Miki Gavrielov is one of Israel’s best-loved and popular singers. He performed at City Harvest Church at Singapore Expo Hall 8, on 22 August 2009. “It was such an honor for me to perform here — the energy was simply amazing!” Gavrielov told City News.

“Everyone stood up and clapped along to my music. It was also really impressive the way everyone worshiped — I had only seen such fervent worshiping on TV, of crowds in the US!” Widely acknowledged as one of the founders of Israeli music, Gavrielov’s music is heard in Jewish communities all over the globe, from the Philippines to Sweden and the USA. In recognition of his many contributions to Israeli music, he was presented a Lifetime Achievement in Music award in 2007 by Acum (an organization of Israeli writers and composers).

“My greatest joy in performing is connecting with my audiences all over the world,” he said. “When I visit different countries and audiences immediately know my songs, that feels great and drives me on.” Born into a musical family, Gavrielov gets his inspiration from his loved ones, his country, movies, as well as from books.

While he generally does not write songs about religion, he did garner inspiration from one book in the Bible: Song of Solomon. “I’m a romantic at heart and I just found the verses so beautiful! That song I wrote is a very popular song at weddings in Israel.” Despite having achieved so much in his career, Gavrielov remains grounded and sincere.

PHOTOS: Jayson Lee

“I love how music touches people and brings them together. I’d like to give a big thank you to Pastor Kong for inviting me here to City Harvest, and I send everyone love from Israel! May God bless you and keep doing the beautiful work you are doing!” To read more about Miki Gavrielov, go to http://www.mikigavrielov.com/english/index2.php

On 23 August 2009, the Victoria Concert Hall (VCH) reverberated with sounds uniquely Singaporean as The Millennial Orchestra (TMO) debuted its inaugural public concert.

Entitled “Composers & Talents from Home”, the evening crescendoed beautifully in a selection of compositions by both established and budding local musicians.

While ‘Sketches of Singapore’ and ‘Child of Destiny’ by veteran composers Dr Kelly Tang and Dr Er Yenn Chwen respectively would have aroused patriotic pride in any Singaporean heart, it was the works of debutante score writers Jeanette Teoh and Nathania Chan which proved surprisingly novel.

Teoh’s ‘Sheer Determination’ successfully evoked a sense of perseverance in the face of challenges through its steady, unwavering rhythms, accentuated by strong percussions.

Equally moving was melancholy but graceful ‘Wild Roses’ by Chan. Inspired by the character Zipporah from the movie, Prince of Egypt, her lyrical composition poignantly conveyed both the pain of being the prisoner-bride of Pharaoh’s sons as well as Zipporah’s longing for freedom.

These two pieces certainly left an indelible impression on the orchestra’s musicians. Cellist Janelle Kam, 35, applauded the two composers’ boldness in writing and arranging for a full orchestra, describing it as nothing short of “daring”. For violinist, Eric Tan, 22, the pieces were, “new” and “very refreshing.”

The evening also celebrated a cornucopia of homegrown performers. Amongst them, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts graduate, Sofi Natalia, who delivered an exhilarating piano solo of Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in D minor.

PHOTOS: Isiah Nerville Su

Also beaming with pride was Long Soon Luan, 55, whose daughter, soprano soloist, Lim Yan Ting, gave a spirited performance of two arias from Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. Speaking in Mandarin, Long said of her daughter, “She puts in a lot of effort. Our house is constantly filled with her singing.”

For Lim herself, performing at the VCH conjured up mixed emotions of “euphoria” and “anxiety”. After spending many an MRT ride imagining what it would be like to stand on the VCH stage, finally being there was “like a dream come true.”

Indeed, “Composers & Talents from Home” will go down as a milestone not just for Lim, but for TMO itself. If the life of the orchestra were a symphony, this concert would mark the start of a new movement — one in which the tempo is up as TMO matures into a lively hub for aspiring Singaporean classical music talents.

Watch City News’ video coverage of The Millennial Orchestra’s debut concert, coming soon to www.citynews.sg.

Graduating class waxes nostalgic about time at school over celebration dinner.

Endless chatter, radiant faces and camera flashlights filled the Hall at Keppel Club on 7 August as over 600 students celebrated the end of five life-changing months at City Harvest Church’s (CHC) School of Theology (SOT) Graduation Dinner.

In his speech, Dean of Students, Bobby Chaw, aptly summed up the period at SOT as a “Kairos time” or the opportune moment where 636 people of varying backgrounds made one common decision to enroll and be trained for God’s purposes.

Reflecting on his special time at the school, business owner, Peter Ngion, mischievously described it as the “School of Terror” and “Trials and Tribulations”, which slowly evolved into the “School of Transition” and “Transformation”, before finally becoming the “School of Triumphs”. Ngion was also voted Mr. Charisma during the evening.

For Andrew Tan, graduating from SOT was another significant step in his path from darkness to light having previously “graduated” from a boys’ home and reformative center due to a past of drugs, gangs and violence. To Tan, SOT was not just an ordinary experience, “but really about experiencing God and encountering God at a whole new level.”

Echoing his views was Zhou Sheng Dan, who cited that her most important lesson was the need for fresh revelation from God’s word daily so as not to tire and give up in ministry.

Miss Charisma for the evening, Korean, Bae Jin Hee, shared that the event during SOT that impressed her most was the inaugural International Idol. The student-run talent competition creatively reached out to Singapore’s multicultural community, dispelling notions of church as boring.

In fact, according to SOT Administrator, Cindy Chaw, the creativity of graduates from year to year is growing as each batch of students becomes more bold in shining forth their talents.

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

No surprise then that the dinner itself proved a showcase of creativity — from the rap, dance and song performances to the students’ fashion forward attire.

The evening fittingly concluded with students singing along to evergreen number, ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, as they celebrated the warm camaraderie that would be dearly missed as SOT Class of 2009 comes to a close.

Your favorite reviewer had another “Eureka!” moment when he unearthed this little Hokkien gem amidst the Amoy Street “foodies’ enclave”. Stewing in a stuck-in-the-’60s, down-in-Chinatown atmosphere, Beng Hiang Restaurant certainly made good its traditional appeal.

You can’t really eat Chinese food without having pork, so we pigged out with their fabulous King Pork Ribs and Kong Bak Pao — heaven in a Chinese dish!

King Pork Ribs	Kong Bak Pao

The ribs sizzled with the unique taste of its sauces, while somehow still managing to showcase the natural sweetness of the meat. The Kong Bak Pao completely satisfied our craving: it was yummy, all its meaty gelatinous goodness bathed in dark sauces, then wrapped up in a soft white bun before arriving in your mouth for the ultimate euphoric taste sensation.

Duck Salad	Kailan with Salted Fish

The Duck Salad, the appetizer, did a good job stirring up our stomach juices with its delicious and light flavors. Then came the Kailan with Salted Fish, which went perfectly with white rice.

Fried Oyster Omelette Overall Rating:

Another big hit with this reviewer was the Fried Oyster Omelette. The crispy flour skin at the top had a crispy texture. Artery-clogging, yes, but every bite was oh-so-nice! And the oysters at Beng Hiang are big, fresh and succulent.

One more fabulous thing about this place? At Beng Hiang you’ll find good food that doesn’t cost you an arm or your firstborn. Prices are nice and reasonable; our feast worked out to be less than S$20 per person. We’re sure your financial advisor would approve.

As told to Elizabeth Low

In Singapore to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of City Harvest Church (CHC) were more than 20 affiliate church pastors of CHC from the nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan as well as Singapore.

A special luncheon was held for pastors and workers of these churches who traveled to Singapore to attend the thanksgiving and celebration services. The luncheon gave CHC’s senior pastor, Kong Hee, the opportunity to catch up with the various affiliate church pastors in a casual and relaxed manner amidst food and fellowship. Roars of laughter and much chatter filled the room as the crowd mingled and ate.

Says Tan Seow How, senior pastor of Heart of God Church (HOGC), Singapore, “What we experienced today was awesome, but of more significance is the sacrifice which Kong and Sun have made over the years to help bring CHC to where it is today. As we in HOGC celebrate our 10th year anniversary at the end of this month, we are very motivated to press on and see how the next ten years will unfold for us.”

When asked about what he took away from CHC’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Kevin Loo, senior pastor of City Harvest Church Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, says, “It is very heartening to see that even though CHC has grown so big, everyone is still one big family, running the same race together.”

The luncheon saw many of the affiliate church pastors up close and personal to Kong, their spiritual leader and mentor.

