Tian tai ai qing

Considering the dearth of musicals in the Chinese movie industry and the surfeit of the usual CGI-ed Hollywood blockbusters, The Rooftop was a breath of fresh air! A simple storyline, with meticulous detail to the sets, props and costumes made for a very quirky, retro feel. This was aptly accompanied by the excellent score and soundtrack, all composed by the director and lead actor himself, the versatile multi-hyphenate Jay Chou, in a departure from his usual Mandopop fare. That, in itself, gives him points in my book; after all, how many directors can actually write all the music for their own movie?

Of course there was a star-crossed romance, coupled with the requisite funny sidekicks, various baddies and action scenes of the martial arts variety. True, the final sequence was a tad melodramatic but enough to keep me on edge until the very end. For me, the song-and-dance numbers were the main draw and I was not disappointed.

All in, it was a very entertaining two hours of being in Galilee City and I left the cinema with the tunes ringing in my ears and the scenes flitting across my mind. And an overpowering desire to watch again! (which I eventually did...and enjoyed it even more then!)