Flying Fists Of The Future - Science Fiction & Martial Arts Movies

[whitesnake]

Here's another one that's definitely sci-fi with some martial arts.  Future Fighters ("big-budget, CG-heavy, sci-fi extravaganza") is listed by IMDB as in "pre-production".  "In the 22nd Century the darkest region of space lies in the hearts of men.  The fate of all humanity rests with a small clutch of brave soldiers, and their sophisticated intra-stellar fighting machines, as they must defend the free solar system from a sinister invading force, in order to fight... for their future.  But when allies become enemies and enemies become allies, battle-lines and allegiances are blurred as humanity races to save itself... from its own destruction."  IMDB last updated its info on August 30, 2017.  Cast includes Ray Park (Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace), Yasuaki Kurata, Rina Takeda, Reuben Langdon (utility stunts in Ant-Man), Eriko Sato (Cutie Honey: Live Action), and Gordon Liu.  (Last I heard, Gordon Liu had disappeared from the nursing home where he'd been since his stroke in 2013.  Maybe his part in this was filmed before his stroke.)  The director is Nelson Shin, founder and president of Akom Production Co., Ltd., a South Korean animation studio that has produced a lot of animation for American TV, including Simpsons episodes.  Dee Dee Ku (aka Huen Chiu Ku) is the action director.  He's been action coordinator or choreographer or director for: Into The Badlands (6 episodes), Journey to the West, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Wu Kong, The Mermaid, and Zhang Yimou's upcoming Shadow.  Some motion-capture martial arts is included in the Future Fighters cast/crew demo reel on http://www.agogfilms.com/future-fighters.html

[DragonClaws]

On 22/10/2017 at 6:29 PM, whitesnake said:

Here's another one that's definitely sci-fi with some martial arts.  Future Fighters ("big-budget, CG-heavy, sci-fi extravaganza") is listed by IMDB as in "pre-production".

Thank you for the heads up on this one @whitesnake.

Just having a break from loooking up titles at the moment, sure there's plenty more that could be added to the list.

[One Armed Boxer]

Director Zhang Xiaobei will be releasing the Chinese sci-fi flick 'Pathfinder' in 2018, which promised to be infused with some MA action.

Source - http://cityonfire.com/song-yang-walks-through-a-fury-road-in-pathfinder/

 

[DragonClaws]

16 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Director Zhang Xiaobei will be releasing the Chinese sci-fi flick 'Pathfinder' in 2018, which promised to be infused with some MA action.

 

20 hours ago, whitesnake said:

Vincent Wang (fight choreographer on The Great Wall) directs Loi Bao, a Vietnamese sci-fi thriller with actor Cuong Seven playing "a dying man who undergoes a life-saving head transplant onto a new body only to bear witness to the residual after-effects of its mysterious owner: near boundless superhuman skills and fighting prowess, disparate memories, and a relentless enemy looking to settle the score once and for all."  The movie opens (in Vietnam?) on December 22nd.

 

Thanks @whitesnake and @One Armed Boxer, for those up-dates/contributions.

[One Armed Boxer]

On 11/17/2017 at 11:18 PM, DragonClaws said:

Thanks @whitesnake and @One Armed Boxer, for those up-dates/contributions.

You're welcome!  & while I'm at it, you could also include the 2014 Chinese flick 'Ammera' - 

 

[DragonClaws]

3 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

You're welcome!  & while I'm at it, you could also include the 2014 Chinese flick 'Ammera' - 

Now added to the list, in my first post.

[DragonClaws]

[DragonClaws]

Added this low budget sci-fi actioner take on The Omega Man/I Am Legend books and movies.

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by DragonClaws

[One Armed Boxer]

Hey @DragonClaws, without being too much of a pain in the ass, do you think it'd be possible to put the list in your first post into some kind of structured order?  Either alphabetical or by year of release would work.  The longer it's got, the more of a hassle it's become to scroll through and try and find if a movie has already been mentioned or not.

1 hour ago, DragonClaws said:

Added this low budget sci-fi actioner take on The Omga Man/I Am Legend books and movies.

While we're on the subject of Mark Dacascos, he also starred in Jesse V. Johnson's 2007 sci-fi actioner 'Alien Agent' - 

 

[DragonClaws]

2 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Hey @DragonClaws, without being too much of a pain in the ass, do you think it'd be possible to put the list in your first post into some kind of structured order?  Either alphabetical or by year of release would work.  The longer it's got, the more of a hassle it's become to scroll through and try and find if a movie has already been mentioned or not.

Yeah, I've been thinking about doing this for awhile. It's just lazyness on my part, for not doing it sooner.

[ShaOW!linDude]

3 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

While we're on the subject of Mark Dacascos, he also starred in Jesse V. Johnson's 2007 sci-fi actioner 'Alien Agent' - 

I've shied away from this one because I've feared there isn't any MA in it. Has anyone sat through this to know what the case regarding that is?

[bigrogie]

I COME IN PEACE (aka DARK ANGEL) (1990)

GINTAMA (2017)

[whitesnake]

"Kill Order Fashions With Slick Martial Arts and Small Scale Sci-Fi" headline for -http://filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.com/2017/11/review-kill-order-fashions-with-slick.html 

Kill Order is "an original sci-fi action project from stuntman and coordinator James Mark... Stuntman and martial artist, actor Chris Mark debuts as David Lee, a private school student haunted by spells of mania, mysterious flashbacks and a demonic affliction that torments him on a regular basis while in his uncle's care.  It wakes up in timely fashion when a fully armed tactical unit raids his psychology class room, ensuing a treacherous and rollicking fight to protect himself and girfriend, May, from the small army of killers now hot on their tale [sic].  Triggered with unexplained supernatural abilities and with nowhere to run or hide, Lee's life is one rife with questions and dangers he'll soon have no choice but to confront with equally deadly resolve to obtain the answers he seeks."

