Wong Jing’s action-comedy Magic Crystal (1986) is a wild hodgepodge of breathtaking martial arts set pieces and oddball gags. Magic Crystal is a combination of Steven Spielberg’s greatest hits including E.T. The Extra-terrestrial (1982), Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977) but executed as a kung-fu adventure that is played for laughs. It’s classic Wong Jing.
The film follows the little boy Bin Bin (Siu Ban-Ban) who discovers the sentient magic crystal. It’s a race against time as Bin Bin’s bounty hunter family tries to keep the magic crystal out of the hands of the KGB. Suffice it to say that the plot of Magic Crystal is a bit of a mess with one-off characters appearing briefly to motivate a fight or get a joke going. The narrative economy privileges Bin Bin’s arc with the titular crystal with everything else being martial arts or slapstick filler.
This doesn’t diminish the spectacle offered by the fight scenes in Wong Jing’s messy movie. Cynthia Rothrock in particular shines in her fights as Interpol agent Cindy Morgan. Wong Jing manages to combine his slapstick tendencies with the fights successfully a few times. Andy Lau’s fight with an umbrella and his homage to Chaplin is a highlight in this regard.
As a whole Magic Crystal is nothing more than an explosion of escapist fanfare. It’s well crafted, inspired lunacy from one of Hong Kong’s most prolific and insane filmmakers. Fans of Hong Kong martial arts movies will find plenty to enjoy in Magic Crystal.