PHOTOS: Jimmy Yong & Gabriel Seow

For a church that has enjoyed tremendous growth and gained glowing accolades for its accomplishments on a global scale, it is only fitting that at its 20th anniversary, City Harvest Church (CHC) held a prayer service to give thanks to the God who made it all possible.

On the morning of 2 August 2009, more than half an hour before the 9am service begun, queues were already snaking from the Singapore Indoor Stadium (SIS) entrances into the car parks. By 8.50am, the stadium was 95 per cent filled with over 10,000 people.

As always in the past 20 years, the Thanksgiving Service started on time, at 9am sharp, with a rousing praise song led by the full ensemble of worship leaders in CHC. From the praises sung in celebratory fervor to the worship songs lifted to God, the atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying, as everyone came with the same purpose to celebrate — 20 years of challenges overcame, 20 years of transformation, 20 years of impacting lives and loving God.

Founder and senior pastor of CHC, Kong Hee, addressed the congregation, expressing his belief that the next 20 years of CHC will be even more glorious, and for that to be achieved, Kong began to lead in a time of prayer for God to move in a greater and deeper way in the heart of every CHC member.

Following that, some of the pastors and key leaders of CHC took turns to pray for the church and its various zones. Prayers were prayed in English, Mandarin and Tamil; and covered several aspects of CHC, including growth, spiritual atmosphere and a new building as well as success and happiness in the lives of every CHC member. The 25-minute prayer session reflected the heart of the church’s founder and its leaders; echoed in agreement prayerfully and passionately by the congregation.

Rev Alex Abraham Tanuseputra, the senior pastor of Bethany Church Indonesia, one of the largest churches in Indonesia, was specially invited by Kong to speak at the Thanksgiving Service. Tanuseputra preached from Zechariah 2:1-5, about a young man who wanted to measure Jerusalem, but God did not allow him to. Tanuseputra explained to the congregation that the gospel will extend from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world, in accordance to the Word of God. Hence, its size cannot be measured by man. It can only be measured by the faith that comes from God.

Tanuseputra elaborated on when he first started his church with “small faith” — the faith to build 14 small churches. Then he developed “growing faith” — the faith to build a 4,000-seater church building. This graduated to “strong faith” — the faith to build a church with a capacity for 20,000 people in Nginden, Indonesia. Finally, he is now going on to “perfect faith” — which he explained, is required because we cannot overcome by our own faith; this is when God’s perfect faith will come upon us and enable us to “do greater works”.

Tanuseputra shared about his own faith journey in embarking upon the Jakarta Tower project. The tower, currently being built in central Jakarta, is to be one of the tallest structures in the world. This was a project he had refused when God first spoke to him to build it. At an estimated cost of US$350 million, Tanuseputra, at 62 years of age then, thought the project would be too difficult. This was reinforced by discouragement from his friends and family. But with faith, Tanuseputra overcame his doubt and took on the building project. The foundation for Jakarta Tower has since been laid over the past five years, and it will take many more years before the completion of this iconic building for God. As he does his part, Tanuseputra is confident that the Lord will accomplish the rest, because the faith of the Lord is unlimited.

Tanuseputra made his way down to stage toward Kong and prayed a prayer over the younger man of faith. He declared that Kong’s generation will replace his (Tanuseputra) generation, and God will bless Kong to build one of the biggest churches around. Tanuseputra continued to pray over Kong to “do greater works”, and he concluded by leading the entire congregation to shout “Amen!” seven times, bringing the spiritual atmosphere in the hall to a peak.

“I feel proud to know that (Pastor) Kong will someday be the leader of his generation, like many others such as, Dr Alex Tanuseputra and Dr Yonggi Cho,” said Jenny Lim, 37, an office manager who has been in CHC for 8 years.

“Looking back from the first day I attended CHC until today, my life has changed so much. I thank God for giving me wonderful leaders, for establishing CHC in the past twenty years, and for many more years ahead,” said Lim.

Indeed, thankfulness was evidently felt by many CHC members at the church’s 20th anniversary. Adrian Tang, 35, an engineer who joined CHC in 2007, had this to say, “Life used to be all about work, but in these two years of attending CHC, there have been blessings I never expected. My girlfriend and I got married, and both our families have said that they’ve seen a change in the way we live our lives. (Pastor) Kong’s love for God, our cell group’s love and friendship, and the church’s efforts to reach out to the community are heartfelt and inspiring. These are surely worth celebrating and thanking God for.”

