

Jesseca Liu and Jeremy Chan, both being veterans in the industry, met everyone’s expectations with their natural acting, and you could almost sense viewers wanting them to marry in real life (when they are, of course).

But the movie failed to make me, and most viewers in the cinema, laugh.

And it’s a romantic comedy, for God’s sake.

Slapstick Jokes That Tried too Hard

Slapstick jokes are funny only when they’re natural; just think of all the slapstick jokes in Running Man and you’ll understand. But over in When Ghost Meets Zombie, the script required the actors to perform slapstick jokes that are so predictable, unfunny and exaggerated, they almost became a chore to watch.

To illustrate this point, simply think of the jokes as those unfunny “jokes” you see in kids’ cartoons.

For example, seeing Gurmit Singh trying to get his sword to work, or seeing Jeremy Chan getting beaten, is supposed to be funny but it seems like only the kids are laughing: adults like me are just wondering when they’ll end this pointless joke.

I would like to say that it’s just me, but judging from the lack of laughter from the hall, I presume I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t appreciate the jokes.

Can watch?

If you’re a fan of any of the actors, it’s worth a watch just to see them on the big screen. I myself am a fan of Jesseca Liu (yes, even when she got married and the groom isn’t me) but after watching this, I’ve hoped that she hasn’t accepted the role.

But still, the movie is worth a watch if you’re a real-life zombie with no goal in life: the movie might not entertain you, but it might make you relook at your life.

Rating: 1.5/5