If you’re wondering what day it is today…
It’s the premiere date of Ah Girls Go Army Again, Jack Neo’s latest movie and (obviously) a sequel to the first Ah Girls Go Army movie that was released in February this year.
Yup, the sequel is out. Bet you didn’t know that.
Even though the first AGGA film amassed over $2.25 million at the box office when it was first released during the Lunar New Year period, I’m sure you’ve heard of loads of hate targetted towards the movie when it first came out.
I mean, it’s not exactly hard to see why lah.
But if you want to know why, we’ve got it all covered for you here:
During the height of the criticism, Tosh Zhang, who acted in the OG Ah Boys to Men movies, even stepped up to defend the team against netizens online.
However, despite the criticism towards the movie, it seems like Jack Neo and his team weren’t affected by it at all, as seen from how the sequel has been released less than six months after the original movie.
But recently, it seems like Jack Neo himself has something to say to the haters as well.
Jack Neo Asked Netizens to Stop Booing the Crew, Said that Movie Created 400 Job Opportunities
On 14 June, Jack Neo and several actors from the movie sat down with Lianhe Zaobao to talk about the upcoming release of the movie.
During the interview, Neo himself addressed the hate that the first movie got, and jokingly asked netizens to stop hating on the movies and their crew.
He then revealed that filming the latest AGGA movie created 400 job opportunities, helping those who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic to get back on their feet.
With regards to the hate that the first AGGA movie received, he said that there was nothing he could do about it.
However, he also shared that there were audience members who said that the film was a good one.
Neo was also asked if he was worried that the negative comments of the first movie would affect the amount of audience support received by the sequel.
Initially, he responded without hesitation that he was still a little worried, but added optimistically that the team is confident in the work that they are putting out this time around.
He also expressed his wishes for the sequel to rake in more than $3 million in ticket sales, especially since the theatres in cinemas have a greater maximum capacity now.
On the same note, Neo also shared that more AGGA films might be produced in the future if this sequel performs well, and that these female recruits will “accomplish the impossible” in future films.
Regarding the Sequel
According to the interview, the sequel might even be more interesting than the OG AGGA movie, so here’s your sign to book your tickets.
Apart from the military training, this AGGA sequel also features fights that the recruits get into with pirates. (Yes, you read that right.)
In the film, Glenn Yong, who takes on the role of Sergeant Chow, gets misunderstood by his superior for trying to protect the female recruits.
The recruits, including Princess See and Yuan Yuan Yuan, whose roles are played by Yang Guang Ke Le and Lim Xixi respectively, try to fight on behalf of their Sergeant so that he does not get transferred elsewhere.
Apart from that, the movie also includes Belle Chua’s character Joey and her boyfriend’s relationship, which somehow ends up affecting her superior Roxanne, who is played by Apple Chan.
Challenges While Filming
The cast of the show also shared that they faced their fair share of challenges while filming the sequel, with the COVID-19 restrictions being one of them.
Apart from having a 70-person (with staff members included) limit while filming scenes, only a maximum of 20 people were allowed to appear on camera at any point in time.
The rainy weather was also another issue that the crew had to deal with, as filming in the wild meant that they had no shelter and that the mud would turn watery.
The mud resulted in many actors slipping, but Neo shared that the actors all acted professionally and did not complain about the weather conditions.
It was also revealed that Neo’s team managed to secure a spot at a Scouts camp and another spot in a protected area to film their outdoor scenes.
Actress Yang Guang Ke Le also mentioned one of the temporary actors accidentally injured her left pinkie during one of the fighting scenes, resulting in a minor fracture.
Her injury has yet to fully heal, but she said cheerfully that it does not affect her daily life.
On the other hand, Lim Xixi brought up how she had to lie to an Indonesian stuntman who acted as one of the pirates in the movie, and that she felt sorry for the stuntman since he had to bear both her weight and the weight of another actress lying on top of them as well.
Additionally, Apple Chan and Joey Chua both took martial arts lessons before filming began to carry out their fighting scenes against each other in the film.
Actors from the Ah Boys to Men series such as Joshua Tan also make special appearances in the film, and one actress even carried a few of the actors in the film.
That actress is none other than Karyn Wong, who carried both Joshua Tan and Glenn Yong in various scenes of the movie.
She shared that those scenes were not exceptionally difficult for her since she works out at the gym frequently to begin with.
AGGA Marathon to Be Held This Weekend
And for those of you who already need a refresher on the first AGGA movie, Neo’s team has got you covered too.
The AGGA marathon, which includes both movies from the series, will be screened at two Cathay Cineplexes cinemas: The Cathay at 1.30pm on 18 June and AMK Hub at 12.40pm on 19 June.
The movie will also be released in cinemas in Malaysia and Brunei later this month on 23 June.
Featured Image: Facebook (Ah Girls Go Army + JackNeoCK)