Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

JoeytheBrit Hong Kong used to be seen as the home of unintentionally comical chop-socky movies of interest only to kung-fu freaks and those too lazy to reach for the remote and, while that's not a fair assessment of that country's current output, it's not a totally undeserved one concerning its past. So it makes a refreshing change to see that Hong Kong – along with other Asian countries – has begun producing stylish and energetic efforts like 2000AD. Hollywood is obviously a major influence on this film – not least in the fact that the writing credits are shared between director Gordon Chan and American screenwriter Stu Zicherman (Chan took Zicherman's English screenplay and translated it into Chinese, although chunks of English dialogue remain). The storyline is typical Hollywood high-tech nonsense, but it's engaging and exciting, and injects high-adrenaline action sequences that match anything that has come out of the States – or anywhere else for that matter – in the last ten years.The complicated storyline focuses on Peter Li (Aaron Kwok), an immature, bespectacled computer geek, who quickly matures after witnessing the assassination of his older brother while in police custody, and finds himself sucked into an ever-widening morass of lies and deceit as he struggles to identify the killers. Able to trust only a handful of the numerous characters offering him support in the aftermath of his brother's murder, Peter soon finds himself the target of the assassins, and becomes immersed in a world that mirrors that depicted in the video games at which he is so adept.The core of the plot regards the search for a computer program that can destroy the world's computer network with the press of a laptop button, but that's really just a plot device from which an explosive cocktail of explosions, shoot-outs, car chases and fist fights are developed. The story starts slowly, introducing us to a bewildering array of characters that take some little while to sort out, and it's only after the first thirty minutes that the action kicks in. Despite this, it has to be said there's not a lot of character development going on in those first thirty minutes: Peter transforms into a grim-faced avenger, mysteriously jettisoning his geeky spectacles, and adopting a sort of Bruce Lee persona that never quite rings true; but, apart from thirty-eight-year-old Kenneth Ng, who delivers a superbly understated performance in the regrettably small role of Officer Ng, a senior police officer approaching his sixties, the other characters are nothing more than cardboard cut-outs – especially Janet (the wonderfully named Gigi Choi), Peter's girlfriend, who is given absolutely nothing to do throughout the entire picture.But, then, since when was characterisation allowed to get in the way of an action flick? Chan hasn't set out to create true-to-life people in a true-to-life world; he's attempted to recreate the breathless, high-speed pace of a video game, one in which his hero has to ascend various levels before the game can be completed ("This isn't a game", says Ng at one point, "you can't start over again").Director Chan, an insolent little brother to the Hollywood high-rollers, delivers the breathtaking action sequences with no little style, eschewing the slow-motion ballet so beloved of John Woo and his many pale imitators (who now, ironically, count Woo amongst their number) for furiously kinetic displays of concentrated carnage. Chan's gun-battles somehow manage to illustrate the brutal violence and terrifying confusion of the moment without confusing the viewer, and he stages each massacre with flair and purpose and attention to detail that is unusual (the car park shootout is actually a homage to the notion of the samurai's sacrificing of their lives in Kurosawa's Ran). True, he overplays his hand, leaving little for the disappointing showdown with the villainous 'cowboy' (another dig at Hollywood?), and some loose ends are left hanging (presumably for a sequel that has so far failed to materialise), but if what has gone before hasn't left your appetite sated then you've probably never seen an action movie you've liked.

Wilson W Ever since John Woo, Tsui Hark, and Ringo Lam left Hong Kong for Hollywood, there's been other directors trying to fill their shoes (even though Hark and Lam came back to Hong Kong recently). Gordon Chan is one of the directors to fill in the shoes along with Wong Kar Wai to make Hong Kong films just as good as their predecessors.I read an interesting article about Gordon Chan. It talked about the shooting a movie in Hong Kong is really quick and fast. A lot of the action movies would be heavy in action sequences but lacking in character development and story. For example Tsui Hark's "Time and Tide" and Benny Chan's "Gen X Cops". Chan wanted to bring back the slower approach of filmmaking that was done by John Woo. John Woo would take months compared to the other directors who would take a few weeks to direct a film. With the slower approach, there would be more depth in the story and the action scenes. This film is a good example of that.The action scenes are incredible! The shootouts remind me of the shootout in Michael Mann's "Heat". The characters were very intriguing like Aaron Kwok's character Peter, who is introduced as a guy who doesn't seem to have direction in his life. Peter's computer company is failing, but doesn't seem to care because he spends his time playing video games and wasting his money. His older brother, Greg would look after him and from time to time give him money so Peter can get back on his feet again. Later in the story, Greg gets killed and you see the transition that Peter makes. He quickly grows up and becomes more responsible. What drives him is to found out who killed his brother and why. The other character I found intriguing was Francis Ng's character as a GSU agent. He's a cop with morals and has a lot of experience. The score really sets the mood of the movie and it reminds me a bit of "Heat". Overall very good performances by everyone.The only flaws was the realism. I know it's a Hong Kong action flick but why does everyone seem to know Martial Arts in this movie? Peter who is suppose to be a computer programmer and how the hell does he know Kung Fu? The other thing that bugged me was it seem to be too many characters sometimes. It was a bit hard to follow what's going on but not as bad as "Time and Tide". I really enjoyed "2000 AD" and I'm looking forward to watching Gordon Chan's "Beast Cops". I heard that it was better than this one. So I really can't wait. So if you wanna enjoy a solid Hong Kong action flick go watch this one.

SkylessWing In 2000 AD Aaron Kwok plays a computer games developer/dealer, who's brother inadvertenlty lands him in trouble over a computer bomb.The film centres around Kwok trying to find the bomb while avoiding terrorists and wondering who to trust, which thankfully delivers many thrilling and sometimes violent action set pieces set in Hong Kong and Singapore.The films structure is odd, with some scenes having nothing to do with the film at all. Gordon Chans directing is commendable, though varies during the film. In the first action set piece he cleverly uses black & white slo mo shots to enhance the emotional and violent impact of the scene, but this technique is abandoned for the rest of the action scenes. The rest of the action seems to be shot with steady cam giving an arthouse feel. But then he gives us an almost MTV car chase.On the whole 2000 AD is a very good film. Aaron Kwok does a very good job as the confused Peter, and Francis Ng is excellent as the dry witted law enforcer.

amir-22 For a movie hyped for its SFX and action scenes, this one felt more like a TV movie. There are, to be sure, some nice fight sequences (in a carpark; along the Singapore river; on a Hong Kong street) and Aaron Kwok is likable enough, but everything else just limps along, from its hokey laptop-that-can-destroy-civilisation-as-we-know-it plot device to its bland photography to its lame climax. I recommend another Hong Kong blockbuster from this year, TOKYO RAIDERS instead, which has more charm & suspense in its opening sequence than 2000AD has in its entire (heavily padded) duration.