User reviews

To see from the very beginning, as Anita started off as a little girl singing with her sister, as she blossomed into so much more, going through much of life's hardship, it really is very touching. Though I have not heard of her before watching this film (as someone born from the 2000s), it really did inspire me to read up more on this iconic figure. With clippings of the original Anita interwoven throughout the film, it makes the film seem all the more real, all the more raw, as you see actual footage of the events that had occurred, hardships she had to endure. It was just stunning. Furthermore, despite the fact that many of the actresses and actors are acting for the first time, it really did not look that way. While it was not superb by any means, it was on point and not lackluster. Overall, it is a great film based on a true story, bringing a fallen angel back to the spotlight.

Out of respect to Anita Mui, I watch the movie. It has not let me down. The casting is excellent. The costume and setting is good. It brings along the memory of the good old days when Anita and Leslie are alive.

I wonder if any producer would make a film on Leslie Cheung? I would be the first to watch it.

Those who gave it a score of 10 or 1 are rather strange.

I find the movie disappointing and rather overhyped or overrated from HK. The whole movie suffered from a poor script or editing, the trailer is far better.

Too much of real events are deliberately left out probably not to tarnish her image and to appeal to the government and her fans. Her fame as both an actress and singer wasn't felt in the movie and most hit songs at the peak of her career wasn't mentioned at all. Her mum and brother was totally left out, Leslie Cheung's success wasn't mentioned at all making him looked like an unsuccessful artist until after his death, her "slapped" scene by a gangster was shown but what followed all changed, the guy got killed wasn't mentioned at all. We can't feel or see Anita's character and spirit from the movie, can't really understand why in some scenes she felt unhappy or stressed. The best scene in the movie is when she and Leslie film "Rogue", very creative and some HK outdoor scenes of the 80s look realistic. Some said there will be a director's cut of 4 hours, hopefully it will rectify all the shortcomings.

I find this film absolutely captivating. Every single second is filled with heartfelt story. The actress playing Anita Mui is very good, and delivers much resemblances to Anita. This film gives me a profound experience, and I'm still in tears hours after watching it.

Let's cut to the chase: Anita is the first Chinese-language biopic I've ever watched in a theater, and it's genuinely moving-though it's hard to tell whether its brilliance comes from the storytelling itself or the sheer magnetism of Anita Mui's legendary life. With most foreign biopics, I can usually dissect them calmly, analyzing performances and pacing with detached objectivity. But Anita caught me off guard. For the first time, I sat in a cinema and watched strangers around me wipe away tears, completely disarmed by raw, unguarded emotion. In one haunting scene, as the woman beside me quietly dabbed her eyes, the screen showed Anita Mui in her iconic final concert, belting out a song that felt like a farewell to her fans and life itself. That moment-where reality and cinema blurred-was pure magic.

The film's greatest strength lies in its refusal to sensationalize or deify its subject. Unlike many biopics that either elevate their heroes to sainthood or twist their flaws into drama, Anita opts for a grounded, almost humble approach. It doesn't shy away from her struggles-loneliness, health battles, the weight of fame-but it also doesn't milk them for cheap tears. Instead, it lets her humanity speak for itself. Sure, the pacing drags at times, and some chapters of her life feel glossed over. But the film's simplicity and honesty make it resonate deeply. You're not watching a polished myth; you're seeing a woman who lived fiercely, loved recklessly, and left too soon.

That said, the movie isn't flawless. The supporting characters often feel underdeveloped, and the script leans heavily on nostalgia (cue the montages of '80s Hong Kong). Yet, even with these hiccups, Anita works because it channels the essence of its star: unapologetically real, fiercely passionate, and utterly unforgettable. By the end, you're not just mourning Anita Mui-you're mourning the fact that we'll never see another like her.

Living in Hong Kong during it's golden years of cinema, music and live concerts this movie brought back very fond memories. I knew Leslie (GorGor), Anita (Big Sister) and her stylist dress designer Eddie Lau. The production was seamless especially the scenes that blend footage from the past with the present. Louise Wong's portrayal of Anita Mui is brilliant and not much is known about her. The production values are first rate, the direction perfect and storyline honest. Anita did a lot more charity work than what was "allowed" in the movie. Now that Hong Kong is China with a hardline security law it could not be shown.

As someone who grew up listening to Anita Mui's music, this movie was nostalgia and equally as captivating. Beautifully shot, with amazing CGI work done to bring back some of the old Hong Kong infrastructure, the director of this movie really knew the true essence of Hong Kong back in the 80's and 90's. I loved how it focused on the more positive side of her life (without much family drama) because that's how we want to remember Anita by. It was amazing to see her story being told as I believe that this movie will give more exposure to people in my generation these days, and to see how Anita Mui was one of Hong Kong's greatest artists that pioneered the Cantopop genre. I had an amazing experience watching this movie and it's definitely one of the better biopics created in a long time.

First of all, please disregard the critics who are playing down the film. Either they did not watched it and not intending to or they have an agenda againt any pro ccp artists who are featured in any movies, dramas or songs. Sad but yes, those folks are irrational and impartial in almost anything in HK now and will stood real low to put down any pro ccp even if they are betraying their own nation and tribe.

From a non Hkger point of view but an avid mandopop followers in the 80s, 90s of the Golden era, the film surely depicted a nostalgic vibe with the familiar household names and old streets of HK.

The film is too short to illustrate all high and lows of Anita's legacy. I'm sure many will agree if this was to be a trilogy instead. The authenticity of the film is on the highly believable side as many of Anita's closest friends and work mates were sought for their perspective on her before the film was made.

Her dedication, drives and empathy were greatly paraded throughout the film. Her rise to stardom and the queen throne were achieved with pure grit and perseverance.

