In Jungle Village the leader of the Lions clan Gold Lion is summoned by the Governor and assigned to protect his gold that will be transported through the village. However he is betrayed and murdered by the greedy Silver Lion and Bronze Lion. Gold Lions favorite son Zen Yi a.k.a. The X-Blade seeks revenge and heads to Jungle Village but he is defeated by Brass Body and rescued by the local Blacksmith Thaddeus. Meanwhile the Gemini Female and the Gemini Male protect the Governors gold but they are vanquished by the army of Silver and Bronze Lion. The Blacksmith is abducted by the Lions and has his arms severed by Brass Body. However he is saved by the British Jack Knife who is the emissary of the Emperor and he manufactures iron arms for Thaddeus. Meanwhile the Governor sends the Jackal army to fight against the Lions and they hide the gold in the brothel of Madam Blossom. However Madam Blossom and his girls form an army of black widows and together with Jack Zen Yi and The...
Review
Yes I gave this movie an eight! Why you might ask Because it did all the things it was supposed to do. Reading all the reviews I can't understand what people were expecting this movie to be. Judging from the trailer you can tell it's going to be a dope kung fu movie but you also see that RZA is playing the main character. I didn't expect much from his acting but he did an okay job nonetheless. The plot was solid nothing complex or in depth like Inception or Dark Knight but who really expects a complex plot from an action movie. I sure as hell don't. I'm a film student and I noticed a lot of things wrong from a logistics stand point but I know how to turn off my head and just enjoy a film for what it is. I didn't make the movie so why waste my time talking about what I would have done differently because I'll never get the chance to. But I can write a review based on how I experienced the film.
THE GOOD The score was great. An interesting mix of hip hop symphonic and other genres. The costuming weaponry set design were all great and looked great on film. This film had a lot of funny moments. As an adult I can appreciate the humor from a dirty joke and they did them well. The fighting and action were awesome. There were times where my best friend would consistently tap out of excitement for how awesome the fight scenes were. The acting was okay but I think the best job goes to Lucy Lui and Russell Crowe because they gave the best performances.
THE BAD I don't know about RZA playing the main character. He did okay on some parts but on others he was very dry. I also would have preferred someone else to narrate. Like Morgan Freeman or Laurence Fishburne. I named those black actors because it seemed like the Filmmakers were going for an urban feel but RZA's strong east coast accent was very distracting at times but I don't think that was a huge flaw it's just a matter of taste and that's what the director wanted so I can respect that. There were a lot of cheesy moments. Some of the dialogue was cheesy and even certain points in the movie you kind of whisper to yourself "Really!" But knowing Quentin and RZA they both are Kung Fu lovers so I looked over the cheesy moments because I knew they were just paying homage to all of the Kung Fu movies that they grew up watching. It would have been nice to have a more detailed plot. Some characters weren't established well enough to care for them but with me I didn't want to care I just wanted to see some flying kicks and daggers. Those nappy ass wigs that the Wolf Clan made me want to chew bricks. The hairstylist should be fired but again it's all a matter of taste. That was just a creative choice made by the director and I can respect that.
Overall the movie is just a fun flick to go see on a Friday night. Lots of blood decapitation fun martial arts subliminal dirty jokes sarcastic humor special effects and a unique urban take on the classic Kung Fu films we've learn to love over the years. This is not a movie you waste your time dissecting. You either love it or you hate. I took the movie for what it was and I loved every minute of it. It had everything an action flick should have great action great costumes great weapons solid plot and good actors.
Congratulations RZA on your first film. I'm sure he can'y do anything but get better. He definitely has a vivid mind and I'm anxious to see how he evolves.
Lastly whenever you're reading a review make sure you learn how to decipher an authentic review from that of an upcoming filmmaker. We all tend to be very hard on each other and ourselves. A lot of these reviews contain inhibitions about creative taste rather than the movie itself. No one cares about what you would have done differently. All they care about is if it's worth their ten fifteen twenty dollars. That is all.