A landmark - "new school" starts with this movie!

ckormos1

The Yuen clan broke the barrier between "old school" and "new school" kung fu movies with this production. The difference is the creativity and the special effects. The creativity starts with the "Jar Man" fight sequence. The special effects have nothing to do with CGI. These are amazing effects using puppet techniques with wires, pyrotechnics using simple compounds and oils, and just wiring up the stunt men to do quick gravity defying sequences (or simply setting their pants on fire). The creativity here is really top notch. Not to forget the fights, the swordsmanship is almost as good as the grandmaster of grandmasters Liu Chia-Liang. To top it all off it's just plain funny. I particularly like the homage to the ancestor Simon Yuen, though it had nothing to do with anything. I watched a subtitled version that was widescreen but despite the labeling it was probably a copy. I'll be looking for and buying an authorized DVD if one exists.

score 9/10

ckormos1 12 March 2014

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2978443/