As said elsewhere this movie does not know what it wants to be, ghost story, thriller, detective movie and fails at all of them, it has one of the worst detectives ever, he gets everything wrong. The movie changes direction more often than the wind, so you never know what is actually happening. And the ending is not only unsatisfying , it also makes no sense. This movie sometimes looks like it was put together from scenes that were left on the cutting room floor. It might be useful if it actually put you to sleep but it doesn't even do that. Not really worth the bother. It should have been better, but the confusing directions it goes in make it almost unwatchable
4 Reviews
A real waste of time
Leofwine_draca3 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I admit that my heart sinks whenever I watch a Chinese film and realise it comes from the mainland rather than Hong Kong; the quality of mainland releases just isn't up there with the films made by their westernised cousins. Sadly, the case is true of SINGULAR CAY, a cheap and disjointed ghost story-cum-mystery thriller about a family tormented by the disappearance of the daughter, who keeps turning up in various city locations for her father to chase her in scenes reminiscent of DON'T LOOK NOW. Sadly, the resultant movie completely fails as a horror picture and the detective story fails to ignite the interest either. The sole element of interest is the presence of legendary action starlet Cheng Pei-Pei in the cast, but she deserves better than this.
Poor cat...
lost-in-limbo6 July 2020
To bad I can't say the same about the rest. I should have saw it coming, especially since the cat gets a real close up shot of its face. Don't know why? Maybe trying to telegraph wants coming, but I was waiting for that dada music. And this film does that a lot. There's nothing subtle in how it telegraphs what's coming. There's even a laughable sequence obviously trying to set-up red hearings. The camera pans around the room with everyone having that suspicious look on their faces. You know, *that look*.
Still, you'd be constantly asking yourself; "What's going on here"?! This was pure basket case. It just didn't know what it wanted to be. I thought I was getting a spooky haunted mansion film... there are supernatural moments, but in the end it's never expanded and becomes redundant to everything else going on. It's like they forget all about that mysterious angle with those moments only there to insert meaningless jump scares. Or maybe to make us think the leading lady had lost her marbles, despite not really developing on it. For the majority of its time, it's a lousy, shallow, overcooked and convoluted dramatic thriller involving the kidnapping of a young girl. The screenplay seems to throw around ideas without convincingly connecting them together and then it gives you a rather cop-out final reveal. Nothing makes sense. Be careful your head might implode trying to make sense of it. Also don't let that tempting poster artwork mislead you either.
Still, you'd be constantly asking yourself; "What's going on here"?! This was pure basket case. It just didn't know what it wanted to be. I thought I was getting a spooky haunted mansion film... there are supernatural moments, but in the end it's never expanded and becomes redundant to everything else going on. It's like they forget all about that mysterious angle with those moments only there to insert meaningless jump scares. Or maybe to make us think the leading lady had lost her marbles, despite not really developing on it. For the majority of its time, it's a lousy, shallow, overcooked and convoluted dramatic thriller involving the kidnapping of a young girl. The screenplay seems to throw around ideas without convincingly connecting them together and then it gives you a rather cop-out final reveal. Nothing makes sense. Be careful your head might implode trying to make sense of it. Also don't let that tempting poster artwork mislead you either.
Confusion that goes bump in the night
TheLittleSongbird20 July 2019
Yet another film to have an attention grabbing premise and cover, which did look genuinely creepy. Both play major factors in me seeing any film and it is hard not to expect at least a little when they are promising. Will say right now though that when in that situation the actual execution when seeing the film in question varies wildly, some are good and more and others are disappointing and even as far as pretty terrible.
'Singular Cay', for reasons that have been said already very well, unfortunately falls under the pretty terrible, make that very terrible actually, category, and yet another film to be a complete waste of potential. One of the worst potential wastes seen in a while actually, have seen far less of those recently so this is saying a lot. It is nowhere near as creepy as the cover looks, and it manages to make a premise that should, from reading the summary, have at least intrigued in some shape or form dull and confusing. Really can't help feeling mad.
Here in 'Singular Cay' there is a strange mix of not putting in much effort and trying too hard, with the latter it is what sums up the component that near-single handedly sinks the film. There are a lot of other things wrong, but a major and important component is bungled beyond redemption.
Will start with where 'Singular Cay' doesn't really try. It has a pretty amateurish look and it was clearly made in a rush on minimal budget, some of the editing especially can be very shoddy. The direction has very little enthusiasm. The script is turgid and constantly sounds awkward. The ending doesn't try to make sense and is convoluted to a quite intelligence insulting degree.
Nor does 'Singular Cay' try to make the characters likeable or interesting, there's nothing to them and was annoyed by them. Especially the detective, the ineptitude becoming so overdone it became irritating, one cannot believe how anybody could be so stupid. Apart from one, the acting shows no personality or commitment.
It's the story though where 'Singular Cay' tries too hard and clearly didn't know what to be or what to do with itself. It is a real mishmash tonally with frequent and very violently jumpy shifts and direction changes, this made the film bloated and muddled and sense completely went out the window. So did any suspense, of which there was none due to the erratic pace and nothing being surprising, or thrills.
Only one aspect escapes the not trying and trying too hard traps and is the one thing that stops 'Singular Cay' from being beyond redemption. That's Cheng Pei-Pei, who doesn't fare too badly.
Unlike everything else, all making up a mess of a film. 2/10
'Singular Cay', for reasons that have been said already very well, unfortunately falls under the pretty terrible, make that very terrible actually, category, and yet another film to be a complete waste of potential. One of the worst potential wastes seen in a while actually, have seen far less of those recently so this is saying a lot. It is nowhere near as creepy as the cover looks, and it manages to make a premise that should, from reading the summary, have at least intrigued in some shape or form dull and confusing. Really can't help feeling mad.
Here in 'Singular Cay' there is a strange mix of not putting in much effort and trying too hard, with the latter it is what sums up the component that near-single handedly sinks the film. There are a lot of other things wrong, but a major and important component is bungled beyond redemption.
Will start with where 'Singular Cay' doesn't really try. It has a pretty amateurish look and it was clearly made in a rush on minimal budget, some of the editing especially can be very shoddy. The direction has very little enthusiasm. The script is turgid and constantly sounds awkward. The ending doesn't try to make sense and is convoluted to a quite intelligence insulting degree.
Nor does 'Singular Cay' try to make the characters likeable or interesting, there's nothing to them and was annoyed by them. Especially the detective, the ineptitude becoming so overdone it became irritating, one cannot believe how anybody could be so stupid. Apart from one, the acting shows no personality or commitment.
It's the story though where 'Singular Cay' tries too hard and clearly didn't know what to be or what to do with itself. It is a real mishmash tonally with frequent and very violently jumpy shifts and direction changes, this made the film bloated and muddled and sense completely went out the window. So did any suspense, of which there was none due to the erratic pace and nothing being surprising, or thrills.
Only one aspect escapes the not trying and trying too hard traps and is the one thing that stops 'Singular Cay' from being beyond redemption. That's Cheng Pei-Pei, who doesn't fare too badly.
Unlike everything else, all making up a mess of a film. 2/10
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