Full disclosure: I went into this film knowing nothing about the cult Hong Kong TV show that serves as a prequel to this sci‑fi action movie. Because of that, it would be unfair to judge certain narrative elements that are clearly meant for viewers already familiar with the source material and its lore.

That said, and with a heads‑up to potential viewers to avoid watching it as a stand‑alone film, it is impossible not to feel that the CGI is, for the most part, embarrassingly bad and that the melodrama surrounding the characters is far too cheesy. Its quirkiness does not help either, although it becomes slightly more bearable once snippets of the original series appear as flashbacks, making it clear that this is very much the intended tone. The same applies to the other two elements mentioned above, but they still provoke more eye‑rolling than anything remotely endearing.