Back in the day, the original Kung Fu was a unique piece of original television. The reboot or reimagining (Call it what you will.) appears to have gone all out to create the blandest, most boring recreation of the original possible. It is excruciating watching. Everything that was good about the 70's show, has been tossed out in favour of this weird hybrid of Crazy Rich Asians and Happy Days, laced with a smattering of poorly choreographed martial arts scenes. It's truly dire.
In the original Kung Fu the focus was on David Carradine's Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk exiled to America's Wild West and looking for his extended family members. His training and sense of social justice repeatedly draw him into situations, he'd prefer to avoid, but force him to protect the underdog. After each such encounter he moves on to new situations and environments. The show's scripts were strongly influenced by the Tao Te Ching, a book of ancient Taoist philosophy. It was always interesting.
In the new version Nicky Shen appears as just a vehicle to introduce a host of quite banal support characters. I'm simply not interested in the elder sister invariably portrayed as some sort of shopaholic. Likewise with the parents who run the (Surprise! Surprise!) Chinese restaurant and the very civic - minded gay brother. Enough please! The drama is low level, Days of Our Lives stuff, with the acting similarly of an unsurprising low standard. And the soundtrack! OMG! Has to be heard to be believed.
The main storyline repeats the trope of countless Chinese movies, whereby a villain seeks to acquire a series of ancient artefact weapons in order to rule the world, or something similar. But even though said artefacts are spread all around the world, they conveniently keep turning up in Nicky's San Francisco, so she can avoid air travel, in her quest to set things right.
It's drivel of the first degree and I have to confess I could only last 5 and a half episodes of Season1, before throwing in the towel. Cannot believe this shallow stuff has apparently has been promised 3 seasons.
In the original Kung Fu the focus was on David Carradine's Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk exiled to America's Wild West and looking for his extended family members. His training and sense of social justice repeatedly draw him into situations, he'd prefer to avoid, but force him to protect the underdog. After each such encounter he moves on to new situations and environments. The show's scripts were strongly influenced by the Tao Te Ching, a book of ancient Taoist philosophy. It was always interesting.
In the new version Nicky Shen appears as just a vehicle to introduce a host of quite banal support characters. I'm simply not interested in the elder sister invariably portrayed as some sort of shopaholic. Likewise with the parents who run the (Surprise! Surprise!) Chinese restaurant and the very civic - minded gay brother. Enough please! The drama is low level, Days of Our Lives stuff, with the acting similarly of an unsurprising low standard. And the soundtrack! OMG! Has to be heard to be believed.
The main storyline repeats the trope of countless Chinese movies, whereby a villain seeks to acquire a series of ancient artefact weapons in order to rule the world, or something similar. But even though said artefacts are spread all around the world, they conveniently keep turning up in Nicky's San Francisco, so she can avoid air travel, in her quest to set things right.
It's drivel of the first degree and I have to confess I could only last 5 and a half episodes of Season1, before throwing in the towel. Cannot believe this shallow stuff has apparently has been promised 3 seasons.