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====Part two====
====Part two====
The second installment garnered mixed reviews from critics, similar to its predecessor. In contrast to his review for part one, in which he called it a "misfire", Travis Wong of insing.com called part two a "perfect salute" and gave it 2 stars out of 5.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=insing.com |title=‘Ah Boys to Men Part 2’: A perfect salute |first=Travis |last=Wong |date=February 1, 2013 |accessdate=February 2, 2013 |url=http://news.insing.com/feature/ah-boys-to-men-part-2-movie-review/id-ed6b3f00 }}</ref> Mervin Tay of ''[[The New Paper]]'' said, among other things, that the second part "has the usual trappings of a Jack Neo movie, but with a context that will resonate with anyone who has been through national service, a rite of passage for all male Singaporeans and their families."<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=AsiaOne |turl=http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20130131-399197.html |first=Mervin |last=Tay |title=Movie review: Ah Boys to Men 2 (PG13) |date=February 2, 2013 |accessdate=February 2, 2013 }}</ref> ''TODAY''{{'s}} Christopher Toh wrote that it "isn't all bad but lacks a big payoff" and gave it 3 stars out of 5.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=TODAY |url=http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/review-ah-boys-men-part-2-pg13-113min |date=January 30, 2013 |first=Christopher |last=Toh |accessdate=February 2, 2013 |title=Review: Ah Boys To Men Part 2 (PG13, 113min) }}</ref> Gabriel Chong of Movie Exclusive gave it 3.5 stars. She said that it was not "a perfect movie by any measure", but that it "still manages to tap onto the perfectly relatable and uniquely Singaporean experience of BMT for a moving portrayal of the bond of brotherhood forged through that unforgettable rite of passage".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviexclusive.com/detail.php?c=35&desc=A&p=2109&t=ah-boys-to-men-2-26032208532749120256ii-2013_2109 |first=Gabriel |last=Chong |publisher=Movie Exclusive |title=AH BOYS TO MEN 2 (新兵正传II) (2013) |accessdate=February 2, 2013 }}</ref> Writing for ''F Movie Mag'' was Shawne Wang, who gave it a negative review of 1.5 stars out of a possible 5. He labelled it a "misfire in practically every way".<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=F*** |title=Ah Boys To Men Part 2 (新兵正传 II) - Review |url=http://www.fmoviemag.com/c/movies/item/1018-ah-boys-2-review |accessdate=February 3, 2013 |first=Shawne |last=Wang }}</ref> Dylan Tan of ''[[The Business Times]]'' felt that there was no improvement in the plot and it was the "same old drill".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/archive/saturday/lifestyle/cinema/same-old-drill-ah-boys-men-ii-20130201 |date=February 1, 2013 |accessdate=February 3, 2013 |title=Same old drill in Ah Boys to Men II |first=Dylan |last=Tan |newspaper=[[The Business Times]] }} {{subscription required}} </ref>
The second installment garnered mixed reviews from critics, similar to its predecessor. In contrast to his review for part one, in which he called it a "misfire", Travis Wong of insing.com called part two a "perfect salute" and gave it 2 stars out of 5.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=insing.com |title=‘Ah Boys to Men Part 2’: A perfect salute |first=Travis |last=Wong |date=February 1, 2013 |accessdate=February 2, 2013 |url=http://news.insing.com/feature/ah-boys-to-men-part-2-movie-review/id-ed6b3f00 }}</ref> Mervin Tay of ''[[The New Paper]]'' said, among other things, that the second part "has the usual trappings of a Jack Neo movie, but with a context that will resonate with anyone who has been through national service, a rite of passage for all male Singaporeans and their families."<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=AsiaOne |turl=http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20130131-399197.html |first=Mervin |last=Tay |title=Movie review: Ah Boys to Men 2 (PG13) |date=February 2, 2013 |accessdate=February 2, 2013 }}</ref> ''TODAY''{{'s}} Christopher Toh wrote that it "isn't all bad but lacks a big payoff" and gave it 3 stars out of 5.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=TODAY |url=http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/review-ah-boys-men-part-2-pg13-113min |date=January 30, 2013 |first=Christopher |last=Toh |accessdate=February 2, 2013 |title=Review: Ah Boys To Men Part 2 (PG13, 113min) }}</ref> Gabriel Chong of Movie Exclusive gave it 3.5 stars. She said that it was not "a perfect movie by any measure", but that it "still manages to tap onto the perfectly relatable and uniquely Singaporean experience of BMT for a moving portrayal of the bond of brotherhood forged through that unforgettable rite of passage".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviexclusive.com/detail.php?c=35&desc=A&p=2109&t=ah-boys-to-men-2-26032208532749120256ii-2013_2109 |first=Gabriel |last=Chong |publisher=Movie Exclusive |title=AH BOYS TO MEN 2 (新兵正传II) (2013) |accessdate=February 2, 2013 }}</ref> Writing for ''F Movie Mag'' was Shawne Wang, who gave it a negative review of 1.5 stars out of a possible 5. He labelled it a "misfire in practically every way".<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=F*** |title=Ah Boys To Men Part 2 (新兵正传 II) - Review |url=http://www.fmoviemag.com/c/movies/item/1018-ah-boys-2-review |accessdate=February 3, 2013 |first=Shawne |last=Wang }}</ref> Dylan Tan of ''[[The Business Times]]'' felt that there was no improvement in the plot and it was the "same old drill".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/archive/saturday/lifestyle/cinema/same-old-drill-ah-boys-men-ii-20130201 |date=February 1, 2013 |accessdate=February 3, 2013 |title=Same old drill in Ah Boys to Men II |first=Dylan |last=Tan |newspaper=[[The Business Times]] }} {{subscription required}} </ref>

