Title: “Super Me”

Release date: Movie was completed in early 2019 and released to festivals but did not debut in Chinese theaters until April of this year; streaming on Netflix on May 8, 2021

Directed by: Zhang Chong

Written by: Chong

Starring: Darren Wang, Jia Song, Shih-Chieh King, Bingkun Cao, Talu Wang, Gang Wu, Kevin Lee

Run time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Genres: Drama/fantasy

Rated: TV-14 (fear, language, smoking, some blood and violence)

Where I saw it: At home on my phone on a Sunday night, using the Netflix app, free with subscription

What it’s about: A struggling writer (Darren Wang as Sang Yu) realizes he inexplicably has the power to bring valuable items back from his dreams into the real world. But after he accumulates great wealth and gets the woman of his dreams (Song as Hua’er), his new life unravels.  

What I liked about it: Though it borrows heavily from “Jumper” and to a lesser extent the “Nightmare on Elm Street” horror series, “Super Me” takes a promising concept and runs with it, at least for a while. Chong’s movie is highly stylized and visually interesting, as various editing techniques (including the use of slow and fast motion) give it a hip aesthetic, almost “Matrix”-esque at times. The dream sequences – in which Sang Yu battles a demon who is shrouded in black smoke and tries to bring back ancient artifacts, cash or cars – are well executed and the movie’s strong suit. … Wang is solid in the lead role, a young man who doesn’t exactly handle his sudden riches well. And Sang Yu, of course, abuses his power. Cao’s San Ge, at first Sang Yu’s frustrated agent but later his sidekick when he becomes wealthy, is the most likable character in the film and provides nice comic relief.

What I didn’t like about: The ending. In fact, the entire final act. I have no idea what it meant, and it was ambiguous even before Chong apparently purposely went for all-out confusion with the final shot and a mid-credits scene. Sooooo, what did I just see, exactly? The final act was just messy, not nearly as focused as the setup or even the mid-movie romance angle, as the story veered into routine gang crime territory before the whole thing just sort of blew up. … Though it is better than the final act by default, “Super Me” started losing steam about the time Sang Yu decided to pursue his love interest, a coffee shop worker he had been stalking for some time (shades of Charlie and the waitress in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”). Sang Yu wins her over the old-fashioned way (wealth) and lies to cover the source of his riches. And the character of Hua’er is just sort of … there. Sang Yu falls for her for no apparent reason other than she is pretty and he felt sorry for her a long time ago. And though he credits her for turning his real-world life around, she literally does nothing that would warrant even his attention, let alone his undying love. … The music is all over the map (stylistically, the movie is too), with parts of the score sounding like something out of a Marvel movie and parts of it straight out of the “Top Gun” era. And then there’s some techno and Chinese pop thrown in for good (?) measure. The CGI also is wildly inconsistent, dazzling at points and embarrassingly bad at others.

Who it should appeal to: Mostly young adults; those who like the challenge of a confusing ending 

My score: 45 out of 100.