As mentioned in many other reviews, there are many flaws in this movie. Yet, it was still very popular among Hongkongers at the time it was released.
To understand this, one cannot only look at the movie (and the previous TV series), but need to look at Hong Kong's society. There was not much TV series or movies that could reflect what Hongkongers faced. People found elements in their lives incorporated into this movie, social activism (ironically due to click-bait news and lazy-bags), online forums, KOLs, social injustices... These are not often visible in movies and TV series.
People felt like past injustices have been represented and recognized on screen, and that sense of being acknowledged is very rare nowadays. Watching this movie in 2021, I can still identify many elements, many lines that resonates with me, and that itself is very valuable.
Of course, there are many places that can be done better, for example the actor acting the father of the dead girl felt a bit weird, the shot keep circling the actor in the final scene, several plot holes... But to audience, these are not the most important aspect of shows and movies. The most important thing is what they can get from watching this, and Hongkongers certainly got what they needed from this movie, hope and recognition.
To understand this, one cannot only look at the movie (and the previous TV series), but need to look at Hong Kong's society. There was not much TV series or movies that could reflect what Hongkongers faced. People found elements in their lives incorporated into this movie, social activism (ironically due to click-bait news and lazy-bags), online forums, KOLs, social injustices... These are not often visible in movies and TV series.
People felt like past injustices have been represented and recognized on screen, and that sense of being acknowledged is very rare nowadays. Watching this movie in 2021, I can still identify many elements, many lines that resonates with me, and that itself is very valuable.
Of course, there are many places that can be done better, for example the actor acting the father of the dead girl felt a bit weird, the shot keep circling the actor in the final scene, several plot holes... But to audience, these are not the most important aspect of shows and movies. The most important thing is what they can get from watching this, and Hongkongers certainly got what they needed from this movie, hope and recognition.