2 Capsule Reviews - 2 Hwang Jang Lee movies (part II)

5-Pattern Dragon Claws (South Korea, 1983: ) 
AKA: Dragon Claws; Nwoi Fighting Technique; Thunderfist; Fist of Lightning

Starring: Dragon Lee, Hang Jang Lee, Baek Hwang-Gi, Kim Ki-Beom, Lee Hwa-Jin, Park Wan-Soo, Kim Ki-Hong, Choe Hui-Jeong, Moon Jong-Geum
Director: Kim Shi-hyeon, Godfrey Ho
Action Director: Baek Hwang-Gi

One of three old kung fu movies that Dragon Lee and Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee made together, the other two being Secret Ninja, Roaring Tiger (1982) and Martial Monks of Shaolin Temple. As aficionados know, they two men teamed up again in 1994 for Emperor of the Underworld, which I have not yet seen. I'm not even sure just how available that film is. In any case, this one is notable because the choreography manages to ape Hong Kong/Taiwanese shapes to a 'T", despite having a South Korean action director (Baek Hwang-gi, who doubles as Hwang Jang Lee's second-in-command).

The film starts with a "tournament" between the layman students from the Damoh School and the monks of Shaolin. This is where the film loses me, because it is suggested in the dialog that Shaolin is an extension of Damoh...or vice versa: laymen can train at Damoh and graduate to the temple after their kung fu reaches a certain point. The film is never completely clear. In any case, the five layman students, including Dragon Lee's Wong Lung, defeat their monk opponents and are admitted into Shaolin to learn Wu Fat Kung Fu under the tutelage of Master Kwok (Kim Doo-han, of Enter the Invincible Hero and Dreadnaught Rivals).

One of the students, Kong Lee (Moon Jong-geum, of Warriors of Kung Fu), is little too ambitious for his own good and tries to steal the Four Kung Fu Manuals of Shaolin from the Abbot (Kim Ki-beom). He ends up stealing the books and tries to run away with his girlfriend, Su Ching (Choe Hui-jeong, of Shaolin and Tai Chi). However, before he can make a break from Shaolin (or Damoh, or both), he is confronted by Master Kwok. Both men disappear. News of the abbot's death and Kwok's disappearance reaches the Golden Monkey Palace school, run by Kam Fu (Hwang Jang Lee). Kam Fu sends his thugs, led by his brother, Ling Fu (Baek Hwang-gi), to harrass the remaining Damoh students and try to get them to join him.

We learn that Master Kwok has retreated into seclusion where he is crucifying Kong Lee in order to force him into repentence. Kwok orders Wong Lung to divide up the kung fu manuals between him and the other three layman students--played by Kim Ki-hong, Park Wan-soo, and Lee Je-gyu. For reasons that never seem to make much sense, Wong Lung goes against Kwok's orders and refuses to divy up the manuals between his martial brothers. Kam Fu and Ling Fu ultimately kill the layman head of the school, three of the layman students, and severely injure Wong Lung. As only the latter has survived, it falls on Master Kwok to help him train in order to get revenge against the Golden Monkey Palace school.

Like I said, the main thing that kept on taking me out of the film was the confusing relationship between the Damoh School and the Shaolin Temple. Most of the dialog suggests that both are the same entity. But if that's the case, why did the laymen have to duel with the monks in order to train in Shaolin kung fu? As I suggested, perhaps they have a beginner's school that, once passed, will allow one entrance into the temple for more advanced training. But that is never really clarified, so I spent much of the movie listening to the dialog in hopes of making sense of that.

The fighting is pure Hong Kong-style shapes, courtesy of Baek Hwang-gi, who also choreographed that year's Martial Monks of Shaolin Temple. I think this film had the better choreography overall. Hwang Jang Lee is good form with his usual mix of Taekwondo kicking and Southern Eagle Claw handwork. He does some of his patented aerial kicking here, mainly like the one where he jumps past two people and does two side leg extensions to kick both men. Dragon Lee never goes into Brucesploitation mode here, instead fighting with a mixture of animal styles and his usual Hapkido kicking. The handwork is very complex by the standards of South Korean chop-sockies, which is impressive. It very much feels like it was choreographed by the likes of Mang Hoi, Corey Yuen, or Chin Yuet-Sang.

