I love movies so when The Mermaid was tearing up world wide box office numbers I paid attention. Of course I had to see this movie! At the very least this foreign movie would get a US release with the amount it was making? Well I did find it at the Redbox to rent. So that's something! Monster Hunt never made the Redbox release, even though at the time it was the highest grossing Chinese film. Well as of April 2016 The Mermaid is China's new highest grossing film. That said the instant the movie started up it only took me a few moments to be utterly disappointed. Of course I then immediately got why it was popular. Disappointed, but I got it. Visually . . . that was probably my biggest disappointment. Because after reading the synopsis for the movie, I anticipated that this would be kind of standard old school plot for a rom com in the Asian market. What would make it great was the visuals of the mermaids. Well it was bad. China has some of the top graphics out there. They've been doing high tech stuff well before Disney asked them to make their bubbles for The Little Mermaid. So I figured China's mermaids would look stunning. Well I found the tails and one octopus man to look horrible CGI fake. Not to mention the action scenes. I've become spoiled with my affects and it took me a while to adjust. Even then there were so many awkward movie graphics that would still catch me by surprise. (Though I do believe the grandma mermaid was stunning. Especially in the fight at the end.) As I've said the story was nothing new. It was pretty typical. Characters who hate/want to kill someone and have them fall in love, that's so dramas! What made it stand out was the message behind it. I'm sure you can guess it's an environmental one, but it's a message always worth repeating. I won't lie I had a good time. Even my dad (yes once I rented it and realized there were dubs I made my mom and dad sit through it with me) laughed at the antics. Whether it was from genuine laughter at it's cleverness, or the cop-actor who knocked it out of the park, or the sheer painfulness from some of the more awkward bits we laughed. The actors were pretty good. I think the stand out performance was by one of the cops at the police station. (When he's first on screen he's the one on the right. Sorry I had a really tough time finding information.) Even both my parents commented on him. Liu Xuan would be my second choice, his character really came to life. He was so awkward and suave, even creepy. Strangely enough my heart gave a little jump when he spoke his cheesy lines to Shan (AKA THE mermaid). Shan and Liu Xuan where cute together. I think both leading ladies brought great energy to their roles. Though considering I'm more interested in finding out who played the cop, it had it's limits. Music was fun, but not a style I particular care for. Most of the time I didn't think it fit the movie. (Since I keep mentioning my parents I reveal they didn't care for it at all!) No, I won't be seeking this particular OST out. Rewatch? Oh, you betcha I will! This was one of those over the top movies that will make me laugh off any funky mood. Heck, I'll probably rewatch it with unsuspecting friends just to watch their reactions. When the credits started rolling my dad turned and looked at me saying, "The Chinese have a lot to learn about movies." To which I said, "But they know! They make amazing movies, this is just on the campy side." The kind that a lot of US viewers stereotype Asian films to. Despite many already seeing some of the more serious ones. (Come on Crouching Tiger anyone?) Newbies to foreign films, especially the Asian stuff, should be warned. For the rest of us just know that it's way over the top. Personally I'm happy I watched it. It put a smile on my face and my parents will be making "plucking" jokes for many months to come. (Oh, and in all fairness I have seen way crazier films come out in the US. To which my dad conceded the creepy clown movie we just watched last week and many others.)