Stephen Chow (C) and cast members at a promotional event in Beijing for Chow's new movie Mermaid that will premiere on Monday. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

It shows a world where humans and mermaids coexist, but some scenes also have men hunting the fabled creatures.

The plot could spark viewers' memories of a previously acclaimed documentary.

The large-scale killing in Chow's movie could remind viewers of the Japanese fishermen's slaughter of dolphins in the Greek-American director Louie Psihoyos' film The Cove (2009).

The scenes showing humans evolving from the same ancestors as mermaids could remind viewers of Japanese author-director Shunji Iwai's sci-fi novel Wallace and Mermaid, which was translated into Mandarin in 2008.

An interesting twist and a China link was seen in an earlier trailer. In that clip, there is a clue hinting at legendary Chinese mariner Zheng He's voyages in the 15th century.

But despite the mermaid tidbits, die-hard fans of Hong Kong's "king of comedy" will be looking for typical comedy from Chow.

In a scene in one of the trailers, the tycoon, played by mainland actor Deng Chao, tells police that he has met a mermaid.