MDWAV 3 is different from MDWAV 1-2. The spirit of the movie changed, and I felt that it had many more purposes than MDWAV 1 and 2 combined. The purposes served the need to set the stage for MDWAV 4 and also pure introduction to many other characters. In my mind, it was almost doing too many things at once. Too decentralized and the characters lost grip of the viewers' interest. The love story between Bat Poh and Ngan Ping too brief with not much background and screen time, the love story between Mr. X and Mo Lui seems mediocre and mild in intensity, the love story between Bat Poh and Seng Mou seems like an intermission between stories, Siu Fu and Sheung Ngor's bits were a mixed up of fantasy and ridicule not deserving of laughter or tears, Mars and Mo Yao too little too fake, Arrowhead and Siu Ling played the love that didn;t have an ending or surprise, Sky and Tin Ngai's relationship was marred by William Chow Chi Hou's weak screen presence, Dai Lung and Kam Bo did a slight better....Well, what about Tin Yao and Siu Ling in MDWAV 3 you say? Well, they were there. If the rest of the casts had equal screen time, probably the last few scenes were left for these two. I felt that they became mere "important" leftovers in this last installment.
In my mind, the epitome of MDWAV 1-2 is good character buildup and story flow with focused plot - San Boon Yat Fu <-->Zhen Zhen <--> Tin Yao <--> Siu Ling played out great complicated ties with one another. We understood their sentiments because we've seen character developments that dealt with their emotions and logic. They were in the story to save the world no doubt! They each own their storylines but never did they lose touch with each other. These were all lost in MDWAV 3 because the storyteller had too much to cover and too little time.
From MDWAV 3 theme song, I felt that it was more aimed towards an epic sort-of storyline. It is much more ambitious and it is both good and bad. In some sense, I miss MDWAV 1 and 2 much more after I watched MDWAV 3. It didn't cure my thirst which I thought would happen after watching MDWAV 3. In fact, it diminished a little my hopes for MDWAV 4 and increased my fear for the fate of the fourth installment. It is still a good plot with many interesting elements. I did not think it was too digitally enhanced because those effects were deserving in the script. But, gone were those days where a simple lipstick, a simple compact mirror serve the purpose of killing a certain ghost spirit. Now, in MDWAV 3, we see high-tech weaponry and lethal Yiu Chi virus. The storyteller is obviously more future-looking and had different ideas about ghostbusters now.
Where is the human element in MDWAV 3? In MDWAV 1 and 2, we saw vampires and many spirits/ghosts concepts become humanized. We dealt with normal day to day people like Kam Cheng Chong, Sister Kam, Ping Ma, Ah Ping, Kar Kar, Pi Pi etc. The locations were mostly Kar Kar Apartment Building (the roof being their most popular spot), Police Station, Waiting Bar etc etc. The inhumans are Cheung San, Pak Sou Sou (White Snake) and Green snake, Cat sisters, Mo Sing Lei Lok. Nui Worh etc etc. They were all mutations, spirits, gods of some sort but none of them look godlike. Some of them possessed powers but we could relate to them. They were all humanized and look just like any Tom Dick and Harry under normal situations. Perhaps Nui Woh's beehive hair was the most extraordinary amongst them all.
In MDWAV 3, the characters have all elevated to gods and goddesses. Their images are a mixed of normal and supernormal costumes. Their powers extended and now we don't have normal humans anymore in leading roles except Fong Fook Sang. Their locations are now Pun Gu, The Moon, Hell, Waiting Bar, Soong Dynastry (for many chapters and not just plain storytelling in MDWAV 1-2) etc...It has such a huge variety from heavens to earth to hell and then all the way to the moon.
MDWAV 3 had a bigger budget which made it possible for bigger sets, better props, more digital effects and special effects but why does it seem lacking?Is MDWAV trying to be something it is not supposed to do in the 3rd installment? Is it too much for viewers to take because it is deviates from MDWAV 1-2?