02-28-2006, 03:40 PM
Everybody say "Huo Yuan Jia" - that's the real title of Jet Li's latest, released in Asia for Chinese New Year 2006. It's slated for US theatrical release in August by the same company that did Unleashed, so I'm hoping we'll throw another sneak preview. Of course, you'll all be invited again. Cross your fingers.
Huo Yuan Jia is the historic founder of Chin Woo, one of the most venerated kung fu organizations in the world today. He is the master that dies in Bruce's Fist of Fury and Jet's Fist of Legend. This film is a classic kung fu flick akin to OUATIC and Fong Sai Yuk, only with post-Hero/CTHD production values. There's some great fights, including a western fencing vs. kung fu sword seen that made me think of you fencing brothers, but the best stuff happens early making the final fight anticlimactic - same problem with Jackie Chans' Myth, actually. Jet turns in a fine performance, both acting and action. The version I saw had only Chinese subtitles, but I think I figured out most of the plot rather easily. It's a simple plot, and I'm very familiar with the following "fist" movies as well as the history, so I knew exactly how it was going to end. I'd show it at a DOOM gathering if I could get a subtitled version early, but those are very hard to come by due to the uupcoming US release.
Huo Yuan Jia is the historic founder of Chin Woo, one of the most venerated kung fu organizations in the world today. He is the master that dies in Bruce's Fist of Fury and Jet's Fist of Legend. This film is a classic kung fu flick akin to OUATIC and Fong Sai Yuk, only with post-Hero/CTHD production values. There's some great fights, including a western fencing vs. kung fu sword seen that made me think of you fencing brothers, but the best stuff happens early making the final fight anticlimactic - same problem with Jackie Chans' Myth, actually. Jet turns in a fine performance, both acting and action. The version I saw had only Chinese subtitles, but I think I figured out most of the plot rather easily. It's a simple plot, and I'm very familiar with the following "fist" movies as well as the history, so I knew exactly how it was going to end. I'd show it at a DOOM gathering if I could get a subtitled version early, but those are very hard to come by due to the uupcoming US release.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse