Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen
Jack Neo
The story: The titular Ah Boys are a bunch of young men who are posted to the Naval Diving Unit to undergo the notoriously challenging combat diver course. They include eager beaver Aloysius Jin (Maxi Lim), Hokkien beng Lobang (Wang Weiliang), spoilt brat Ken Chow (Joshua Tan) and Hong Kong-import gangster Hei Long (Wesley Wong). The instructors they meet include strict sergeant Alex Ong (Tosh Zhang) and the legendary and scary No. 2 (Justin Misson).

Despite the 3 in the title, this movie is not a sequel. Instead, think of it as a movie with familiar characters, but taking place in a parallel universe.
In other words: Same same, but different. Or as narrator Aloysius puts it: “This is our another story.”
The good news is that having put the boys through basic military training in the previous two films, writer-director Jack Neo has a firmer grasp on pacing this time and the choice of the tough amphibious frogmen programme as a setting is a smart one.
The combat diver course is incredibly demanding and only a small number have successfully completed it.
Even those who have gone through regular national service will find it fascinating to peek into what exactly it entails – muscle-straining exercises with their heavy rafts, energy-sapping beach manoeuvres and a spectacularly punishing hell week complete with a freezing “spa” bath.
No. 2 warns that “the only easy day was yesterday” and that sounds about right. By the time it comes to the passing out parade, it really feels as though the boys have earned it.
Misson’s turn as a hard-nosed sergeant in Ah Boys 1 had impressed and he is in his element here as a fearsome instructor.
This means, though, that Zhang has less to do as sergeant Alex here, despite the popularity the role has brought him.
Unfortunately, Neo does not have enough faith in the combat diver material. So he piles on the melodrama.
Lobang is saddled with a drug-taking mother (Aileen Tan) and a vulnerable younger sister, but at least the domestic situation gives Wang a chance to show his dramatic acting chops.
Hei Long has a belligerent attitude and a prickly relationship with his parents, but there is no surprise in how that is resolved.
Meanwhile, Ken is stuck in a rut with girlfriend problems and has to complete his turnaround from bratty to mature in one movie instead of two. Luckily, he gets less screen time since his was never a particularly compelling story anyway.
Instead, Lim as Aloysius gets his turn in the spotlight by both narrating and getting an emotional showdown in a scene with Hei Long.
Along with the melodrama, the blatant product placements for beer, face wash, pastries and, again, an accounting firm, serve to distract from the boys’ best outing among the three movies.
(ST)