More than just giving thanks, the service was also a reminder of the CHC journey thus far, and a conviction that God will bring the church forward to fulfill even greater visions.

PHOTOS: Elvis chiu, Gary Sim, Gloria Wong, Gay Sen Min, Jayson Lee, Yan Juyi, Ryan Ng

Lu Jiahui, 34, a church staff who has been attending CHC for 10 years, puts it best: “The service was really one that reminded all of us of God’s goodness and grace. I’m in awe of the sacrifices the pioneers have made, and what they had to stand up against. I’m so thankful for (Pastor) Kong and Sun, for their faith in God and perseverance to help steer this church to where it is! As a staff, I’m so privileged to be able to represent this church. ”

Contributed by Ruth Yong

It was a highly-anticipated seminar that drew about 400 businesspeople, executives and professionals to Swissotel The Stamford at 8am on 9 July 2009. Speaker Dr AR Bernard was no stranger to many of those present — the Leadership Conference by Dr Bernard is an annual event that began in 2005, and it has become a must-attend event for many who have heard him speak before.

The conference saw many “newbies” encountering Dr Bernard for the first time, and by the end of the first day, they were fast fans, despite having come to the conference without much fore-knowledge as there was no detailed program provided.

Dr AR Bernard is the founder and CEO of Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York. A former banker, he is the President of the Council of Churches of the City of New York, and sits on many boards including the NYC Economic Development Corporation Board. He has been named a “New Influential – 25 Leaders Reshaping New York” (Crain’s New York Business, September 2009) among other accolades.

Gifted with an audacious, cerebral ability and perfect clarity of articulation, Dr Bernard has a gift for shaping listeners’ thought processes with his words. “The crisis we face today is not the economic crisis nor the financial crisis, but a crisis of character,” he says. Adam’s sin against God was not the sin of disobedience, but the sin of idolatry, proposed Dr Bernard.

“Idolatry is defined as seeking security and meaning in someone or something other than God.” The problem of idolatry caused us to be separated from God. This separation led to alienation, which is expressed by men through aggression and violence in society, resulting in conflict, confusion and chaos.

“I’ve learned that we must constantly check our source of meaning and security to make sure that it’s anchored in God. Do not be distracted by our challenges, successes, wealth and fame,” says Choong Kar Weng, Director of Macy Home Furnishings in Kuala Lumpur.

On the topic of being salt and light in the marketplace, which is the key message in the Leadership Conference year on year, Dr Bernard reiterated: “To relate to our human society, we need to influence them, not convert them.” This is a controversial statement, as it is a long-held Christian mission to “make disciples of the world”. But Dr Bernard pressed home the point that it all begins with relationship-building. “As agents of influence, we need to build relationships with human society. Building relationships require us to serve the human society with an attitude of excellence. Honor those we want to influence, as this gives us the power of access (favor) and the ability to foster relationships. As demonstrated in the lives of Joseph, Daniel and Abraham, they were people of power and influence because God was with them.”

Take-home principle: Relationship precedes ministry.

But before a Christian can actively and effectively engage culture, says Dr Bernard, his foundation needs to be unshakeable. This foundation includes understanding the character, holiness and goodness of God, and the presence of God that is the Holy Spirit, who is absolutely necessary for any ministry that aims to be successful. A Christian must have the character of God to succeed.

Having the character of God is to practice a life of personal consecration, whereby the individual establishes and maintains spiritual, moral, ethical and physical boundaries, roles and divisions to protect the relationships that he/she builds.

Without such godly character any success cannot be sustained — this is evident in the many failures of prominent personalities in the world.

“In order to practice Holiness, it takes trust in God,” says Dr Bernard. “A person who leads others to trust God enough to obey Him, must himself trust God enough to obey Him.”

Many temptations exist in the marketplace: we often choose to deal with the marketplace using the world’s method of resolution than to trust God and to believe that His way works. Every compromise we make is due to a lack of trust in God. If we do not place our trust in God, then we will have to place it somewhere else. Where we place that trust, will determine what guides us. Thus, we need to build a depth of character within us, more so as leaders in society.