There is a little bit of undercranking here and there, but never enough to detract from the action onscreen. There is a little bit of South Korean nuttiness when Hwang Jang Lee unleashes his secret style, which are multiple roundhouse kicks that cut to stock footage of lightning, leaving the opponent with a smoking burn mark on his clothing. That style is actually alluded to by the monks early on in the film; at one point, Hwang does get his hands on the manuals. When Wong Lung and Kwok have to fight him at the end, they find a neat way to neutralize that move: tie a cord around his leg and cut off the blood circulation so it loses power. From a choreography point of view, the best fight is probably the first showdown between Dragon Lee and Hwang Jang Lee. The last fight has better moves, but sacrifices crisp choreography for sloppy intensity. Nonetheless, 5-Pattern Dragon Claws is still a worthy film for genre fans.

Martial Monks of Shaolin Temple (South Korea, 1983: ) 
Aka: Shaolin Yong-Pal (or Yong-Pal in Shaolin Temple)

Starring: Dragon Lee, Hwang Jang Lee, Choe Min-Gyu, Seo Jeong-Ah, Baek Hwang-Gi, Lee Seok-Goo, Yeong Seop, Park Woo-Yong, Kim Doo-Han, Jeong Joo-Hyeon
Director: Kim Shi-hyeon, Godfrey Ho
Action Director: Baek Hwang-Gi

This actually came out before 5-Pattern Dragon Claws (see review above) and like that film, it was picked up by Filmark for release. As you would expect, Godfrey Ho was given director's credit while producer credit went to Tomas Tang. The action director was credited as Philip Yuen, but it was actually Baek Hwang-gi, who had also choreographed Dragon Claws. When all is said and done, I think 5-Pattern Dragon Claws is the better movie overall, although this one has a better end fight.

The movie starts with some guy going to the Abbot of Shaolin (Kim Doo-han) to complain about Wudan attacking people. The messenger and the abbot go to investigate and are attacked by a guy wearing a silly silver wig (Lee Je-gyu). That guy kills the messenger and then the head of Wudan, Kurt Wong (Hwang Jang Lee), shows up and kicks the abbot into oblivion. News of the abbot's death spreads and reaches the ears of both a kung fu student named Dragon Lang (Dragon Lee) and a monk named Chi Yen (Choi Min-gyu). Chi Yen comes across as a violent-but-righteous monk who goes around fighting injustice, like some dude with a handlebar mustache and a man-sized sword (Kang Yong-gyu). 

Chi Yen meets Dragon Lang when he sees the latter running a street hustle involving a game of Whack-A-Mole involving a sword and his own head. Chi Yen also runs into a girl named Pinky Poon (Seo Jeong-ah...oh dear, what a name), who goes around dressed like a beggar. She tries to seduce Chi Yen for...reasons. The film never elaborates on why. They also run into Dragon Lang, who is now out of a job after Chi Yen ruined his hustle. Chi Yen gets Dragon a job at the inn where he's staying, but then takes him as a student after he sees how strong he is.

Long story short: it turns out Chi Yen is actually one of Wudan's enforcers and the real Shaolin Master is Dragon Lang (the hustler bit was just a ruse). Dragon Lang is defeated by Kurt Wong and imprisoned at Wudan, but is rescued by Pinky Poon and another fighter (Park Woo-yong). Pinky Poon nurses him back to health and he goes back to Shaolin to train for revenge.

The story is a little easier to follow than 5-Pattern Dragon Claws, but it does feel a bit too simple and the plot spins its wheels for too much of the first half. Most of the fights involving Dragon Lang and random bandits just don't feel related to the story. At one point, I thought the film was going to play a bait-and-switch and make Chi Yen the actual hero and Dragon Lang his comic foil. Then, suddenly the monk turns out to be one of the bad guys and I realize that I have been M. Night Shyamalan'd!!!

Once more, the fights are staged by Baek Hwang-gi and he does a reasonably good job of aping the Hong Kong shapes style of fight choreography. Hwang Jang Lee steals the show as usual, although Dragon Lee arguably looks even better in this movie than he did in 5-Pattern Dragon Claws. Lee performs a lot of Praying Mantis kung fu, which he had also performed in Dragon on Fire. He also has a John Liu-esque move where he holds his ankle and does multiple high roundhouse kicks with it. To be honest, although his fight scenes are limited, Park Woo-yong, who plays a traveling fighter who turns out to be an ally of Shaolin, gives a great kicking showcase and even outfights Dragon Lee in his own film. I wanted to see more of him.

The highlight is the big finale, which starts with Dragon Lee going into Brucesploitation mode against all of the lesser enforcers and flunkies of Wudan. After dispatching everybody, he has lengthy final showdown with Hwang Jang Lee that mixes Dragon's unique kicking style, spears, nunchaku, Praying Mantis, and the use of a barrel. And true to form, Hwang Jang Lee is so powerful that none of that is enough to defeat him. The tables only turn when one of the Shaolin monks (also Kim Doo-han) shows up to help, at which point the fight starts to resemble Secret Rivals II. Beyond that, watch for a contingent of Wudan fighters shooting ropes out of their feet by kicking (it's as weird as it sounds) and Choe Min-gyu using cords and ropes as part as his own unique fighting style. 

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Mortal Kombat II (2026)

Starring: Adeline Rudolph, Karl Urban, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Martyn Ford, Tati Gabrielle, Tadanobu Asano, Chin Han, Lewis Tan, Max Huang, Hiroyuki Sanada, Joe Taslim
Director: Simon McQuoid
Action Directors: Michael Lehr, Malay Kim

Well, color me impressed!

I thought that the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot was “pretty good” at best. I liked the idea of setting the film before the actual tournament, with the Outworld trying to cheat its way to victory. But like most people, I wondered what the point of the Cole Young character was, since any other character could have been used as the audience proxy. And the action was disappointing, with the two bookend sequences being standouts, but the action in the middle being “Meh” at best. Much of the problem stemmed from the filmmakers not finding that sweet spot between the choreography, the powers, and the gore: the former suffered the most.

But director Simon McQuoid and his producers seemed to have learned from their mistakes and in this sequel, all of that has been corrected. In fact, considering the acting, story, cinematography, FX quality, and overall action, Mortal Kombat II may very well be the best live-action entry in the franchise to this date.

The movie opens a number of years (or decades) before the events of the first film in the Kingdom of Edenia. Edenia is located in the Outworld, and the place has been targeted for conquest by a powerful warlord named Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford, of the Red Sonja remake and The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud). The reigning king, Jerrod (Desmond Chiam, of Joy Ride and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”), accepts the challenge. Although Jerrod gets in some good hits, Shao Kahn is the better fighter and kills Jerrod. He then marries Jerrod’s widow, Sindel (Primitive War’s Ana Thu Nguyen), and adopts her daughter, Kitana.

Cut to a few days after the events of the first film. We are introduced to Johnny Cage (Karl Urban, of Doom and the Pathfinder), a washed-up martial arts actor whose glory days are long behind him. It has gotten to the point where people don’t even pay attention to him at conventions, although I honestly think that’s a bit exaggerated. I’m more than sure that any once-successful martial arts actor could garner some attention: the power of nostalgia is real. Anyway, Cage is approached by Raiden (a returning Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (same for Jessica McNamee), who inform him that he has been chosen as a combatant for the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Cage is initially skeptical, although he humors him and learns for himself that a) there is indeed a tournament and b) even the human combatants have developed gnarly powers in order to face off with opponents from a completely different realm (or dimension) with neat powers of their own. Still believing that his best days are long past, Cage declines the invitation to train with the likes of Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), and Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

Meanwhile, back in the Outworld, Shao Kahn is organizing his own (new) team of fighters. That would include his now-adult adoptive daughter (Adeline Rudolph, of Do Not Enter and Hellboy: The Crooked Man); Kitana’s bodyguard, Jade (Uncharted’s Tati Gabrielle); Sindel; and himself. And who will be Fighter #5?

Well, that is where things get interesting. In Shao Kahn’s employ is a powerful sorcerer and necromancer by the name of Quan Chi (Damon Herriman). Quan Chi uses his powers to revive not one, but two characters from the previous movie. The first is Kung Lao, who had gotten his soul sucked by Shang Tsung (a returning Chin Han). The second is Kano. Kung Lao is revived to fight for the Outworld, while Shao Kahn has other plans for Kano.

You see, Shang Tsung made it clear in the first film that the Outworld has never been above cheating in Mortal Kombat and this last tournament would be no exception. But since the original plan to murder all the fighters before the tournament was a failure, they plan to cheat via other means. Those particular means revolve around an amulet belonging to the Chaos God Shinnok…and amulet that was stolen by Kano during the events of the first film. The amulet can transfer God powers from one being to another, including instant healing, rendering the receiver functionally immortal.

The tournament soon begins and both sides start taking losses. But once the details of Shao Kahn’s plan reaches the Earth fighters—it shouldn’t be difficult to know who the spy is—our heroes will find themselves having to fight both inside and outside of the tournament in order to prevent Shao Kahn from winning.

So, this film is about the tournament (unlike the last film, but like the 1995 film), but the amulet subplot gives the characters other things to do, especially those among the Earth fighters who actually lose, but still manage to walk away with their lives. And that goes especially for one of the main characters who would have no logical reason to win their particular fight, but needs to stay in the movie anyway. I think that is the film’s strength is giving certain characters things to do while the tournament progresses, with the success of the amulet subplot being integral to the other characters being able to win Mortal Kombat. It keeps both the action and story from going stale.

The main characters this time around are Johnny Cage and Kitana, although they receive ample support from the other returning characters and a few new ones, too. Fans questioned the portrayal of Cage as an over-the-hill has-been—the games usually portrayed him as being in the prime of his career—but I think it works in the film and for Cage’s particular character arc. Cage’s film-within-a-film was a hoot and he gradually gets his confidence as an actual fighter (something he hadn’t been in many years) back. Cage goes from a nothing to a) someone who has something to fight for, and then b) someone who has the means to fight for it.

Kitana’s story is more about subverting her step-father’s quest for power and seeking her own personal revenge. She herself doesn’t grow in the way Cage does, but she does get the final fight against her father’s killer, which makes more dramatic sense. Her journey is less about her own personal growth and more about her attempts to keep the Earth fighters abreast of what’s going on in the Outworld, but at great personal risk.

Surprisingly, there is some character development saved for Kano as well. We saw in the last film that he was initially going to fight for humanity, but then allowed himself to be bought out by Shang Tsung. And while he initially is on the Outworld’s side after his resurrection, he does have a change in heart, albeit for a reason that is very typical of Kano’s character.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation suffered from a story that often threw characters into the story to randomly get into fights, only to exit stage left after a few moments. That was especially true for Baraka, Mileena, and the Reptile clones. And to a lesser extent, Scorpion and Sub-Zero. That happens a little bit here, but not as bad. At least two of the combatants exit the film after their initial MK fights. And two more characters return from the first film (just look at the credits), once the search for the amulet moves from the Outworld to the Netherworld.

Speaking of exiting movies, one of Mortal Kombat II’s other strengths is that no character is given plot armor. Not all of Earth’s champions will make it to the end of the movie. You feel like the Paul W. S. Anderson didn’t want to kill our favorites in the two 1990s films, so only the villains and maybe one good guy would die. Not here. To quote Joe Bob Briggs, “Anybody can die at any time.” And when they get it, they get it good. People die hard in this movie, which is to be expected after the last one.

Speaking of dying hard, how is the action? Well, it is both more plentiful and more consistent than in the last movie. The action directors were switched, with Michael Lehr and Malay Kim taking up the reins. Both are veteran Hollywood stuntmen, with Malay Kim having done stuntwork for a few of the MK video games, plus action direction on the John Wick spin-off “The Continental.” Michael Lehr also worked on “The Continental”, but also has films like Fast 9; Extraction; and Day Shift on his résumé as fight coordinator. As I stated earlier in the review, these two manage to hit that sweet spot: the perfect balance of choreography, powers, and graphic violence. I’ll have to watch it again if anything will beat the original Cage vs. Scorpion and Liu Kang vs. Reptile fights—which are iconic because for many, this was the first time American viewers saw Hong Kong choreography in action—but I liked what I saw.

In my mind, the fight that stands out the most is the throwdown between Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Besides being an emotionally-charged fight, it is set up in a neat way. Long story short: both men are exchanging blows—Max Huang looks to be a wing chun stylist—while Kung Lao’s razor-sharp hat is flying around and coming at both men. So, both have to fight each other while dodging or deflecting the hat, which results in some creative action direction.

I also must point out that Shao Kahn, as a tournament participant, gets to have multiple fight scenes and is not just an end boss. The finale is broken up into two parallel fights. One of them is (SPOILER ALERT) is set in the Netherworld, as Kano, Johnny Cage, and Scorpion have to team up against Bi Han, who has been resurrected as Noob Saibat (I presume). There is some nice, complex choreography as they have to fight him and one of his clones, often simultaneously with swords, Scorpion’s rope weapon, and good ol’ fashioned fisticuffs. It’s a better fight overall than Shao Kahn vs. Kitana, even if it’s that fight that will determine the fate of the world. And I’m glad that Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada returned, even if just for an extended cameo.

Mortal Kombat II offers lots of quality fight action, a decent plot (maybe even a good one, by fighting game standards), solid acting, and a whole lot of gore and should be enjoyed by most fans of the franchise. I certainly liked it and look forward to the next one, which I assume by this point will have to involve Shinnok (who gets name dropped here). Bring it on!

Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983)

Holy Flame of the Martial World (1983)
Chinese Title: 武林聖火令
Translation: Martial World Holy Fire Order

Starring: Max Mok, Leanne Lau Suet-Wah, Yung Jing-Jing, Lau Siu-Kwan, Jason Pai Piao, Phillip Kwok, Yeung Ching-Ching, Liu Lai-Ling, Yau Chui-Ling, Candy Wen Xue-Er, Chiang Tao
Director: Tony Lou
Action Director: Phillip Kwok, Yuen Tak

Holy Flame of the Martial World is one of those sorts of films whose origin I question. Was it inspired by the success of Buddha’s Palm from the previous year? Perhaps by the hype around Zu: Warriors of Magic Mountain (despite the fact that the movie flopped in the box office)? Or just the realization that your average Chor Yuen wuxia pian was just outdated and things needed to be crazier to stick out in the genre? This is one of those über-wuxia films that are so over-the-top that they border on xianxia, like Battle Wizard and the Bastard Swordsman films.

The movie starts off in a way that recalls Kung Fu Cult Master (itself an adaptation of Jin Yong’s Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre) with a couple being pursued by the Eight Schools of the Martial World. Why? Because they know the location of the Holy Flame—which turns out to be a pair of super-powerful swords—which all the clans are greedy to get their hands on. Chief among the schools is the females-only Ermei School, led by Chief Tsing Yin (Leanne Lau, of Hidden Power of the Dragon Sabre and The Bastard Swordsman). She has thrown in her lot with the “Monster” Ku Pan-Kuai (Jason Pai Piao, of Shaolin Prince and Hell’s Wind Staff) and they are able to find out where the Yin Flame is hidden. They end up killing the couple, but the sudden arrival of the Phantom (Phillip Kwok, of The Five Deadly Venoms and Flag of Iron) stops them from killing the baby son (although the baby daughter is taken by Tsing Yin).

Flash forward 18 years. The Phantom has brought up the baby boy, Wan Tien-Sau (or Yin Tien-Chu in Mandarin), who grows up to be played by Max Mok (the Once Upon a Time in China sequels). The Phantom teaches him the Phantom Laugh and Devil’s Sword techniques and sends him on a mission to retrieve the Yang half of the Holy Flame. On his way, he saves a young girl, Chuan Ehr (Yung Jing Jing, or Mary Jean Reimer, best known as Mrs. Lau Kar-Leung), and her dad from the Bloodsucking Clan. He also saves the Monster’s student, Tuan Yuan-San (Lau Siu-Kwan, of Hex After Hex and The Plot), from the ghosts that guard the Moon Cave where the Flame is hidden.

