Having viewed Cinema of Vengeance and The Art of Action, I was on a quest to find a film that was an update on the current status of the martial arts genre in those two movies' same style, and this is it. A hilarious and fun look into the history of the genre, this film takes its own approach. The normal everyday guy who loves these films wants to tell you about them in everyday speaking and charming animation. I applaud the movie for sticking with this style. Its less formal than any documentary you may ever see, but its completely relatable in the excitement one may have for these movies.
The movie follows the history of martial arts cinema, basically. The Art of Action did a better job of going in chronological order compared to this film, which jumps back and forth in the timeline. This can be excused though since it wants to group everything together that belongs in a certain category. The film's strong point though is that its up to date and covers more than The Art of Action did, being 9 years newer. A lot has happened in the genre and that's what I wanted to see. This film is heavy on using clips from several movies which is great. It gets you interested in some of the films shown.
Some personal highlights for me: -Seeing Jacky Wu Jing get a mention! He is a very underrated modern star of the genre who deserves more serious roles. Sadly nothing was mentioned about Fatal Contact, an awesome movie that he stars in. -Showing how Hollywood ripped off Police Story, with side-by-side comparisons to prove it! -Everything about Bruce Lee was covered, and acknowledged that Bruce-splotation was terrible.
My minor complaints: -Footage from Legend of the Drunken Master was used instead of Drunken Master II. The former release of the film had dull sound effects, a butchered soundtrack and a changed ending. Even though it was stated once in this film as Drunken Master II, the footage was not of that and was not stated about the American changes. -Sammo Hung deserved a bigger chunk of the film. He was breezed over and just sort of mentioned. What he has done for the genre is immense. -Yuen Biao was not mentioned at all! How can you have Jackie and Sammo and no Yuen?? -Woo Ping should of also got his own section of the movie. His contributions to the genre as a director and choreographer are legendary.
For a big martial fan like myself, this movie is a godsend. It is a welcome update to The Art of Action. It makes you appreciate the genre and may get you interested in some new films you haven't seen. To any newcomer to the genre who may have seen only a hand full of martial arts films, this is a great film to see where the genre came from, where it's going, and what is out there for you to start watching. I recommend it to anyone!
The movie follows the history of martial arts cinema, basically. The Art of Action did a better job of going in chronological order compared to this film, which jumps back and forth in the timeline. This can be excused though since it wants to group everything together that belongs in a certain category. The film's strong point though is that its up to date and covers more than The Art of Action did, being 9 years newer. A lot has happened in the genre and that's what I wanted to see. This film is heavy on using clips from several movies which is great. It gets you interested in some of the films shown.
Some personal highlights for me: -Seeing Jacky Wu Jing get a mention! He is a very underrated modern star of the genre who deserves more serious roles. Sadly nothing was mentioned about Fatal Contact, an awesome movie that he stars in. -Showing how Hollywood ripped off Police Story, with side-by-side comparisons to prove it! -Everything about Bruce Lee was covered, and acknowledged that Bruce-splotation was terrible.
My minor complaints: -Footage from Legend of the Drunken Master was used instead of Drunken Master II. The former release of the film had dull sound effects, a butchered soundtrack and a changed ending. Even though it was stated once in this film as Drunken Master II, the footage was not of that and was not stated about the American changes. -Sammo Hung deserved a bigger chunk of the film. He was breezed over and just sort of mentioned. What he has done for the genre is immense. -Yuen Biao was not mentioned at all! How can you have Jackie and Sammo and no Yuen?? -Woo Ping should of also got his own section of the movie. His contributions to the genre as a director and choreographer are legendary.
For a big martial fan like myself, this movie is a godsend. It is a welcome update to The Art of Action. It makes you appreciate the genre and may get you interested in some new films you haven't seen. To any newcomer to the genre who may have seen only a hand full of martial arts films, this is a great film to see where the genre came from, where it's going, and what is out there for you to start watching. I recommend it to anyone!