As we practice personal consecration, we are in essence, employing disciplines in our relationship with God. Dr Bernard described the pattern of consecration as “ebb and flow”. He said: ”Life is cyclical, it has a recurrent, rhythmic pattern of coming and going, growth and decline, time to work and time to rest!”

Every stage of a life takes a person to a new level of knowledge, authority and responsibility. Each level requires a deepening of one’s character. Hence being aware and prepared for these stages by setting smart goals will guide one toward achieving his missions, goals and objectives.

Dr Bernard’s two-day seminar left his audience overflowing with inspiration and new goals that they could not wait to get to work on. There was no character left unquestioned.

“As a business owner, stewardship means servanthood,” says attendee Dr Eric Chiam, owner of DaySpring Medical Group. “Our staff look to us for decisions and guidance, they are in truth more impacted by our character which is in turn dependent on our relationship with God.”

The way to bring out the champion in your child is to be a parent leader to him — through good communication, not demand for authority.

That was the key lesson in a two-part workshop titled Champion Parenting, held over July and August 2009, which attracted over 90 parents and parents-to-be.

The workshop was conducted by David Chiem, the founder, chairman and group CEO of MindChamps, a former child actor whose own loving experiences with his father has shaped much of his philosophy and business strategy.

MindChamps is a premier learning programme for children that teaches them learning strategies as well as cultivates a winning attitude. Chiem is a big believer that parents have a key role to play in a child’s development and learning potential.

In his two-part workshop, Chiem demonstrated the importance for a parent — particularly a father — to be a parent leader. That means, a leader to your child, through communication processes and not sheer demand for authority. Chiem shared insights on the science of parenting, and also the art of it in learning to be a parent with skill.

The sessions had interactive elements, teaching attendees through activities. Video clips illustrating Chiem’s key points were strategically used to drive home a point.

But Chiem’s most effective tool was the personal anecdotes he shared, on his experiences with his own children.

One of the key actions that parents learned was to recognize situations as opportunities to create “moments”. These “moments” remain etched in the child’s hearts and minds, and are what the child goes back to feel assured of Daddy’s and Mummy’s love for him or her.

Chiem also encourages strong rituals between parents and children, for example, he would stroke his children’s foreheads three times before they go to sleep, every night. Such rituals foster strong relations between parents and children.

Another fact Chiem reveals is that a parent leader should never let his emotional (or animal) part take over his ability to reason, particularly when it comes to dealing with his children — this will have an adverse effect on the child and his subsequent behaviour. As children up to the age of 18 do not have the same capacity to reason like an adult, approaching a child with anger only results in intimidation of the child, causing the child to in turn have an emotional reaction to you, and leaves him with feelings of frustration and unworthiness.

PHOTOS: Gary Sim

Jo-ann Song, a mother of two, 37, said that the workshop has helped to put things back into perspective for her as a parent. “From time to time, I get tired and overwhelmed from handling my child’s behavior,” she says. “Whether one needs an introduction to parenting or a refresher course, this workshop is it. I would definitely recommend it to all the parents I know.”

For Albert Soh, 38, an engineer with two children, learning to create rituals and moments was his takeaway. “I am also surprised by what David taught, that children only have the capacity to react emotionally to your reaction — so as parents we have to be careful how our words and actions affect our children.”

MindChamps will be giving a complimentary Champion Parenting Workshop on 26 August 2009, Wednesday, 7.30pm. For further enquiries or more information, do feel free to contact Miss Jo Tan at 9389-9883 or [email protected].

Go to http://sites.google.com/site/championparentingworkshop/ for other courses on offer.

Contributed by Tan Chi Ying

City Harvest Dialect Church held their largest-scale concert of the year on 2 August 2009 at 1, Jurong West St 91, Main Auditorium. The event, known as “The Golden Concert (风华再现)”, was staged to bring back the classics of yesteryear.

For one whole solid hour, the Dialect Church members comprising of mostly elderly folk, were brought back in time with singer Victor Lim kicking start the opening song, ‘Wang Chun Feng (望春风)’. The singers for “The Golden Concert” were made up of the Dialect Church song leaders and back-up vocalists. There was also a special guest singer from City Harvest Chinese Church, Angela Xu, who performed the Chinese songs ‘Ai Shen (爱神)’ and ‘Ai Xiang Yi Fu Hua (爱像一幅画)’, much to the delight of the congregation who were enjoying themselves thoroughly.

The entire atmosphere at the concert was energizing, with top notch lightings, elaborate costumes and an excellent selection of the songs. Diligent planning and preparation resulted in wide smiles on the faces of the elderly as they clapped their hands along with the songs and waved their light sticks to the rhythm of the music.

PHOTOS: Tan Song Kow & Ester Tan

One of the highlights of the concert was the performance by Joyce Tan, who sang ‘Jia Hou (家后)’, a Hokkien song that speaks of the views of a wife. At this point, Tan dedicated the song to her own mother who was seated among the crowd. As she sang, pictures of her parents on their wedding day and snippets of their lives flashed on the LED screen. A bouquet of flowers was also presented to Tan’s mother by a fellow performer, on behalf of Tan. This was followed by a long hug exchanged between Tan and her mother. Without a doubt, this touching moment resulted in the hall being filled with an atmosphere of love, where many had tears in their eyes.

“It was a very touching moment for me. Besides the fact that I got to express my love for my mother, I was also very touched by the love gestures of my team mates, who took the time to go and fetch my mom all the way from Tampines to Jurong, prepared the PowerPoint and even helped me to buy the flowers,” said Tan, after the event, when the crowd had dispersed.

Putting together “The Golden Concert” took the team nearly two months of preparation, which included a tedious process of song selection and the making of costumes for the singers. Above and beyond these were also the time, effort and energy put in to practice and rehearse, in order to ensure excellence in every item and in the flow of the program. For Tan, it included flipping though many old albums, selecting and scanning the pictures without drawing attention of her mother.

Ending the concert on a high note, Lim once again took to the stage and performed the Cantonese number “Hong Re (红日)”.

Taking place right after the concert was the sharing of God’s Word, preached simultaneously in Hokkien and Cantonese. The message was about the flaw of humanity and the need for Jesus; the love of the heavenly father and the call to every Christian to honor their parents. After the preaching, a birthday cake was wheeled in to celebrate City Harvest Church’s 20th Anniversary. As the people gathered to sing the birthday song and “whoof” out the candles, everyone sang to the tune of ‘Peng You (朋友)’; and the event ended with party poppers going off.

The success of “The Golden Concert” is a milestone for the Dialect Church, which drew in a crowd of close to 800. For many of the main workers, volunteers and performers, it was a good opportunity for them to invite their parents to come and enjoy the concert performance.

Maria Tok, a zone supervisor of the Dialect Church observed, “The people were captivated by the whole concept of a family oriented concert. The warmness and openness of the crowd ushered in the presence of God for the preaching of the Word to touch the hearts of the people.”

Big guns and loud explosions feature strongly in this live action flick, but that’s the only bang you’ll be getting for your buck here. Based on the hugely popular toy figure G.I. JOE which was the male equivalent of the Barbie doll way back in the 1970s, G.I. JOE: The Rise of the Cobra seeks to establish the origins of the evil Cobra organization, but it’s essentially catered for gadget-crazy males to “ooh” and “ahh” over the fancy pulse-rays, sleek war machinery and aircrafts- nothing more, nothing less.

Duke (Channing Tatum), the lead soldier in the G.I. JOE team, is charged with the mission of transporting four nuclear warheads to a military base. On the way, however, the precious cargo is intercepted by the Baroness (Sienna Miller) a.k.a. Anna, an ex-flame of Duke’s, as part of Cobra’s terrible plot to destroy the world. As the G.I. JOEs race against time to defuse the threat, the movie soon becomes a big blur of explosions, flying cars and blown-off human body parts.

While the good-looking cast makes for abundant eye-candy, it’s not nearly enough to redeem the movie of its cringingly lousy special effects, a flaw magnified in the wake of visually-pleasing blockbusters such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and even the latest Harry Potter installment. In fact, it felt more like a make-for-TV effort. A pity though as the action sequences in themselves are quite entertaining. Not only that, the many side plots renders the whole outing a head-scratching experience, and it does not help that the corny script holds as much water as a leaking toy gun.

No self-respecting toy figurine would ever have allowed such an inferior reincarnation of itself to go onto the big screen, much less one that gave rise to the term ‘action figure’.

Rating: