Review of Shaolin Kung Fu

Introduction

Let`s look at some of the blurb for this disc:-

"A classic tale of revenge - a young rickshaw driver is constantly bullied by his rivals but unable to fight back due to a vow he has made to his mother. However, the brutal rape of his sister pushes him over the edge and sets him on a bloody path of vengeance"

Sounds good so far. Let`s read on:-

"He systematically takes out his enemies using his deadly and unbeatable Shaolin Kung Fu skills."

Still looking good…

"Produced by the legendary Joseph Kuo, Shaolin Kung Fu features some of the most intense martial arts fight sequences ever to grace the screen."

Wow, sounds like we`re in for a real treat then. Let`s sit back and enjoy...

Video

A sort of 2.35:1 non-anamorphic transfer (it looks like it might be a bit more or a bit less though, I didn`t bother measuring it). And it`s in a bit of a state, with colours all over the shop from quite good (on occasion) to very washed out (quite a lot of the time). Contrast jumps around a lot too, even in the middle of a scene. It has a VHS quality about it for most of the running time. There is also a bit of print damage in the form of scratches, dust and dirt.

Audio

A naff DD2.0 English dubbed soundtrack. Not only is it a dub (a criminal offence in my book), it`s very poor quality, with lots of naff sound effects added over the top and no redeeming features. Some of the dubbed voices are awful, especially one that sounds like a comedy west country accent.

Features

Just a trailer for the film and some for other discs.

Conclusion

"Shaolin Kung Fu features some of the most intense martial arts fight sequences ever to grace the screen."

If that`s true then I`m Bruce Lee. The plot is a fairly standard fare, but has been done better elsewhere, the fighting isn`t great and you just end up laughing for all of the wrong reasons. If this "Old Skool Kung Fu" series is supposed to be about classic films, then they`ve messed up again with this one. But if it means naff and laughable films, then its inclusion is spot on.

If you want to see a good film with martial arts in it, get something else like Iron Monkey or a Bruce Lee film. If you want a very average film, on a less than average DVD with naff picture and sound, this is your thing.

Slightly better than other releases in this series so far but still one to avoid.