CJ7

Guide Note

CJ7 is a Sci-Fi Comedy film by Stephen Chow, about a strange alien creature that is discovered by a poor Chinese man and his son. CJ7 was released on March 7, 2008 and received mixed reviews from the critics.

Fast Facts

1. Release Date: March 7, 2008
2. Writer/Director: Stephen Chow
3. Distributed by Sony Pictures
4. Starring Stephen Chow, Kitty Zhang Yuqi, Chi Chung Lam and Min Hun Fung Jiao Xu
5. Jiao Xu is actually a girl who plays the part of Chow's son
6. Run time: 86 min
7. Rated PG
8. Language: Cantonese
9. Budget: 20 million
10. Working Titles: Alien, Yangtze River VII, Long River 7 and A Hope

The American release of "CJ7" presents a paradox. This film is aimed at ages between "Teletubbies" and "Dora the Explorer," but unless your kids already speak Cantonese (or read lips in Mandarin, which is what most of the actors spoke during production), they're probably not going to be able to interpret the English subtitles. So the people who would most appreciate "CJ7" probably aren't old enough to see it. — Jim Emerson, RogerEbert.com

If CJ7 never rises above its original inspiration, it still manages to tug a few heartstrings and provide plenty of laughs along the way. It feels rather like a love letter from Stephen Chow to the world. — Cinematical