Member kami Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 I like the approach they chose for THE LOST BLADESMAN, the action is fantastic (even if the best fight - the one against Andy On - is not the showdown), the score is great, but the script is rather weak and the narration confusing which is quite puzzling since the story is not that complicated. Of the four ROTK-movies that were produced in the last years this is the weakest but as a historical action road movie it's quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member rdenn Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 iceman was a mess but very funny in places especially the two villians, their running gag about curried chicken was really funny and the fight in the club apart from the slo mo overkill was quite good decent handwork and stances but that cgi fest ending was unacceptable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted July 7, 2014 Member Share Posted July 7, 2014 Did anyone notice the horrible English subtitles. Every "fuck" became "heck" and every "shit" because "god" or "damn." Not only that but when He Ying beats up the guy in the van for his clothes, the guy blatantly says "I have to learn Wing Chun!" which, I imagine, is an in-joke at the fact Donnie played Ip Man. The subtitles turn it into "I have to learn martial arts!" which ruins the joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 7, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 7, 2014 I like the approach they chose for THE LOST BLADESMAN, the action is fantastic (even if the best fight - the one against Andy On - is not the showdown), the score is great, but the script is rather weak and the narration confusing which is quite puzzling since the story is not that complicated. Of the four ROTK-movies that were produced in the last years this is the weakest but as a historical action road movie it's quite good. After that fight/chase/fight in the middle, I definitely expected a bigger ending for THE LOST BLADESMAN, and I agree with your script/story/narration comment. You nailed it with that sentence. iceman was a mess but very funny in places especially the two villians, their running gag about curried chicken was really funny and the fight in the club apart from the slo mo overkill was quite good decent handwork and stances but that cgi fest ending was unacceptable Loved the handwork in the club! As for the ending- it's what I expected because of the subject matter. I would definitely have enjoyed if Donnie had a sword instead of the chains, or at least used a real chain like a steel whip. In a perfect world they would have kept the fighting more as more realistic traditional kung fu, enhanced to show their strength with cars getting smashed and some wire assisted leaps, but... Nope. Still, I dug it for what it was. Did anyone notice the horrible English subtitles. Every "fuck" became "heck" and every "shit" because "god" or "damn." Not only that but when He Ying beats up the guy in the van for his clothes, the guy blatantly says "I have to learn Wing Chun!" which, I imagine, is an in-joke at the fact Donnie played Ip Man. The subtitles turn it into "I have to learn martial arts!" which ruins the joke. I did think the curses were odd, but didn't pay too much attention to it. But with the van scene I did think "Wait a minute..." and rewind. I thought I had heard him say "Wing Chun". That was funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member derwood Posted July 8, 2014 Member Share Posted July 8, 2014 I felt it held a very 80's style of humor which, although giving me an occasional smile, felt pretty cheap and hammy overall I found it a decent lazy sunday flick BUT can anyone explain WTF happened at the end? maybe my version was edited or something but the end made absolutely no sense at all Im referring to the end of the fight onwards, its like a whole chunk of story is missing or maybe I just missed what the hell was going on throughout the whole film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted July 8, 2014 Member Share Posted July 8, 2014 I felt it held a very 80's style of humor which, although giving me an occasional smile, felt pretty cheap and hammy overall I found it a decent lazy sunday flick BUT can anyone explain WTF happened at the end? maybe my version was edited or something but the end made absolutely no sense at all Im referring to the end of the fight onwards, its like a whole chunk of story is missing or maybe I just missed what the hell was going on throughout the whole film? SPOILERS... Remember how the monk said that the Wheel of Time could be used three times and it was believed it had already been used once before? Well I assume Simon Yam's character used it to go forward in time and cause some trouble as a corrupt police officer. Now that his right hand men are in his time, he's making sure they're freed and that's why we see him smashing down the door. I think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 8, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 8, 2014 SPOILERS throughout this entire post! BUT can anyone explain WTF happened at the end? maybe my version was edited or something but the end made absolutely no sense at all Im referring to the end of the fight onwards, its like a whole chunk of story is missing or maybe I just missed what the hell was going on throughout the whole film? SPOILERS... Remember how the monk said that the Wheel of Time could be used three times and it was believed it had already been used once before? Well I assume Simon Yam's character used it to go forward in time and cause some trouble as a corrupt police officer. Now that his right hand men are in his time, he's making sure they're freed and that's why we see him smashing down the door. I think... I believe Drunken Monk is correct. And I'm not sure if you know, they split the film in half, and