3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (2011)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

3D SEX AND ZEN: EXTREME ECSTASY. It's difficult to know what to make of a film with a title like that. It's just so, well, in your face...as are the 3D effects in this film. 3D is showcased throughout, and it comes in the form of some very, very poor CGI. CGI penises, CGI gore effects, they're all presence and correct here and all very silly and fake-looking, but I guess that's part of the charm.The meandering storyline involves a spoilt young man who marries a beautiful woman but fails to satisfy her in the bedroom. Frustrated, he falls in with an evil brothel keeper who arranges for him to have a penis transplant. Madness ensues, in a plot incorporating transgender villains, rape, sexual torture, and a military coup. None of it makes much sense, and the acting is very poor indeed, apart from the chief villain who looks like he stepped in from an old Five Venoms movie.What 3D SEX AND ZEN does offer is an endless array of sex scenes, almost all of them involving topless nudity. The actresses are certainly game for a laugh, but it's difficult to identify just what sort of film the producers were trying to make. As a comedy it works in places but the proliferation of rape stuff in the second half makes it hard to stomach, and as a serious drama the character motivations are laughable. It's an oddity all right.

Apparently this did beat Avatar at the Chinese Box Office, so they can't have been that wrong now, can they? Of course "Sex and Zen" seems to be a popular movie series in general in Chinese movie history. Though I haven't seen any other of those movies (this actually played at the Fantasy Filmfest), I can't tell you if it's true that they took the "best bits" from previous movies and put them together here. What I can tell you though, is that this should be taken for what it is: a strange little erotic comedy.If you can wrap your head around that, there are quite a few OTT moments to "enjoy" here. Until the end of the movie, they never cease to come up with something even more ridiculous than what they've shown you before. Again just don't take it seriously and have a hoot (whole cinema was laughing) and don't mind the "message" at the end of the movie (though it is kind of a nice touch ... no pun intended).

The film is promoted as the first 3D porn to attract viewers, it is no doubt a very smart way of making $$ for the movie company, but I think those who pay to watch the film should totally readjust the mindset going into this film.If you are expecting lots of sex scenes and expecting inappropriate things flying 3D in your face, you are asking for too much. When I bought the ticket to watch this film, I totally expected this to be a nonsense comedy that doesn't really make much sense.When you take that approach I think this film is way more enjoyable. I find it quite entertaining and laughable at some scenes (so are fellow viewers, who couldn't stop laughing at some scenes), and even though a little cheesy, there is a theme into it.Thing I give big thumbs up are the costumes and props, it makes me realize the producer is taking this film very seriously instead of just a low budget stupid movie. The musical department also deserves lots of credit as the sex scenes are quite steamy because of the background music they use.Again, this is NOT an artistic film, just take it as a bubble gum film that makes you laugh for 2 hours.

Long before 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy begins the filming, it has drawn the media's attention for being Hong Kong's first 3D pornography feature. While South Korea comes out with Natali 3D (2010) before 3D Sex and Zen goes on a general release in April 2011, 3D Sex and Zen has proved to give audience the better deal. First time director Christopher Sun has created a sensation when 3D Sex and Zen opens in cinemas. The 3D erotica could have been better, but nonetheless it is a good try.Loosely based on Qing Dyansty's erotic literature, The Carnal Prayer Mat, together with partial adaptation from Sex and Zen 1991 (featuring Amy Yip, Hong Kong's famous sex bomb in the 1990's taking the leading role), 3D Sex and Zen offers a story of eroticism with morality, in which both areas could have strike a better balance.The story begins with Wei Yangsheng (Hiro Hayama), a scholar who believes that life is full of pleasure. He marries Tie Yuxiang (Lan Yan), the beautiful daughter of Tie Fei, the Taoist priest. However, as Tie Yuxiang knew nothing about sex life, Wei Yangsheng finds his marriage a dull and boring commitment. Upon introduction from a good friend, he was invited to Prince Ning's Chamber of Pleasure, in which he was introduced to two beauties: Rui Zhu (Saori Hara), a highly skilled courtesan in methods of pleasure; Dong Mei (Yukiko Suo), who gains only pleasure thru infliction of physical pain. With the help of Pleasure Old Man, who appears as a young beauty (Vonnie Lui), Wei Yangsheng spend his days in Chamber of Pleasure, drowning in sexual pleasures. This is the beginning of the trap he was lead into, while he was collecting evidences against Prince Ning's corruption.3D Sex and Zen has succeed in selling itself as a movie with plenty of nudity, sexual inter courses, lesbianism and sadomasochism. It also touches on taboos in Asian country such as sex and religion. However, it failed to live up to it's hype of presenting sex in an eye popping 3D. What audience get to see for the 3D effects are, sad to say, items flying over to the eyes of the audience. Unlike Hollywood 3D slasher flicks such as SAW 3D (2010), My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) and Final Destination 3D (2009) which promises audience with blood and gore right in front of their eyes, audience for 3D Sex and Zen got themselves with only mahjong tiles, bullets and knives flying towards the audience. The only eye popping scene audience saw was the upper nudity made by Vonnie Lui. As a movie claiming to sell eye popping sex in 3D, it has not really lived up to its hype.Most of sexual scenes and nudity appears in clear images when 3D glasses are put on, but the eye popping visuals are simply lacking. Another area that is worth mentioning in a rather negative way is 3D Sex and Zen contains a fair amount of violence and gore than sex and nudity. Be prepare to see decapitation if you are not ready for it.The flow of the story could have been better, in terms on how 3D Sex and Zen was presented. The flow is rather weak, with much details missing from the movie. More details could have been used to beef up the weak storyline, such as how Wei Yangsheng and Tie Yuxiang trying to salvage their failing marriage towards the end of the movie.Though 3D Sex and Zen are not totally based on The Carnal Prayer Mat, what audience will like to see is how filmmakers can do a full adaptation of The Carnal Prayer Mat, which serves as more than just a tale of eroticism. It is a tale of morality that serves as a warning on sins and retribution. 3D Sex and Zen managed to carry the message across the film, but the fair amount of violence and gore seems to hinder the way the message are meant to be presented.To sum up, for audience who wants a more detailed story, they can consider the 135 minutes extended version on blu-ray release. 3D Sex and Zen could have improved by beefing up the storyline, which gives audience more pleasure than confusion.