After engaging in a pitched battle with razor-sharp Chinese characters—it makes more sense when you watch the film—Wan Tien-Sau is able to acquire both the Yang half of the Holy Flame. On his way back home, he discovers that Chuan Ehr has been kidnapped by the Bloodsucking Clan. So he and Tuan Yuan-San storm the clan’s headquarters, duel with some supernatural fighters who emerge from paintings, and kill its leader, Lam May-Heung (Chiang Tao, of Executioners from Shaolin and Bruce and Dragon Fist). After burying her father, Chuan Ehr agrees to follow Wan Tien-Sau back home. On their way, they come across the students of the Ermei Clan, including Tan Fung (Yeung Ching-Ching, of Treasure Hunters) fighting with Golden Snake Boy (Candy Wen, of Two Champions of Shaolin and Sword Stained with Royal Blood). All of this leads to a scuffle between Wan Tien-Sau and Chief Tsing Yin, which is stopped by Chuan Ehr, who has developed the ability to shoot lasers from her fingers after absorbing the blood of a snake’s bladder…yeah, I’m still scratching my head at that one.

Long story short: Tan Fung is Wan Tien-Sau’s long-lost sister. Phantom teaches Tien-Sau how to wield the Yang half of the Holy Flame while Chief Tsing Yin teaches Tan Fung how to wield the Yin half in hopes of killing both Wan and the Phantom. And the Monster wants the Yang half so he and Chief Tsing Yin can rule the Martial World together.

The story was provided by Siu Sang, which was adapted into a screenplay by director Tony Lou and newcomer Cheung Kwok-Yuen, who also wrote Secret Service of the Imperial Court and the infamous rape-revenge film Body Weapon (1999). Siu Sang is an interesting guy, because he is mainly known as a director and producer. He wrote and directed a couple of dozen wuxia movies during the 1960s and 1970s before moving onto television, where he produced and directed numerous wuxia series, including adaptations of Jin Yong novels, including two adaptations of “Legend of the Condor Heroes” for competing networks and “The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain” in 1977. The man’s TV résumé is impressive.

I don’t know if Siu Sang wrote a book that became this film, or if he just provided the Shaw Brothers with a story treatment. The film has a lot going on, but it never gets so convoluted as to become hard to know who is who. The good guys are good. The bad guys are bad. The rest of the Eight Schools are background characters played for laughs. There are no real twists in the story. No shifting alliances. The subplot involving the Blood Sucking Clan is a little random, but it doesn’t make the story less coherent. The biggest loose end is who Golden Snake Boy is supposed to be. He/she is played more like a plot device and source of exposition than a real character.

Max Mok would become a respected actor in Hong Kong, even if he never became the next Leslie Cheung (who was getting his start about the same time with Little Dragon Maiden). Yung Jing-Jing is best known for marrying Lau Kar-Leung (after his relationship with Kara Hui Ying-Hung went sour) and staying by his side until his death from cancer in 2013. As it was with most Hong Kong actresses, Yung retired from acting after her marriage and studied law to become a barrister. She is also a devout Buddhist who goes around falling out “false” monks asking for handouts—apparently real Buddhist monks have a system of I.D. so that people know they are legit. Yeung Ching-Ching (who name looks very similar to Yung Ching-Ching) was a real wushu stylist and became one of the only female fight choreographers in the business.

Speaking of fight choreographers, we have a lot of fantasy action sequences staged by Phillip Kwok and Yuen Tak. Yuen Tak was coming into his own as an action director by this point, doing some great work in The Lady Assassin. Phillip Kwok, or Kuo Chi, is best known for as the Lizard Venom and had stayed behind in Hong Kong, even after his comrades Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng had returned to Taiwan. The action here is a mixture of stylish swordplay, over-the-top wire antics, and crazy flying objects and colorful optical effects.

If you like your martial arts grounded and realistic, stay way from this movie. I mean, stay far away from this. Holy Flame of the Martial World is the sort of movie where the “superior martial arts” is not a triple flying side kick, Hwang Jang Lee-style. No, this is the sort of movie where your best techniques will blow a woman’s skin off her body, reducing her to a skeleton. Or where people can shoot green laser lassos and finger beams. Or where you can spin around in the air before kicking a person’s head off. Or where colored swords fire crystal disco balls at their enemies. Yes, people often stop to engage in more traditional swordplay, which is fast and furious and looks well-staged. But that usually happens for several seconds before the characters take to the air and things just get nutty.

In the end, I find this movie to be quite entertaining. It’s not the best wuxia pian, or even the best of the more hyperactive versions of it. But it is overflowing with imagination and Yung Jing Jing is very easy on the eyes…personally, I think Lau Kar-Leung traded up when he married her. And now I must defend myself from those rabid Kara Hui fanboys.