ICEMAN Pt. 2 is coming soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member derwood Posted July 9, 2014 Member Share Posted July 9, 2014 it appeared that Donnie always had the 'key' so Simon could not have used it? & wasnt that Donnie with Simon at the end, all buddy like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 9, 2014 Administrator Share Posted July 9, 2014 it appeared that Donnie always had the 'key' so Simon could not have used it? & wasnt that Donnie with Simon at the end, all buddy like? Yeah, I don't know how he did that without the key, nor why they were together in that last scene. I figured they showed it like that to give us a mysterious "WTF?" bit to entice us into watching the sequel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member derwood Posted July 9, 2014 Member Share Posted July 9, 2014 I think they couldnt work out and ending to flow with into a sequel so they went with the chewbacca defense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Doctor Schnabel von Rom Posted July 15, 2014 Member Share Posted July 15, 2014 movie is on his way - can't wait to see it. some scenes from the trailer are looking very nice! has yuen biao an cameo visit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted July 15, 2014 Member Share Posted July 15, 2014 has yuen biao an cameo visit? Nope. Sadly not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Doctor Schnabel von Rom Posted July 15, 2014 Member Share Posted July 15, 2014 thanks. like you said: really sad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted August 23, 2014 Moderator Share Posted August 23, 2014 I got through watching this over the weekend, and prepared myself to hate it (you're probably thinking why did I bother to watch if I had such a negative preconception, but it was part of a 26 hour flight I was taking, and I'd gotten to the point were I'd watched everything I'd wanted to!). My negativity towards it was based on a couple of things - (1) I still have the bad taste in my mouth of spending $18 to watch Yen's last movie, 'Special ID', on the day it opened in the local cinema, and thought it bordered on being unwatchable trash. (2) I actually think the original 'Iceman Cometh', with the exception of the final fight between Biao & Wah, is a pretty boring & unfunny affair, so the thought of a remake stretched over 2 parts was hardly news that I met with excitement. Surprisingly, I found 'Iceman' to be entertainingly dumb, and I mean this as a compliment. Many of the people who enjoyed 'Special ID' had said it was like an old HK action movie from the 90's, which personally I didn't agree with, however for me 'Iceman' fits this description perfectly! It's stupid from start to finish, but it's the kind of stupid which is done with such a level of energy and charm, that somehow it's forgivable, the same way stuff like 'The Lucky Stars' movies are forgivable. It's a movie were we get to see Yen's rocket powered urine, his exploding feces, and all the while he's running around modern day HK with an ancient penis (note: not his own). This isn't the movie to come and see Yen dishing out the fu, which is just as well, as essentially there isn't any. Even the nightclub scene which a few have mentioned is really nothing to write home about as a fight scene, we get the usual Yen split second flurry of punches, and then a brief bout against Wang Bao Qiang, but a showstopper it isn't. Speaking of Bao Qiang, as the bad guy of the piece along with his partner played by Yu Kang, they're surprisingly, well, unbad. Apart from trying to find Yen and indulging in a variety of different curries, it's hard to pin point exactly what it is we're supposed to dislike about them. We know Yen has been framed for a past crime, which is why they're in pursuit, however aside from this there's really no reason to dislike the pair. Interestingly, it's Yen who gets to dish out some Yuen Wah style pain, in a scene were he rather brutally takes out Lam Suet. It's a scene which pretty much sums up the slightly schizophrenic nature of 'Iceman'. Of course it's not without its downsides. There are some unsubtle swipes at HK, obviously there for the mainland audience to enjoy, such as the speech between Yen and possible love interest Eva Huang, in which she explains how everyone would stop and look at her whenever she'd speak Mandarin when she first arrived in HK. I'd happily take this sort of thing over the in your face flag waving any day of the week though. 'Iceman' also gets points for not having an ending which involves the Japanese randomly being shoehorned in as bad guys, although I'm mentioning this in the downside list as the sequel still gives room to go down this route. Speaking of Huang, I wish she didn't cut her hair short, I kind of liked her with long hair. 'Iceman' ends with a twist involving Simon Yam that I actually thought was pretty smart, and I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say the twist may go a long way to explaining exactly why Bao Qiang & Yu Kang aren't portrayed as being particularly villainous. It'll be interesting to see how Part 2 pans out. All in all 'Iceman' probably isn't the movie most Yen fans wanted, and it's probably not the movie a lot of traditionally minded HK movie fans wanted either, but it is an unpretentious and dare I say fun movie, which if you go in with an open mind could well be enjoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member xianzai Posted August 23, 2014 Member Share Posted August 23, 2014 Many of the people who enjoyed 'Special ID' had said it was like an old HK action movie from the 90's, which personally I didn't agree with, however for me 'Iceman' fits this description perfectly! It's stupid from start to finish, but it's the kind of stupid which is done with such a level of energy and charm, that somehow it's forgivable, the same way stuff like 'The Lucky