Member Jesse Smooth Posted November 4, 2012 Member Share Posted November 4, 2012 4.) RZA simply doesn't work as a leading action man. He simply has no commanding presence whatsoever. He claims that he trained in Hung Gar for an hour a day for two months in preparation for the film. However, his fighting in the movie is basically Western boxing and NOT any kind of kung fu style. Hmmm, all that training he did with Shi Yan Ming and his trips to Wudang Mountain were all wasted? Or were his good action scenes cut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted November 4, 2012 Member Share Posted November 4, 2012 Honestly Rza's fighting scene was just body shots to Bautista, nothing more than that, yeah it looked good for what it was, but that was it. He didn't have any skills that even remotely showed up on the screen. Again I give him credit for making this movie it was enjoyable, and as everyone stated you can see the elements of Enter the Dragon and a whole lot of others Kung-Fu movies mixed together. He did offer a lot of Eye-Candy if that matters? Again if you can take in an early matinee you might be more happy, I wouldn't say don't see it, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted November 4, 2012 Member Share Posted November 4, 2012 As a B grade chop socky blaxploitation flick how does it fare/fair???? I enjoyed Forbidden Kingdom, so is it on the same level as that movie??? Not too long ago, I had to sit through Bangkok Revenge you know??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG Posted November 4, 2012 Member Share Posted November 4, 2012 I wonder if the RZA will make his 20 million back on this flopper? With all the hype and the bad trailers, seeing is believing. As a few of 'OUR' experts have spoken. There is no way, sadly I say, for me to see this porker. And not on DVD either. I hope the RZA reads this forum. So he will understand this community's disappointment. My advice to him if he tries again don't direct get an expert. Last year all the hype and praise rang true when I saw RR. Even though the movie and its tone were a 6 out of 10. for me I still had a great time. GD Y-Y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted November 4, 2012 Member Share Posted November 4, 2012 I wonder if the RZA will make his 20 million back on this flopper? Box office estimate for weekend puts the film in 4th at $8.2M. The big thing to see is how much it drops off during the second week. TMWTIF competition this week? The two other new releases were.... the animated Wreck-It Ralph which pulled in almost $50M and Flight (Denzel Washington) which racked up $25M. Of course, there will be the big DVD push a few months from now and that will help RZA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member odioustrident Posted November 5, 2012 Member Share Posted November 5, 2012 Really hope this does well despite it being a partial mess. You can really see how this was cut down from a lot of filmed content - the scene transitions can be pretty jarring in a way that doesn't seem like an attempt at authenticity. The acting got a little painful too (Byron Mann sounds a lot like George Takei). I hope the extra footage is available as a DVD extra... will bet anything that decent shapes can be found in those deleted scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Shaolin Patriot Posted November 5, 2012 Member Share Posted November 5, 2012 I saw it this past weekend. Unfortunately, I found it just plain average. I applaud RZA's homage to Shaw Bros. (he seemed to have borrowed from a few common SB themes), but the film didn't do much for me. It was a pleasure to see cameos of Chen Kuan Tai & Gordon Liu though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted November 5, 2012 Member Share Posted November 5, 2012 I think everyone pretty much knew what to expect from this movie so none of us went into this with high hopes! But as I had said it was enjoyable for what it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member lillippa328 Posted November 7, 2012 Member Share Posted November 7, 2012 well, i kept high hopes and a positive attitude allllll the way going into this movie and then some.... tbh.....other than Russell Crowes parts....and a scene or 2 by Lucy Lui....the first 5 minutes are the best this movie has lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted November 7, 2012 Author Member Share Posted November 7, 2012 I think everyone pretty much knew what to expect from this movie so none of us went into this with high hopes! But as I had said it was enjoyable for what it was. Yeah, I had mixed feelings going into this and most likely, I'll wait til either it hits DVD or it hits the dollar theater near my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted November 12, 2012 Member Share Posted November 12, 2012 I still feel like one of the very few people that have little/no desire to see this since the word go. The ONLY thing that intrigues me is the old school actor cameos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mark187 Posted November 12, 2012 Member Share Posted November 12, 2012 this was definitely better than expected. aside from the bit parts for the old school guys like Chen Kuan-Tai, Gordon Liu, and Leung Kar-yan, it had a bunch else to offer fans of Kung Fu cinema and HK cinema alike. Terence Yin, Andrew Lin, Dennis Chan, and Celina Jade all had small roles, as well as the pretty big part for Daniel Wu. the Sally Yeh theme song from The Killer was sung in the Dragon Inn, and in a big surprise, The Way of the Dragon's Jon Benn played a small role as well! Corey Yuen's choreography was decent enough, and I love how the film started, with a fight scene set to the Wu-Tang clan's "Shame on a *@=*#"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member John Posted November 12, 2012 Member Share Posted November 12, 2012 I went and saw this last night, and was pretty unimpressed aside from Russel Crowe and the production design. The dialogue sounded like someone transcribed the subtitles off of a trope-ridden genre flick, which may be intentional, but was no less painful for it. Several times throughout, the RZA demonstrates a sense of humour that is very welcome and hopefully also intentional, but it's a tough slog to get there and too few and far between. If you like old school kung fu, you want to appreciate it when someone tries to pander to you. However, despite what is obviously a great deal of reverance and enthusiasm, it's an incoherent, trope-ridden man-child's wet dream. I am really and truly done with the Frank Miller school of dude fantasy dripping