====Local critics lacks the good sense and maturity to be a credible film critic====

Typical of local critics, who just criticise for the sake of criticising, or as many would characterise as a Singaporean trait of, complaining and whining, simply can't wait to regurgitate their limited critical responses. While, expressing their textbook style opnions and criticisms, many of them fail to contextualise the objective of the film and the audience it was targeted at. Shawne Wong writing for F Movie Mag, labelled the film a "misfire in practically every way", is a perfect example of textbook criticism, without providing any hint of a basis for his opinion. Did he not think that the many aspects of the film that depicted BMT training scenarios and the behaviours and reactions from the recruits, reflected any realism at all? I for one, and the thousands of other male citizens, who had been through BMT, would, I believe, disagree with Shawne. Hee En Ming of Fridae who dubbed the first film as "possibly the worst boot camp comedy ever", must have based his comparisons to the storytelling standards of overly dramatised hollywood films, again, comparing apples with oranges.

In my opinion, I think, both part one and two of the films were a really great effort put in by the film makers, and it was well worth my time and money spent to enjoy their products. Watching the film brought back memories of the my time spent in the army, strengthen my patriotism and made me feel more Singaporean. Does it rate at the level of films like Full Metal Jacket, An Officer and a Gentlemen? Perhaps not. Sure, the acting has room for improvement, the cgi effects can be sharpened further, and many other aspects of film making can surely be improved further, but overall, the story had been told in a way that was remarkably enjoyable, relatable, and touched the hearts and mind of many locals, and leaves many audience feeling light hearted and more cheerful at the end of the film.