Stars' movies are forgivable.I enjoyed Iceman as well, though I'd argue it's more like an 80's HK film. All in all 'Iceman' probably isn't the movie most Yen fans wanted[...] Yen fans, and fans of other action stars, need to come to grips with the fact that these stars will age out of action roles, but will keep acting. For ex., I recently saw David Chiang in a TV series and he was good in it, but it was a non-action role. it's probably not the movie a lot of traditionally minded HK movie fans wanted either [...]HK movies cover a wide range of genres beyond action. If someone is only a fan of HK action films, they're not really HK movie fans in the broader sense. This is a film 'traditionally minded HK movie fans' can enjoy because as we agree it's very much in the broader HK movie tradition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted August 24, 2014 Author Member Share Posted August 24, 2014 Yen fans, and fans of other action stars, need to come to grips with the fact that these stars will age out of action roles, but will keep acting. For ex., I recently saw David Chiang in a TV series and he was good in it, but it was a non-action role. I don't think Yen is going to work in front of the camera forever because I've heard that he's going to retire in acting when he's in his late 50s. So he's creaming out as much action films as he can while his physical prowess is still consistent. But recently we have seen him evolve and improve as an actor so you have a great point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 2, 2014 Moderator Share Posted September 2, 2014 For anyone whose interested, I elaborated on the initial comments I made in post #191 to create a full length review of the movie, which you can check out at the link below - http://www.cityonfire.com/iceman-3d-2014-review-donnie-yen/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wackiechan Posted September 17, 2014 Member Share Posted September 17, 2014 http://wellgousa.com/theatrical/iceman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted September 17, 2014 Member Share Posted September 17, 2014 Then it will be on Region 1 DVD and Region A Blu-Ray on November 11 from Well Go USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted November 12, 2014 Member Share Posted November 12, 2014 Going to get the BD and watch it this weekend, will post thoughts afterward. Any news on a US release of Monkey King and Kung Fu Jungle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted November 16, 2014 Member Share Posted November 16, 2014 Watched it this morning. While it is a very flawed movie, it is definitely entertaining and the couple of stylish action scenes were very good. The comedy was hit and miss. The twist at the end actually made me feel optimistic about a sequel(and made this movie make a little more sense, lol). I think they will do a better job and I am eager to see how it pans out. I think my stance is similar to that of OAB's. Ill say its around a 7/10.. Worth a watch to make your own judgement, in my opinion. Just don't go in looking for a martial arts movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member thehangman Posted November 16, 2014 Member Share Posted November 16, 2014 have seen worse the fnale on the bridge was good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted November 17, 2014 Author Member Share Posted November 17, 2014 Keep rewatching the action scenes from time to time and they keep getting better after each viewing for me. Even the brief fight scenes --- Baoqiang's introductory fight with the cops, Donnie protecting the lead actress from the drunk foreigners, and Donnie curing the lead actress' mother on wheelchair while defending himself with a broom stick --- are pretty impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted November 17, 2014 Member Share Posted November 17, 2014 Keep rewatching the action scenes from time to time and they keep getting better after each viewing for me. Even the brief fight scenes --- Baoqiang's introductory fight with the cops, Donnie protecting the lead actress from the drunk foreigners, and Donnie curing the lead actress' mother on wheelchair while defending himself with a broom stick --- are pretty impressive. One particular move that stood out to me was during the bridge scene when Donnie did some sort of hand stand spinning kick combo...It looked great! But I agree with you, even the minor action scenes were well done, but the Club and Bridge were great scenes. I watched it with my girl who is pretty 50/50 when it comes to these movies (both old and new) and she seemed to enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member massa_yoda Posted February 4, 2015 Member Share Posted February 4, 2015 Just watched this movie. The story was decent enough, but the decision for the big twist at the end hurt the movie. Too much got crammed into the last 5 minutes or so because of how much they had to hold back for the twist. I would have loved to see some of those character moments at the beginning. Some other random thoughts: -A truck being undone by a potato chip bag? Really?? -The epic pee should have been funnier, but they botched the joke. There should have been a beat right before it with no music to build the atmosphere a little and they should have shot it wide. Instead, they shot it close with no break in the music. It was better in the trailer. -I notice people saying this is better than Special ID. I disagree. ID brings it in the action department, making a silly movie wildly entertaining. This movie was a little slower and the action design was different, since all the people from the past are basically super-powered. Not as exciting to me. Though the finale on the bridge did have its moments. I might give this another watch, but probably not anytime soon. Glad I finally got to it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.