Yes, the main lead Louise could not achieved a 100% resemblance to Anita, but so did any other biography movies...No one is 100% identical in real. Not even twins. So when you hear critics berate the film based on this you can basically walk away. Louise for a debutant, scores high on my ground. For portraying the queen without a sense of awkwardness felt throughout the film. She even gets better as the film progresses, some scenes which you will be unable to tell if it's her or Anita. Magical, indeed.

The part of her and Leslie I believe striked a chord and brought tears to the older crowd. This film is indeed a reminisce of the mandopop peak era across the whole of Asia that us Chinese were so proud of. The grim fact is that the Chinese younger gens are rather into kpop jpop and western pop now instead of their own native tongue.

Apart from Bruce Lee and Ip Man, Asian film industry are not willing to risk biographies due to low returns from box office. Let's hope this Anita will change the scope and bring back legendary artistes that left us early.... Danny Chan, Leslie Kwok, Roman Tam, Lydia Sum and more.

The film brilliantly recreates the golden years of Hong Kong, the hustling and bustling, the acceptance and the melting pot that I grew up in. The screenplay feels just right, every period of Anita's life felt important in the film to ultimately shape who she became, even though some aspects felt the need to further expand. But to nitpick, Louise Wong's portrayal of Anita, while uncanny, fails to capture the most vital aspect of Anita, which was the aura, which can be especially felt when footages of the past were flashed throughout the film. But the voice is brilliantly brought back to life.

I'm sure things were not shown, people were not included due to changing times, but that's just life, at least in the case of Anita, it was preserved.

If you don't know her, this is still a great story. Having lived in HK for half a year and being a fan of Chinese music, I had heard a bit about her. If you know nothing this is still a great movie and true story.

Of course, there is an undercurrent to the story which a foreigner will not get about her but it is still an incredible movie experience. For example, there is a simple scene where she, now being rich and famous, is interviewed and asked if she will stay in Hong Kong after 1997. She proudly says "Yes, I will stay in Hong Kong". This was the year that Hong Kong was handed back over to China from being a British colony and there was a lot of fear at that time that the mainland government would be heavy handed with locals and take away their western freedoms. This turned out to not be the case but many people left HK at that time and she proudly stayed. This is not explained in the movie, you'd have to know the history of HK. But these few blips would take nothing away from this film if you didn't.

If anything, the true story of her life is even more incredible than this story, a wonderful film.

Anita Mui is a top tier singer and artist in HK. A documentary movie of her life is indeed a good move to let people in HK and all other places to know about her and remembered her. Her story is also a good example of HK people in general, ie, seize the moment, work hard, willing to learn.

But sadly in this movie, Anita is described as a talented person being given chances and helped by the record company seniors, designer, etc. It haven't illustrated HOW she walked up the way to achievements. Just showing WHAT her achievements were. Those info can easily be found on the internet and wiki. Meaningless to just re-cap them. And the way to present them is merely showing old footage of the real Anita, which makes the movie even worst and looks "fake". The presentation method of this movie is totally wrong.

Not sure if that's because the director/producer don't want to upset Japanese market or what, things about the Japanese singer, who in love with Anita, seems to be different from what the general public understanding. We surely don't know the details between Anita and this Japanese singer, but this guy is well known having affairs with different women. He's definitely not as described as regret about leaving Anita.

Anita's strong resistance toward authority is also weakened so much in the movie. Things related to how she do something against China government is not mentioned. The way she taught and cared about mentoring young singers for the growth of HK music industry is also absent.

From the very end of the movie, it brings the message of HK people should face the challenge etc, which indeed something we, as a real HK people, believes to be the core value of HK people. It tries to let us recall how HK is and should be when facing difficulty, using Anita as a role model.

Good intention without a good director/producer I'll say. A big disappointment to me as a movie fans.

I will clarify that my review is based on the miniseries version of this production, which was a total of 3' 45" ( 5 x 45" episodes) and fleshed out the life of Anita in more depth.

I came across this production by chance and, having lived and worked in HK for much of the peak of Anita Mui's career, and always enjoying her unique voice, I sat down to watch it.

What a treat it is, too. Yes, biopics tend to be a bit inaccurate in some aspects, but it really does a great job of capturing the period in HK. The presentation of HK in the 80s and 90s is excellent and brings back so many memories.

I was in the RHKP for almost a decade, spanning the 80s and 90s and was police OIC at the Coliseum when she did some of her concerts there. Many great memories!

It was a tragedy that she was cut down by cancer at such a young age, but she was star that burned so brightly in HK and around Asia. She recorded many memorable songs that form a great legacy she has left behind. More than that, though, she was a free spirit who didn't bow to convention, which was a rare thing in HK back in those days.

This production captures her and the era so well. Do watch it!

Great movie, excellent storyline , dedicate scenery reflected the 80s of old Hong Kong. It showed the Spirit of Lion Rock, the core value of HK ppl and never give up.

Sad to see that the pro-democracy part of Anita Mui had not been showcase in the movie due to current Hong Kong Home and security law. Anita had helped protestors participated in the 1989 tiananmen square protests and massacre escape China via Hong Kong. Also her pupil Denise Ho -a pro-democracy and Hong Kong human rights activist. Ho was blacklisted by the Chinese government for her active participation in the 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong & 2019 Hong Kong revolution. Yet the movie did a great job in capturing the golden age of Hong Kong.

The most beautiful, colourful 80s,90s Hong Kong produce the best Asia Diva Star

This movie summarise the best of the best about Hong Kong , the spirit of Hong Kong , the memories of Hong Kong

Anita Mui - The Real Hong Kongese

• the Real Hong Kong daughter.

As title. Wrong casting, everything just wrong. The movie could be better if everything is set correctly. It's really nothing the movie, sincerely. Not touching, spoilt the real Anita.