off of my screen, yet even fodder like Sin City and 300 had the advantage of being shot and written in a way which didn't make me want to scream. On the topic of dude fantasy, I'd also like to point out that even director's like Chang Cheh who would not or could not deal with female characters had to the good sense to inject some genuine feeling into the melodrama. This entire movie is as cold as ice; I don't feel for any of these characters, and the story has the tension of a Mortal Kombat cut-scene. This is the most crucially lacking area of the film in my opinion. For someone who is as steeped in this stuff as RZA is purported to be, he does not appear to understand the importance of characterization that doesn't consist of one-liners and people scowling. Several of the main characters just appear to the cut-out archetypes, with zero personality or warmth or really anything going on beyond the regurgitation of lines. What were you watching? The choreography was garbage, if you even want to call it "choreography". The choreography was fine; Cory Yuen knows what's up. Whoever was in charge of shooting however, did not. It was some kind of Paul Greengrass music video junk; it was the most brutal thing about the film, perhaps besides the dialogue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member loempiavreter Posted November 14, 2012 Member Share Posted November 14, 2012 Watched the CAM version since it isn't out here in europe yet, it's like watching Man With The Iron Fist made 20 years ago and now it played on a worn out VHS tape. The art direction, costumes, names, locations and such are spot on. SPOILERS from here on: I do feel that the fight scenes miss some kind of a punch, they hardly started and it's over. I bet it's all the fault of Eli Roth who in an interview said he actually hate fight scenes and find them boring to watch. It's cool that you make nice world with lots of background info as RZA and Eli Roth told in interviews... but what's the use if all these great characters appear for a few seconds and die out before reaching there potential to shine. The Jackal Clan, The Wolf Clan, The 10 Rodents and the Gemini Killers where all wasted (The Eagle Clan as well, since there probably isn't going to be a sequel, there goes your Boba Fett RZA)... I also didn't dig the narrative, you can clearly see RZA had to pastiche a lot of pieces together after his initial 4 hours run and The Blacksmith recalling how the event happend came out chaotic and clunky. Also at what point was explained that the job of transporting the gold has gone from The Lion Clan to the Gemini Killers? But it was enjoyable, I didn't found myself bored out at any time. Byron Mann was the man, loved his performance! Definately not the best flick, but I have seen a lot more worse or mediocre then this from the shaw bros stables and beyond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member FrankBolte Posted November 14, 2012 Member Share Posted November 14, 2012 I'll wait for the 4 hrs directors cut then.... if they decide to make it...otherwise I might catch it on the telly in a few years or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member stuntpeople Posted November 14, 2012 Member Share Posted November 14, 2012 God what a piece of junk. I'll be stoked if the director's cut has extended fights, and surprised really (Roth might not like fights, but the producers wouldn't have let the action go to waste), but that was one of the most disjointed, lame excuses for a martial arts movie I've ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member QueMuchita Posted November 14, 2012 Member Share Posted November 14, 2012 I really enjoyed this but it is clear that it needs to be longer in order to develop the characters better, the story seemed really rushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 What's Eli Roth got to do with martial arts movies? Doesn't he make films in which dumb foreigners are tortured? His input isn't wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member oneskyforall Posted November 15, 2012 Member Share Posted November 15, 2012 I saw this last night and I wish I wouldn't have... should have saved my money. The first hour is almost painful to watch with all the cutting around from scene to scene. Luckily it smoothed out at the end and almost redeemed itself in the last 20-30 minutes. I will probably buy a director's cut if one is released but I don't think I'll be watching it in this form again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted November 18, 2012 Author Member Share Posted November 18, 2012 I'm going to see this tonight and I will put a review on the site tomorrow ...seems like there are most retractors but some say it had its good parts. I'll see for myself tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted November 18, 2012 Member Share Posted November 18, 2012 If it doesn't star real Martial Artists with skill then I don't won't to see it, Bruce Lee brought this standard to MA films way back when. I 'm not gonna pay money to see Russell Crowe faking it and Lucy Lui flying around on a wire like in Charlie's Angels. You can't fool the real fans of this genre. They should have had Yen, Kane Kosugi, Adkins and Won Jin in this for starters.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted November 18, 2012 Administrator Share Posted November 18, 2012 If it doesn't star real Martial Artists with skill then I don't won't to see it, Bruce Lee brought this standard to MA films way back when. I 'm not gonna pay money to see Russell Crowe faking it and Lucy Lui flying around on a wire like in Charlie's Angels. You can't fool the real fans of this genre. They should have had Yen, Kane Kosugi, Adkins and Won Jin in this for starters.... That sounds like a good cast bro. But from what I've heard, there's not really even any kung fu fighting in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member lillippa328 Posted November 18, 2012 Member Share Posted November 18, 2012 That sounds like a good cast bro. But from what I've heard, there's not really even any kung fu fighting in it. Aside from Batista ...doing....Tiger Claw? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted November 18, 2012 Administrator Share Posted November 18, 2012 Aside from Batista ...doing....Tiger Claw? lol Does he? Was it decent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member John Posted November 19, 2012 Member Share Posted November 19, 2012 Does he? Was it decent? It was hard to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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