===Box office===
===Box office===

Revision as of 01:59, 6 February 2013

Ah Boys to Men
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Neo
Written byJack Neo
Link Sng
Produced byJack Neo
Lim Teck
Leonard Lai
StarringJoshua Tan
Wang Wei Liang
Noah Yap
Maxi Lim
Richard Low
Irene Ang
Edited byYim Mun Chong
Music byTosh Zhang
Production
companies
J Team
mm2 Entertainment
Clover Films
Grand Brilliance
K Kopter
K&L Entertainment
Neo-Film
Sky Films
StarHub
Vividthree Production
Distributed byGolden Village Pictures
Clover Films
Release dates
  • November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06)
(Premiere)
  • November 8, 2012 (2012-11-08)
(Singapore)
Running time
113 minutes
CountrySingapore
LanguagesEnglish
Mandarin
Hokkien
BudgetS$3 million ($2.45 million; shared with part two)[1]
Box officeS$6.18 million[2]
Ah Boys to Men 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Neo
Written byJack Neo
Link Sng
Produced byJack Neo
Lim Teck
Leonard Lai
StarringJoshua Tan
Wang Wei Liang
Noah Yap
Maxi Lim
Richard Low
Irene Ang
Edited byYim Mun Chong
Music byTosh Zhang
Production
companies
J Team
mm2 Entertainment
Clover Films
Grand Brilliance
K Kopter
K&L Entertainment
Neo-Film
Sky Films
StarHub
Vividthree Production
Distributed byGolden Village Pictures
Clover Films
Release date
  • February 1, 2013 (2013-02-01)
(Singapore)
Running time
113 minutes
CountrySingapore
LanguagesEnglish
Mandarin
Hokkien
BudgetS$3 million ($2.45 million; shared with part one)[1]

Ah Boys to Men (simplified Chinese: 新兵正传; traditional Chinese: 新兵正傳; pinyin: xīnbīng zhèngzhuàn) is a 2012–2013 Singaporean two-part comedy film produced and directed by Jack Neo, written by Neo and Link Sng and starring Wang Wei Liang, Noah Yap, Joshua Tan and Maxi Lim. It revolves around a group of army recruits in National Service in Singapore.[3] The film consists of two cinematic parts, the first commercially released on November 8, 2012, and the second on February 1, 2013. In conjunction with the Ministry of Defence's 2012 NS45 campaign, From Fathers to Sons,[4] it is meant to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Singapore's National Service.[5] Ah Boys to Men is the first local film to be released in two parts and the first to film in Pulau Tekong.

Part one's box office revenue alone made it the highest-grossing Singaporean film of all time.

Plot

Part one

Part one of Ah Boys to Men opens with the Republic of Singapore apparently being under an immense terrorist attack, with iconic Singaporean landmarks (such as the Merlion and the Esplanade) coming under fire and many civilians killed brutally. It is later revealed that the war was fictitious setting of a war-based role-playing game played by Ken Chow (Joshua Tan), a rich and spoiled child reluctant to enlist into National Service. Ken plans to study abroad with his girlfriend (Qiu Qiu), but his plans are derailed by NS. As Ken leaves the gaming centre, his girlfriend chides him for his childishness. In a bid to prove his bravery, Ken kicks a rubbish bin, to be apprehended by two policemen in the vicinity, as his girlfriend walks away, disappointed and embarrassed. Back home, after being driven back by his father (Richard Low), Ken confides to his parents about his fears of National Service. His overprotective mother (Irene Ang) decides to help him think of ways to defer, but to no avail. Eventually, they are all forced to face the hard truth - there is no going against the law. The Chow family sadly send off Ken on the day of his enlisting. Thereafter, Ken and a few other recruits are assigned to Ninja Company (Platoon 2, Section 2) and are sent to their bunk and introduced to their Platoon Sergeant (Tosh Zhang), a portrayal of the tough-nails sergeant stereotype. Whilst waiting for the mandatory haircut, Ken gets to know a few people - "Lobang" (Wang Wei Liang), Aloysius Jing Sia-lan [Sia-lan being a reference to a crude Hokkien slang term meaning extreme disgrace] (Maxi Lim) and "I.P. Man" (Noah Yap).

After a two weeks' worth of training, Ken and the other recruits are allowed to book out. A lavish party is thrown to celebrate Ken's return, but his mood is ruined when he is shown a photo of his girlfriend with another man. Ken angrily confronts her and demands that they meet, which she agrees to. She later admits that she has fallen for another man and dumps Ken on the highway. Determined to win her back, Ken devises a plan to escape from Pulau Tekong and send her off, for he feels she is merely just testing him. Ken stops drinking water, in hopes to get a heat stroke, for which he would be sent home for ten days; he takes the extra measure of sleeping under a ceiling-fan after dousing himself in cold water. However, he gets into a situation worse than expected and he is quickly sent off to a hospital after collapsing during training. Ken's father is alerted of his son's critical condition while in a company meeting. He quickly drives off to the hospital, but the shock and strain is too much and suffers a heart attack while driving and violently collides with another vehicle.

Ken wakes up in the next scene, surrounded by his two sisters, in a hospital ward. He realises his foolish actions have caused much trouble for many people and cannot bear to face his father, who has survived the car crash and is recuperating in another ward in the same hospital. Awakened to reality, Ken is finally fit enough to go back to training. The episode ends at this junction, and snippets of the next episode are shown.

Part two

Coming to terms with his father's stroke (a result of a heart attack he suffered), Ken is quick to become an "on-the-ball" recruit, even more so than "Wayang King" Aloysius, and gets into a conflict with Lobang that turns violent later on and ultimately tests their friendship. Meanwhile, Recruit IP Man ropes in his section mates to seek revenge on the man who stole his girlfriend.

Cast

Blogger Mrbrown, who played a minor role as an army captain in Ah Boys to Men
  • Joshua Tan as Ken Chow:[6]
The film's protagonist, a spoilt teenager who dislikes the Army and is reluctant to enlist as he wants to study abroad with his girlfriend. Tan, originally from Australia, previously encountered a similar situation faced by his character in real life, when plans with his girlfriend were derailed by his mandatory NS.[6]
  • Maxi Lim as Aloysius Jin a.k.a "Wayang King"[6]
  • Wang Wei Liang as Bang "Lobang" Lee Onn[7]
  • Noah Yap as Man In Ping a.k.a IP Man:[8]
Bunk mate of Ken's. A certain scene required Yap to kiss co-star Tan's buttocks; Yap, though, did not find doing so uncomfortable. He said: "It's all acting. For me it [the scene] wasn't difficult … not that I have worked with a bare ass before."[9]
Ken's overprotective mother, who takes extreme measures to try and get her son out of the army, but to no avail.
  • Wang Lei as Ken's uncle:[12]
A former army storekeeper who shares with Ken stories of his childhood days.
  • Tony Koh as Ken's second uncle
  • Lee Kin Mun, better known as mrbrown,[13] as an Army Captain:[6]
It is his first film role.[14] For the role, he was made to go through "physical torture".[15] At a press conference for part two, Lee said that he had to run 'more than he ever did in his entire life.'[14]
  • Qiu Qiu as Ken Chow's teenage girlfriend:[16]
  • Tosh Rock Zhang as Sergeant Ong:[17]
A stern platoon sergeant in charge of Ninja Company. Neo offered Zhang the role after viewing his vlogs. Said Neo of Zhang:[18]
"He is eloquent, has musical talent and acts well, too. It is rare to have such a unique all-rounder."
Initially supposed to attend a film course at Deakin University in Melbourne, Victoria, Zhang deferred to shoot Ah Boys to Men and subsequently turned down his place at the university.[18] Following the release of part one of Ah Boys to Men, he was nominated for The New Paper's 2012 Breakout Star award, a subcategory of the newspaper's annual Flame Awards.[19] Zhang eventually won.[18]
  • Luke Lee[20] as Sergeant Jed Heng
  • Ridhwan Azman[21]
  • Aizuddiin Nasser as Muthu
  • Fish Chaar as Officer Commanding
  • Ryan Chioh, Douglas Foo, Lawrence Kim, Jaz Lai and Bennett Neo as army reservists[22]
  • Chen Tianwen as Aloysius' father
  • Benjamin Mok as Zheng Zhi Dan:
An "Ah Beng" who stole IP Man's girlfriend

Themes

Emotional issues that recruits experience for a long period of time, such as not being able to be that in touch with kins are tackled in part one.[23] It also pokes fun into many infamous incidents related to the Singapore Army by parodying these events.

Part two focused more on the unity of the protagonists.[24] It gave "a stronger story than its predecessor",[25] and had a "more meaty" drama aspect,[26] according to Jack Neo.

Production

Some of the cast and the director at a roadshow in Chinatown (L-R): Actors Wang Wei Liang, Joshua Tan, Ridhwan Azman, Tosh Zhang and director Jack Neo

Development

Neo was originally approached by MINDEF to edit footages from the 2010 documentary Every Singaporean Son into a film. After much deliberation, Neo decided to not use the footages and instead write a brand new script.[27] The production received the full support from MINDEF to shoot the film; they were provided access to vehicles, equipment and weapons as well as on-site consultants.[28] Neo did not accept financial funding from MINDEF as he wanted to retain full control of the creative process. The film was funded by investors and sponsors, some of which included Toast Box, Bee Cheng Hiang and KPMG.[29]

Research for the film alone took around two and a half months.[30] Neo said the decision to break the film into two parts was made after the distributors told him to keep the films 100 minutes in length, as any longer and it would have been more expensive and difficult to schedule.[5]

Parts One and Two actually tell one entire story, but we had to cut the film into two because it was running too long. You’ll only really understand the whole story if you watch Part Two.

— Jack Neo, cited in [31]

With a budget of S$3 million, Ah Boys to Men is Singapore's most expensive film.[32]

Casting

Casting began in March 2012. Neo initially wanted to include regulars like Shawn Lee and Joshua Ang, but ultimately decided not to, so as to give the audience a completely new feel.[33] Approximately 500 auditioned for the lead roles.[34] For this project, Neo wanted to work with bloggers[35] and getai singers to create a new platform for acting.[36] Many prominent businessmen in Singapore, such as Kenny Yap, executive chairman of Qian Hu Corporation, were also invited to make cameo appearances.[22]

Crew

Ah Boys to Men was directed by Jack Neo[37] and the script was written by Neo[38] and Link Sng.[12] Neo and Lim Teck served as producers,[39] while Neo's wife Irene Kng, along with Mang, Teck, Tengku Iesta, Tengku Alaudin, Kenny Chua, William Sin, Dominic Inn, Tan Tong Hai, Eric Liang and Sky Li Yunfei, served as executive producers.[40]

Filming

Robinson Road was one of the film's practical locations. An estimated S$100,000 was spent filming there.[34]

As part of preparation for the film, the cast members underwent a two-day Basic Military Training familiarisation course,[41] which was, to one of the stars, Tosh Zhang, "as tough as what we really went through during national service."[42] Filming took place mostly in Pulau Tekong (which is used exclusively as a training base for various Singapore Army units and home to the Basic Military Training Centre), making Ah Boys to Men the first film to have filmed there.[43] 35 days were spent filming there.[44] Other filming locations included Robinson Road, which was used for a major war scene and specially sealed off to the public for a day to allow the crew to film.[44] Neo was warned beforehand that destruction of the road would cost him to be fined.[45] A certain fight scene set in a restaurant, which involved ten actors, took a night to finish filming.[24] Filming in total took seventy days to finish.[42]

Effects

For the opening scenes, in which many landmarks in Singapore were destroyed, computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used to create the explosions.[46] Neo's insistence to use real weapons and pyrotechnics for the shooting of the CGI-war sequences, despite the high cost, was due to him wanting to provide a "new feel" for the audience.[47] The film features Dolby Atmos surround sound, the first South-East Asian film to do so.[48][49]

Music

Theme song

The official theme song of Ah Boys to Men, titled "Recruits' Anthem", was written, composed and performed by Tosh Rock Zhang, a YouTube personality and also one of the cast. Most of the song was written during filming in Pulau Tekong. Initially rejected by director Jack Neo twice,[17] it was first uploaded on YouTube, accompanied with an official music video, prior to the release of the film. Reception to "Recruits' Anthem" was overwhelmingly positive[50] and within a month of its uploading, it grossed 610,000 hits.[8]

Release

Ah Boys to Men is the first Singaporean film to be released in two parts.[43]

Part one of the film premiered on November 6, 2012[51] at the Golden Village Multiplex.[49] It was first commercially released in Singapore on November 8, 2012[6] and it opened in Malaysian cinemas on December 20, 2012.[45] Discussions with film distributors in Hong Kong are ongoing.[52]

The trailer for part two was showcased at the Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore 2012 from December 4, 2012 to December 7, 2012.[53][54][55] Within a week of its upload online, the trailer had already amassed approximately 20 million views.[56] Earlier reports gave the release date for the full film as January 31, 2013[57] and February 7, 2013.[58][59] However, the official commercial release date for part two in Singaporean cinemas was later confirmed as February 1, 2013.[26][60] Part two of Ah Boys to Men premiered on January 30, 2013, two days before its commercial release, at the Festive Grand Theatre at Resorts World Sentosa – the first local film to do so.[61]

Marketing

In December 2012, it was announced at the Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore 2012 conference that STAR Chinese Movies had acquired pay television rights to Ah Boys to Men in certain territories in Southeast Asia, in a deal with Clover Films, one of the film's distributors and production companies, for an undisclosed price.[62]

Reception

Critical response

Part one

The first film has received mixed reviews from critics. Kwok Kar Peng of The New Paper commented on the lengthiness of the film, also expressing his opinion that it seemed like an advertisement for the Singapore Army, but added that it had "its good points".[11] TODAY 's Christopher Toh, gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and criticised the over-use of CGI "that makes Doctor Who blush" though he commended the acting skills of the lead cast.[63] Vanessa Tai, also from TODAY, felt that some of the jokes in the film were "sexist" and concluded that it might create a bad impression for the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces).[64] In response, Neo stated that the "sexist" jokes were existent within the Army and were common.[65] Gary Chua, also from TODAY, in response to the review by Tai, voiced out his disagreement. He felt that the film had instead done the SAF proud.[66] F Movie Mag's review took issue with its excessive length, as well as its sense of incompleteness, though it also praised the director, as well as the energetic performance of the actors.[48] Travis Wong of inSing.com gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, criticising the "obnoxious product placement" and the rehashing of past jokes.[67] Hee En Ming of Fridae dubbed Ah Boys to Men as "possibly the worst boot camp comedy ever", reserving only negative feedback for it.[12] At the National Day Rally 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong complimented Neo on the film.[68]

Part two

The second installment garnered mixed reviews from critics, similar to its predecessor. In contrast to his review for part one, in which he called it a "misfire", Travis Wong of insing.com called part two a "perfect salute" and gave it 2 stars out of 5.[69] Mervin Tay of The New Paper said, among other things, that the second part "has the usual trappings of a Jack Neo movie, but with a context that will resonate with anyone who has been through national service, a rite of passage for all male Singaporeans and their families."[70] TODAY's Christopher Toh wrote that it "isn't all bad but lacks a big payoff" and gave it 3 stars out of 5.[71] Gabriel Chong of Movie Exclusive gave it 3.5 stars. She said that it was not "a perfect movie by any measure", but that it "still manages to tap onto the perfectly relatable and uniquely Singaporean experience of BMT for a moving portrayal of the bond of brotherhood forged through that unforgettable rite of passage".[72] Writing for F Movie Mag was Shawne Wang, who gave it a negative review of 1.5 stars out of a possible 5. He labelled it a "misfire in practically every way".[73] Dylan Tan of The Business Times felt that there was no improvement in the plot and it was the "same old drill".[74]

Local critics lacks the good sense and maturity to be a credible film critic

Typical of local critics, who just criticise for the sake of criticising, or as many would characterise as a Singaporean trait of, complaining and whining, simply can't wait to regurgitate their limited critical responses. While, expressing their textbook style opnions and criticisms, many of them fail to contextualise the objective of the film and the audience it was targeted at. Shawne Wong writing for F Movie Mag, labelled the film a "misfire in practically every way", is a perfect example of textbook criticism, without providing any hint of a basis for his opinion. Did he not think that the many aspects of the film that depicted BMT training scenarios and the behaviours and reactions from the recruits, reflected any realism at all? I for one, and the thousands of other male citizens, who had been through BMT, would, I believe, disagree with Shawne. Hee En Ming of Fridae who dubbed the first film as "possibly the worst boot camp comedy ever", must have based his comparisons to the storytelling standards of overly dramatised hollywood films, again, comparing apples with oranges.

In my opinion, I think, both part one and two of the films were a really great effort put in by the film makers, and it was well worth my time and money spent to enjoy their products. Watching the film brought back memories of the my time spent in the army, strengthen my patriotism and made me feel more Singaporean. Does it rate at the level of films like Full Metal Jacket, An Officer and a Gentlemen? Perhaps not. Sure, the acting has room for improvement, the cgi effects can be sharpened further, and many other aspects of film making can surely be improved further, but overall, the story had been told in a way that was remarkably enjoyable, relatable, and touched the hearts and mind of many locals, and leaves many audience feeling light hearted and more cheerful at the end of the film.

Box office

Domestic

Part one of Ah Boys to Men grossed S$6.18 million dollars domestically.[2] It earned S$234,000 on its opening day[52] and took the number one spot in its opening weekend, earning S$1,509,422 at the box office.[75] It broke the record for the biggest opening weekend for local productions, a record previously held by Neo's earlier film Ah Long Pte Ltd (S$1.484 million) in 2008,[76] as well as that for the biggest opening-day box-office result for a local film outside of the Chinese New Year season.[77] The first Asian movie to top the Singapore box office since November 2011,[78] it passed the S$5 million mark on November 29, 2012, the second Singaporean film to do so,[25] and has become Singapore's second-highest grossing film, overtaking the previous record holder, Money No Enough 2 (2008), which was also directed by Neo.[79] On December 17, 2012, Ah Boys to Men became the highest-grossing Singaporean film, having already took in S$6.03 million, surpassing Money No Enough (1998), the previous record holder and another work of Neo's.[80] Neo said in response to the milestone: "I've waited 12 years to be able to make a film that can beat Money No Enough. I'm so glad that the day has finally come."[81] Because of that, Neo said that he and the cast will skinny dip,[82] tentatively in the Singapore River, as he had earlier promised.[31] However, not all of the cast were comfortable with the prospect of skinny dipping. Tosh Zhang said he was a bit reluctant to do so, but would go along, seeing that majority would be doing so.[83]

Buoyed by the first installment's box office success, Neo has anticipated that the second part would "do much better than the first one".[65] At a press conference for part two of Ah Boys to Men, Neo said: "I anticipate that Part 2 will do much better than the first one and I hope that we will hit S$7 million this time."[65]

Part two out-grossed part one in terms of opening weekend earnings; it earned S$1.51 million dollars in its opening weekend, thus breaking the record for the highest box office earnings for local productions, which was previously set by part one in 2012.[84]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Frater, Patrick (November 12, 2012). "Neo's army comedy shoots down Bond". Film Business Asia. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Chan, Boon (January 8, 2013). "Superhero flicks and Jack Neo movies ruled last year's box office". The Straits Times. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  3. ^ Wai Yee, Yip (November 6, 2012). "Jack Neo: I had to train a whole bunch of newbies from scratch". The Straits Times. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  4. ^ "Movie Review: Jack Neo's "Ah Boys to Men"". Channel Raw. November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Chou, Han Wei (July 20, 2012). "Jack Neo takes a gamble on S$3m new film "Ah Boys to Men"". Channel News Asia. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Sherlyn Quek (July 19, 2012). "Growing up from "Ah Boys" to men". Ministry of Defence, Singapore. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  7. ^ Loh, Genevieve (September 12, 2012). "Three to see: Turning boys into men". TODAY. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Kit Yan, Seto (December 13, 2012). "Boys don't cry". The Star. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  9. ^ Wei Chou, Han (January 31, 2013). "Joshua Tan: No more butts". Channel News Asia. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ "Irene Ang Stars in Jack Neo's Latest – Ah Boys to Men". FLY Entertainment. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Kar Peng, Kwok (November 10, 2012). "Movie review: Ah Boys To Men Part 1". The New Paper. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Hee En Ming (November 14, 2012). "Ah Boys to Men". Fridae. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
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