Is Wong Jing's Future X-Cops some kind of demented mash-up between Gen-X Cops and one of his previous releases, Future Cops? Even though that would have probably been bad enough, the results here are actually far, far worse, giving those unfortunate enough to sit through this cinematic dud an early candidate for worst film of the year -- which is really saying something, seeing as how we've already experienced the depressing The Spy Next Door, which easily qualifies as one of the lowest points in Jackie Chan's career.

Normally, I'm one of Wong Jing's biggest defenders. His movies are not always high art, much less plain art, or even something just worth getting high to. But they're usually technically well-made and rarely boring. Critics can rip on Wong all they want, but even his biggest detractors have to admit he at least knows how to put a production together well enough to be decent "popcorn" fare. Well, haters, get ready to stoke the fires of discontent on internet message boards all over the world, because Future X-Cops is the fulfillment of everything you find wrong with Wong's filmography.

Future X-Cops is one of those movies that you're wondering the whole time how it ever got released, and then you start to question why you're continuing to watch it. Supposedly, the release date was pushed back for months, but yet, the movie still feels like an incomplete workprint. The special effects are laughably bad, which is good, because that'll most likely be the only points of fun or interest you'll have here. Even by his admittedly lax standards, Wong's attempts at comedic relief fall flat, and the dramatics have all the tension of a limp noodle. Veteran action director Ching Siu-Tung tries to liven things up in the action scenes, but with the amount of bad CGI slopped on the screen, you might as well have had William Hung co-ordinating the fights.

This movie is rotten down to its' core, namely the plot gimmick of time travel. There's focus given as to how Andy cannot change anything in the "past" of 2020, where apparently people are still using Windows XP and disc-based DV cameras. Why then does he pose as a police officer, where even the matter of writing a traffic ticket could alter the future? And why is Andy's daughter along for the ride? The final explanation as to why his daughter is there, as well as the resolution of the story, is insulting to the audience -- even those (like myself) who can appreciate Wong's past salvos of cinematic junk like Naked Weapon. To that I say: shame on you, Wong Jing.

RATING: 3