Writer: Peter Chai

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Watch this if you liked: “Mayday 3DNA” and “Beyond’s Diary”

Asian rock music fans went crazy for Hong Kong rock band Beyond during the 80s and 90s. However, since the band's lead singer Wong Ka Kui passed away in 1993, Beyond had been losing its appeal and thus the rock music scene had slowly faded in Hong Kong. Today, director Jacky Lee makes an effort to attract a younger generation of audience to relive the power of electric guitars in Hong Kong with "Lives In Flames".

"Lives In Flames" portrays an individual's difficult choice between dreams and reality through Alan, a rock maniac who bows down to the reality of what most people are going through everyday, and eventually finds his way out with his old and new band members to continue his musical passion at the biggest stage in Hong Kong.

This 1-hour and 33 minutes drama is a recycled material of 1991's "Beyond's Diary". The only difference between these two movies is the rock group in the stories. Lee brought in the members of the current popular group called "Mr." to play the rockers. The flow of the storyline makes it looks like a long documentary of how "Mr." is formed in reality rather than a creative version of a brand new rock tale. The fact is that most moviegoers would probably not buy a ticket if they are not a rock music fan and a follower of Mr.

It is understandable why Mag Lam plays the female lead in "Lives In Flames". Her singing skills have helped her to fit in the role in good fashion. But having her character is not a necessary choice for the movie as the focus on the rockers' motivational experiences and Alan's crush on his former high schoolmate are good enough points to carry on the story even without Lam's appearance.

Overall, "Lives In Flames" might be a cool piece for rock musicians and fans to watch, but for most of us, it is just an average movie that is shot to inspire youngsters to chase their dreams despite criticisms and the harsh reality of life.

Cinema Online, 07 May 2012