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The female actress that played Maria is Sally Yeh, who was during the early 90s, the canto pop queen of HK. I was such a big big fan of her back then. So happy to see you discuss a movie about her 😊

When it comes to practical Hong Kong VFX of the 80s and early 90s two more i would recommend: A Chinese Ghost Story(1987), Peacock King and Saga of the Phoenix. Even a camp movie like Infra-Man has its charm.

I honestly miss these kinds of entertainment, and especially The old form of practical fx! these are magical, the floating Pen trick from 2001: A Space Odyssey still blows my mind though! (1968, that being it's almost 55 years ago!)

The Godzilla series (pre 2014) is another example of how fun and meaningful practical effects can be. The entire charm of those movies is believing in the fantastical yet still also very tangible reality that the effects sequences of those movies present.

i think thats also why kamen riders are still fun to watch even at its worst season, it all came down to a bunch of dudes fighting in horribly impractical costumes. also personal tangent here, even the with the "worst" season in the heisei era, i still consider some of them as the peak of kamen rider seasons. Real LED strips in Faiz suits so they stand out in the dark, Ryuki survive form reveal in a room thats actually on fire, the kind of things that makes you think the suit actors better get a raise. something the more recent seasons kinda lacks.

Your comment about how difficult it is to understand CGI VFX reinforces for me how important channels like Corridor Crew are. Regrettable or not, as the ubiquity of CGI in the film industry becomes inevitable, it is up to audiences to educate themselves about the tricks of the trade; to understand at least what is difficult and what isn't, so that when CGI breakthroughs like Avatar 2 show up, we as audiences can more fully appreciate the craft that goes on behind them. Having a channel that breaks down the tricks of the trade really helped me appreciate CGI effects in movies even more, and gives me insight into the effects that didn't work as well for me. There was a time when people DID think magic was real, and magicians refused to reveal their tricks for fear or "losing the sense of wonder". It was most likely the same with movie practical SFX too. Now we live in an age where we can appreciate magic tricks BECAUSE we see how difficult it is to pull off. I think the same needs to happen to CGI.

I really love how much, even in just a few short clips, you can really see the unabashed passion for science fiction that the filmmakers behind I Love Maria have. They wear their influences on their sleeves, and that’s just so deeply endearing (like the references to Metropolis and Bladerunner you mentioned, but also I’m 90% sure the robot’s design was pulled heavily from the Zaku from Mobile Suit Gundam). That passion is infectious, and it’s just nice feeling like there’s lots of other people like yourself who share in your interests.

I hope to chat with you one day. You have been my favorite film analysis channels since 2020.

It's interesting how when I was young, I remember feeling uncomfortable with these unconvincing special effects in Hong Kong films, and preferred CGI. Now somehow I feel intrigued by these amazing efforts of trying to turn imaginations real when the technology was not there. There are always stories about how these practical effects were done, the struggle, the breakthrough, and how people at the end achieved the impossible with very limited budget.

I love both CGI and Practical FX, but each fits better with the genre used and time period it's in, in my opinion. Superhero blockbuster movies like the MCU using CGI that makes the impossible possible? Great. A horror mystery movie with gory and realistic creature FX like The Thing? Amazing. A blend of modern movie effects with practical stuntwork like Terminator 2? Excellent.

In the first Jurassic Park they did use a large mechanical puppet T-Rex for many of the close shots involving it's head. It was created by the great Stan Winston and his studio.

My dad took us to see this when I was a kid. Thanks for doing this. At the time, Tsui Hark was very creative and he introduced a lot of new ideas into the so-called "mainstream" HK cinema. Robocop was there a year before but it was considered not for family viewing. We haven't watched it until the VHS rental came. "I love Maria" was a comedy for all ages. You may find the acting a bit cartoonish and the pacing was fast but that's understandable. Back then, we applaused at big explosions and cool hero moments. We laughed when the bad guys got their asses kicked. Practical effects made the audiences' waiting and rewarding process much more enjoyable simply because the filmmakers tried their best to design those impressive moments. CGI sequences do the same but we are all so fed up with that "the larger, the better" thing.

"Have you ever been thrilled by a CG explosion?" Shows that famously bad explosion from Black Widow, lol 😄That got a laugh out of me dude

I love this movie so much! A friend turned me on to it back it the 90s before the CGI way. Like you my mind was blow away on the level of Effects costumes and props. I've been trying to find a good copy on DVD for years.

Personally, my favorite thing about practical effects is the experience of a few artists' personal touch. When I watch stop-motion in The Valley of Gwangi, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts and so on, I can respect that the animation was done by one man, Ray Harryhausen, working alone in his own studio. When I watch CGI, on the other hand, I know that there are hundreds, if not thousands of software engineers and animators involved, at which point it no longer feels like art so much as it feels like science. CGI isn't inherently bad, but even at its best it will never achieve the intimate feel that practical effects have.

Good CG effects makes themselves feel like they are part of the world, something with weight and interaction, like how you said about practical effect. Even if they don't look real, as long as they feel real, it won't take the audience out of it. The best example of how CG failed vs CG succeed are the two Pacific Rim movies. Both has CG giant robots fighting CG monsters in CG cities, but the first one feels more grounded, like the tokusatsu where camera shakes along with everything in the environment. The CG environment has imperfection of miniature sets. In short, the CG in the first one feels like they were shot practically. The second one on the other hand has everything feeling floaty and weightless. There is an usual newness to the environment that doesn't feel real.

Holy crap, how did I miss this growing up?! Thanks for sharing it!!

Feel like watching Alita vs a Zaku.

Old practical effects become endearing as they get older. I love 80s effects films (the thing 1982, the blob 1988, the gate 1987) and the old effects are either stunningly good or charmingly bad.

talking about practical effects, one genre comes to mind that lives and dies on selling the illusion of the effects: horror for better or for worse, people like to talk about the amount of blood being spilled in certain horror movies (peter jackson's dead alive comes to mind), or how convincing it is to see someone being dismembered limb by limb. I guess I don't need to say how unconvincing and shoddy it would look like if all this was done through CGI I think that's the advantage practical effects have above CGI: it sells you the storytelling in the best way. horror with practical effects really get the fear and terror across. sci-fi/fantasy movies with practical effects sell the scale/worldbuilding. sure, you'd still be in awe when it comes to CGI, but often the moment is over before it even starts

Amazing point of view, SFX are really a product of a creative vision. just pointing one thing, vinyl records are actually better sound sources than digital, for it being a physical analog to sound waves, not being a series of digital "sound frames". Besides that great video as whole, i love that era of film making. keep bringing this gold to the light.

As a person, who got himself into CG/VFX stuff, i got the exact same emotional resonance from appreciating tricks that went into making CG stuff. There is a lot of effort put to make everything made by hand - even when it's not really.

What I miss is the time when effects were a tool to tell the story -- not something you pull off only becaue you can. I have to think of a video on the channel "So Uncivilized", about the pratical effects in "Star Wars" when R2D2 was caught by the Jawas. The narrator says: "George Lucas did not do this to show a practical effect; he did this to show that R2 is in danger". In your example she does not pull out the lock to show a practical effect; she does it so that the audience knows how strong she is.

Awesome video! As someone who absolutely loves practical effects I feel really silly that I never herd of this film until now lol. I would also love to see a modern film with their big 200 million dollar budgets be created 100% with practical effects today. I will definitely be checking out I love Maria too, thanks for sharing!

CGI to filmmakers is like computers to graphic designers. Back in college professors told us to treat computers like a tool, that we should still rely mostly on hand crafting and use tech to merely better or deliver the final result.

Excellently put. The malaise and indifference the casual moviegoer feels is a direct result of filmmakers abusing techniques that don't exist in the scene with the talent. CGI is, in many ways, the safe and predictable path. The path of least resistance and the path of least risk. But, it turns out, for a visceral experience that engages the audience, it's best to embrace risk, unpredictability (like a real explosion), and capturing real moment in time.

I really liked the conclusion about creativity. That's also something I loved so much about the effects in Everything Everywhere all at Once. It didn't matter as much which effects were practical and which were CGI what mattered the most is how they were used, showing me things I had not seen before while at the same time working in the confinements of a relatively small budget

An excellent video essay on why older practical effects still ‘hold up’ and look magical. While older CGI often doesn’t. 👏

By the end I think you pretty accurately described why I love Nolan’s VFX. He only uses CG when he thinks there’s something that we haven’t seen before that can be done with it. Otherwise he does it practically since tactile known quantities are far more impressive when done for real.

Great to see you back man ! Practical effects are special, the obvious comparison to me is always the Lord of the rings trilogy vs the hobbit trilogy. There is such a huge difference between the two. Practical effects have a very tangible and timeless quality to them, something which CGI unfortunately can’t emulate ❤

Wild to see Tsui Hark and John Shum in there. I have to see this film.

Thank you for putting this together. I got introduced to this film in the 90s by a guy I knew who put out an Asian film review zine ( Asian Eye, Colin Geddes ) and to this day still thank him. It's just so good all the way to the last frame. Between this and the Mad Mission series, western films have a lot to make up for. Oversaturation and hyper-reality are mind blowing, but you can't beat the punch of bold simplicity, and a lot of heart. Subscribed. Please keep up the good work.

I remember buying this DVD at a shop in Chinatown just on the cover alone. Was not disappointed.

I had this discussion with a friend who was an engineering student. He couldn't see beyond the idea that newer is always better, and I suspect a lot of people do think that way because it's how we look at society: as moving forward, not backwards. Art doesn't really work this way though. New technology just creates new tools to fuel creativity, and of course everyone likes a new toy to play with, but in the long run it just joins the variety of toys and tools available. Movies are at their best combining different tools and their respective strengths to create the best effects.

If you are fan of old-school Practical sci-fi action, I would recommend checking out more classic tokusatsu, especially the work of directors like Keita Amemiya(Kamen Rider ZO, Mechanical Violator Hakaider). It's full of stuff like this and an absolute joy to watch! I will definitely have to check out these films as well. Some great points made in this video about the immersion gained from how much more methodical practical effects have to be compared to computer, and the comment abt how VFX are too complicated to be fully appreciated by the audience is interesting to think abt.

This is kind of the principle people like Eiji Tsubaraya worked on; they didn't want to emulate the real world; they wanted people to enjoy the fantasy; that's why when Tsubaraya released Ultraman, he called it "a special effects fantasy series." We know they are people in rubber suits fighting in miniatures, but we don't care because the effort feels so genuine that you enjoy it

Even so, I still think Practical Effects are way better than CGI. Great recommendation, AC! Keep up!

this is pretty relevant to the AI art and writing discussion too. art that is mass produced by copying other art rather than observing real life tends to be very superficial. contrast this to like photobashing or glitch art, which also use existing art but really put a lot of effort into making something new

Man, I was looking for this movie for like thirty years... Thank you so much!

Oh dang Jackie Chan. Fave actor who does his own stunts. You not only perceive his stunts to be real but you also feel them to be real because they're done mostly by him with practical fx.

This is an awesome video and a great discussion of the topic. I find that for whatever reason I am always able to suspend my disbelief and get into a film more when they use practical effects. I CAN believe the Muppets are real and I get a palpable thrill whenever The Wolf Man breaks through a door in the old Universal movies. The physicality of it always makes me excited. I can still enjoy the odd modern spectacle but usually the story has to match it, the modern Planet of the Apes films really worked for me as they combined a great story with modern spectacle.

The VFX in Chappie is so good, I can forgive the story

Practical and digital effects are both tools for the filmmakers. The result depends on how they are used. Practical effects also has its limitations, either due to certain artistic style or simply impossible logistics. I don't know if "thrilled" could be the word, but there are CGI explosions I found remarkable and in awe of --- The destruction of planet Jedha in 'Rogue One' and the hyperspace ram in 'The Last Jedi'.

Practical and CG-generated FX are tools. A good film maker knows both tools weaknesses and strengths and will use them accordingly. Just like in magic, you remember the bad ones more so than the ones done seamlessly, just like when most people point to CG FX they point out the bad/noticeable ones. When done well you don't notice it just like a perfectly executed magic trick. One is nither better or more special than the other. They're all tools and in that sense depend on the artist/filmmaker on how well the tool is used to execute a scene.

Director Tsui Hark used to be super-inspired in HK movie making. No idea what caused his creativity and final works went downhill in many levels after 2000s. He is probably the most versatile and courageous director tried to make every different theme of movies from ancient swordmen, modern gunfight to future cyberpunk in Asia filmmaking. He is fortunate to continue making movies but he no longer able to bring us awesomeness for many years. A respectful HK director who actually can acted very well too ~. He is a pure genius alive in our time.

Thank you so much for making a video about this movie, this looks like something i would've rented in my local video store when i was a kid

Bro, this channel is great. keep up the great work

Great video and great point about the uniqueness of a practical effect.

Man I’m so in love with this channel Recently I’ve been watching a lot of your videos and the only one missing for me is one where you talk about the video game SIFU from last year

I Love Maria is basically what happens when you adapt a manga panel 1 to 1 to live action with no limits on budget.

Movie had me at "arm rocket launcher" gonna try and watch it tonight!

the other thing about vfx is that you can always tell that its vfx because of how the lighting is applied and the animations, soon as a digital character or object moves you can tell it straight away since the motion is unrealistic

Some interesting points I wouldn't have thought of myself. Cool video.

ahh i just watched i love maria, love tsui hark wildly jumping from all time classics like once upon a time in china and peking opera blues to extremely silly schlock like this (complimentary). my personal favorite hk practical effects come from lam nai choi's the peacock king, so many creative effects in that

I love the practical robot in the Stallone Judge Dredd movie. That thing was just cool.

Thank you so much for bringing this movie into my life

I had a vague memory from 30+ years ago about a movie I watched on tv about a female robot shooting a missile into a robots chest. Didnt catch the name of the film, but that scene stuck with me. THIS IS IT!!

5:35 seeing Chow became Steve really burst juice out of my mouth 💀 damnit, that guy comedy never gets old

Ripping the lock out of the metal door looked amazing! In CGI it might've been a punch through the wall.

Another excellent video from your wonderful channel

Totally agree. And I love Maria is one of my fav movie. Watched this one as a kid and the robots fight blew me away. When I re-watched this one, I still find this movie charming.

Dude! The boss fight in Heroic Trio was freaking epic!

Thanks for awakening my childhood memory that I ever watched this! More 80/90s HK classic please!

Beautifully said

Thanks for this amazing hint! Looking forward to watch it!!!

Sometimes practical affects can look very bad, like hand puppets or prosthetic masks on actors. I think a middle ground is best, practical fx spiced up with cgi. Good examples imo include Mad Max Fury Road, Automata, Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, or even stop motion movies from Laika.

I agree with the idea that we enjoy practical effects in the same way we enjoy magic tricks. Trying to imagine how they did it is so much fun, and while cgi takes a lot of work and is always evolving, behind-the-scenes videos for practical effects are so much more fun than bts for cgi because bts for cgi pretty much all looks the same. It takes videos like "VFX artists react" to explain why vfx scenes are impressive, because at a glance, cgi looks relatively similar, while practical effects always keep you guessing.

Tarzan Gun fight is the bizarre and amazing concept ever.

Two thumbs up. Excellent break down on a film audiences expectations. I for one agree.

Everything on point!

9:23 hey the Valley of Gwangi! Ray Harryhausen is a legend.

I love practical effects! I'm always happy to see them in modern movies. The Mission Impossible series and the recent Top Gun come to mind.

I was just watching a video of yours when I received a notification that you posted a new one! You know how to read minds.

The villain mech looks like a kit bash of the Gunpla "Type Zaku II" (mech's from Gundam series)!

I think for me a lot of the time the *design* is the most exciting part. I like to see what the robot looks like, and in that sense it always feels like the heights of CGI are higher than the heights of practical effects. I've never seen a practical robot that looked better than Gypsy Danger, although modern Transformers have always looked ridiculous to me as well. I'm not that story oriented, I've often thought I'd love to see smaller studios get license to just produce the fight scenes from a popular book series. Instead of trying to re-imagine the series for film, instead just provide a visual supplement to the books. I usually just want to see a convincing portrayal, and in many cases practical effects are better, but in many cases they are worse.

Wow never heard of this film! Added it to my watchlist! Thanks for digging up this old gem.

I think the best mix of CGI and Practical effects in recent times is Shin Godzilla 2016. The CGI is not as flashy as Hollywood’s and used only in scenes where it needs to be. Plus it used a Japanese theater actor for modelling Godzilla’s movements.

I love this channel, you always discuss amazing topics and feature awesome movies many people haven’t heard of 🥰 10:38 I’m glad you mentioned this, as i was wondering if this movie was a Metropolis homage, not just in the robot’s design, but also the name Maria (the robot’s human version in the 1927 film). The 1991 movie “Robotrix” you mentioned is also a name sometimes used for the Maschinemensch… coincidence? 🤔 Also, the big robot reminds me of a Votoms Scopedog, so that’s cool too 😄

I still love the clumsy, slowly walking Robocop.

Holy Crap! How did I missed this one? I've seen lousier effects than this back in the days but this is actually amazing.

Always great videos. I see some Armored Trooper VOTOMS and Zaku from Gundam inspiration too.

clever analysis very insightful. clever channel name too.

Valid points and i have always felt the same regarding the practical VS CGI. Also cool movie!

I remember this watching in 1994 as a 2nd grade kid loved the movie and music , the camera work is amazing in this movie , cool soundtrack, even today I'm searching for its soundtrack

When I was a little boy in the 80's I watched this and 'Yes, Madam' with Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock.... All these years I never knew what the names of films were but I enjoyed them and searched for aaaaages. Thanks for finally giving me the name to this film.

I love "miniatures" in movies. My wife once said, "You can tell that is a miniature set". I said, "Exactly!'

terminator was and still is the perfect example of amazing practical effects

This video is SOOO friggin good man. Sheesh.

I was hoping you'd cover I Love Maria someday. It's soooo freakin' good! Tsui Hark was on fire through the 80s/90s. He is still one of my all-time favourite directors.

That big robot is giving me Zaku mobile suit vibes

Holy crap I saw this as a kid and new knew the name. THank You !

I Love Maria! Omg! I used to watch this as a kid on my Astro Wah Lai Toi TV! I’ll say this is pretty awesome considering that this is Hong Kong’s own Mecha show inspired by Japanese.

I loved the mad mission movies!!! Omg i have to look if they are online somewhere

My favorite special effects movie is Blood Debts, especially the ending!

I do digital FX and it never occured to me that most people don't break down visual FX the way I do (omg how did they do that?) and that's absolutely true. In practical FX for most audiences they'll think "how can I do that?" while in digital I only think this after years of doing it!

Thanks!

love from india ,bro ... i appreciate ur every video essay work .. thanks for sharing ,keep it up :)

Agree with your thesis 100%. I would also add that anyone who went out of their way to become a student of film, whether taking classes for this subject in any form (but especially in production), or pursuing this passion on their own from available sources at local libraries, the internet, or someone's personal collection on the subject, are far more likely to appreciate on a greater scale all that you covered here, and at the same time be more vocal about it in any medium in print or on screen. For the hand pushing through the "metal" door, pulling the lock through, do think it was foam rubber overlaid with something like aluminum foil to give the shot that "peeled back" metal effect? Thanks for this insightful video showcasing this fun film!

Honestly, this is why i love Hong Kong Cinema so much.. They got it all.