Magic to Win

Magic to Win
Directed by	Wilson Yip
Written by	Edmond Wong Dali Chen
Produced by	Raymond Wong
Starring	Wu Chun Karena Ng Raymond Wong Louis Koo Wu Jing
Cinematography	Cheung Man-po
Edited by	Cheung Ka-fai
Music by	Chiu Tsang-hei Andy Cheung
Production companies	Pegasus Motion Pictures Huayi Brothers
Distributed by	Pegasus Motion Pictures
Release date	1 December 2011 (2011-12-01)
Running time	100 mins
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Budget	$8 million (estimated)

Magic to Win (Chinese: 開心魔法, meaning "Happy Magic") is a 2011 Hong Kong film directed by Wilson Yip. The film stars Wu Chun, Karena Ng, Raymond Wong, Wu Jing and Louis Koo.

While promoted as being a return to the Happy Ghost film series which 1984 to 1991, film critic Derek Elley found the film generally unrelated to the film outside of its school setting and fantasy elements. He gave the film a negative review finding Wilson Yip's direction lazy and the story episodic.

The world consists of five elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth. In the wizard world of "Magic to Win", the story also revolves around the "Five Element Wizardry", portraying a story that surpasses our imagination. Kang Sengui (Raymond Wong), a university professor, is the Water Magician of "Five Elements Wizardry". Although he uses magic spells in his daily life, his superpower remains a secret. By accident, his power is transmitted to his student, Macy (Karena), who recklessly uses her newfound powers for personal gain and money-making. When she encounters Ling Feng, the spirit of an amnesiac Earth Magician, slowly begins to realize there is more to magic than just profit. Meanwhile, Bi Yewu, a Fire Magician, sets out on a mission to capture the elemental magicians in order to open a rift in time in an attempt to change history and save his parents who perished in a fire in his youth. His search leads him to Ling Feng, Wood Magician Gu Xinyue, Metal Magician Charlie and finally Macy. The rift eventually opens and the world is put on the moment of doom. Bi Yewu ends up redeems himself and teams up with other magicians to stop the rift.

• Wu Chun as Ling Feng: Earth Magician. He lost his memory and powers and body after losing a battle to the Fire Magician.
• Karena Ng as Ching Mei-si/Macy Cheng: She gained Professor Kang's power by accident, and frequently uses it for personal gain.
• Raymond Wong as Professor Hong Sam-gwai/Kang Sen Gui: Water Magician who teaches at Macy's college. He tries to teach Macy the best ways of using magic.
• Louis Koo as Ku San-yu/Gu Xinyue: Wood Magician. He uses his ability of clairvoyance for his writing.
• Wu Jing as Bi Yewu: Fire Magician and the main antagonist. He sets out to capture all the elemental magicians for his own purpose.
• Tonny Jan as Charlie: Metal Magician and a stage magician.
• Yan Ni as Lau Wah-li: Volleyball coach. She is strict and sees sports as her whole existence.

While the film was promoted as being a return of the Happy Ghost film series from 1984 to 1991, film critic Derek Elley said that Magic to Win has little in common with those films apart from a school setting and a mixture of every life with the supernatural.¹

Magic to Win was released in Hong Kong and China on December 1, 2011.¹

Writing for Film Business Asia, Derek Elley found the film to be "lazily directed" by Wilson Yip and that it had "no comic rhythm to the direction" leading the film to "stroll episodically along, with one after another sequence of power-palming and a so-what final plot revelation."¹

• 31st Hong Kong Film Awards