Writer: Peter Chai

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Watch this if you liked: “Ah Boys To Men: Part 1”

Jack Neo is not slowing down his pace in spreading the military fever among the cinemagoers in both Singapore and Malaysia as he quickly presents the sequel of his most successful box office hit "Ah Boys To Men" with his trademark humour.

Continuing from the story of Ken Chow's (Joshua Tan) immature acts during his national service and his father's (Liu Qian Yi) tragic car accident, "Ah Boys To Men: Part 2" sees a huge change in Ken's behaviour as the once childish young man has promised himself to be an excellent recruit in the military camp in Tekong Island after realizing that his foolish mistakes has caused his parent to be admitted into the hospital. Back at the military base, as Ken works to improve his overall performance alongside his compatriots, he starts to think wisely, such as protecting Wayang King (Maxi Lim) from being tarnished by Lobang (Wang Wei Liang), Ip Man (Noah Yap Rong Yew) and others. Lobang and gang are disappointed with Ken's attitude and choose to exclude him from their usual gathering. Their misunderstandings deepen when Ken and Wayang King refuse to lend a hand to the gang in seeking revenge against the gangster who steals Ip Man's girlfriend away. However, a sudden twist unfolds when Ken decides to defend his section mates when a fight occurs outside the camp.

From self-reflection to friendships to family issues, director Neo does not fail to point them out in his 20th directorial feature with every incident and challenge faced by Ken and the national service recruits. In fact, he invites us to change our perception on being a trainees in a team and make a detailed explanations as to why Singaporean males are required to train themselves to take up the rifles and defend their beloved nation.

In the first movie, Irene Ang who plays Ken's fussy mother dominated the film as an overprotective parent but not this time as her spotlight is taken over by her character's husband played by veteran actor Liu Qian Yi. By looking at Liu's role, you can clearly see that the director is guiding us to put ourselves into the shoes of paralysed individuals who are fighting to get back to their normal lives. His honest advice as a father to Ken will soften your heart.

The beautiful thing about this coming-of-age piece is how Neo combine the scene where Lobang and gang escaping from the gangster on the streets in the town out of their sergeants' surveillance closely together with the tough moments going through by the young guns who are trained to leap over every hurdle in a war training camp. The combination is an excellent proof of Neo and his team's critical and wonderful imagination on scriptwriting.

Do not expect highly of the effects in the movie. Some of you might be disappointed with the quality of the movement and image of the wild boars that attack the leader of Ken's section in the forest. The animals do not look real onscreen at all.

Overall, "Ah Boys To Men: Part 2" can be considered one of the top three films under Neo's directorial career. It is definitely not a waste of time and money for a ticket or two in the cinema to find out the real meaning of "Leave No Man Behind" in the army and a man's principle from the young recruits.

Cinema Online, 06 March 2013