Trailer with martial arts action here - 

If no one has mentioned Alita: Battle Angel yet, this is a live action sci-fi movie coming out on July 20, 2018.  James Cameron co-wrote the screenplay, and Robert Rodriquez (El Rey Network) is the director.  The movie is based on the manga series by Yukito Kishiro.  Alita is a cyborg amnesiac who has a memory in her nerves of "the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst".  Cast includes Rosa Salazar (as Alita), Eliza Gonzales (Baby Driver), Jennifer Connelly, Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious), Ed Skrein, Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali (Hidden Figures, Luke Cage TV series), Ed Skrein, Casper Van Dien, Jeff Fahey, and Chilean martial artist Marko Zaror.   Since there's no trailer yet with action scenes from the live action movie, here's one from the 1993 anime, Battle Angel Alita (aka Gunnm).  Lots of potential for good fight scenes.  

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

[tdb]

 

On 11/26/2017 at 11:41 AM, One Armed Boxer said:

Hey @DragonClaws, without being too much of a pain in the ass, do you think it'd be possible to put the list in your first post into some kind of structured order?  Either alphabetical or by year of release would work.  The longer it's got, the more of a hassle it's become to scroll through and try and find if a movie has already been mentioned or not.

On 11/26/2017 at 1:59 PM, DragonClaws said:

Yeah, I've been thinking about doing this for awhile. It's just lazyness on my part, for not doing it sooner.

 

Movie list sorted alphabetically:

Spoiler

Alien VS Ninja    (2010)
Ammera    (2014)
Armageddon    (1997)
Automatic    (1995)
Avenging Fist    (2001)
Black Mask    (1996)
Black Mask 2    (2002)
Bloodfist 2050    (2005)
Clones Of Bruce Lee    (1977)
Cold Harvest    (1999)
Cyber Tracker    (1994)
Cyber Tracker 2    (1995)
Cyborg    (1989)
Cyborg Cop    (1993)
Cyborg Cop 2 (1994)
Digital Warriors    (1999)
Dragon Fire    (1993)
Equalizer2000    (1987)
Expect No Mercy    (1995)
Firepower    (1993)
Fist Of The North Star    (1995)
Future Cop    (1993)
Future Hunters    (1986)
Future Kick    (1991)
Future X-Cops (2002)
Gen Y-Cops    (2002)
Grid Runners    (1995)
Guyver    (1991)
Guyver 2 (1994)
Hard Revenge Milly    (2009)
Heatseeker    (1995)
I Am Omega    (2007)
Iceman Cometh    (1989)
Kill Order    (2018)
Knights    (1993)
Kung Fu Traveler2    (2017)
Magic Crystal    (1986)
Mettalic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg    (2009)
Nemesis    (1992)
Princess Blade    (2001)
Returner    (2002)
Robo Vampire    (1988)
Robotrix    (1991)
Sci-Fighter    (2004)
Silver Hawk    (2004)
T.C 2000    (1993)
Techno Warriors    (1997)
Tekken    (2009)
The King Of Fighters    (2010)
The Matrix    (1998)
The One    (2001)
The Super Inframan    (1975)
Tiger Claws 3    (2000)
Time Cop (1994)
Time Cop 2    (2003)
Time Rush    (2016)
Ultra Violet    (2006)
Universal Soldier (1992)
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)
Ultracop2000    (1992)
Versus    (2000)
Yakuza Weapon    (2011)

Movie list sorted by date:

Spoiler

The Super Inframan    (1975)
Clones Of Bruce Lee    (1977)
Future Hunters    (1986)
Magic Crystal    (1986)
Equalizer2000    (1987)
Robo Vampire    (1988)
Cyborg    (1989)
Iceman Cometh    (1989)
Guyver (1991)
Robotrix    (1991)
Future Kick    (1991)
Nemesis    (1992)
Ultracop2000    (1992)
Universal Soldier (1992)
Cyborg Cop    (1993)
Future Cop    (1993)
T.C 2000    (1993)
Dragon Fire    (1993)
Firepower    (1993)
Knights    (1993)
Cyber Tracker    (1994)
Cyborg Cop 2    (1994)
Guyver 2    (1994)
Time Cop    (1994)
Cyber Tracker 2    (1995)
Grid Runners    (1995)
Heatseeker    (1995)
Expect No Mercy    (1995)
Automatic    (1995)
Fist Of The North Star    (1995)
Black Mask    (1996)
Armageddon    (1997)
Techno Warriors    (1997)
The Matrix    (1998)
Cold Harvest    (1999)
Digital Warriors    (1999)
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Versus    (2000)
Tiger Claws 3    (2000)
The One    (2001)
Avenging Fist    (2001)
Princess Blade    (2001)
Black Mask 2    (2002)
Future X-Cops    (2002)
Gen Y-Cops    (2002)
Returner    (2002)
Time Cop 2    (2003)
Sci-Fighter    (2004)
Silver Hawk    (2004)
Bloodfist 2050    (2005)
Ultra Violet    (2006)
I Am Omega    (2007)
Tekken    (2009)
Hard Revenge Milly    (2009)
Mettalic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg    (2009)
Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
The King Of Fighters    (2010)
Alien VS Ninja    (2010)
Yakuza Weapon    (2011)
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)
Ammera    (2014)
Time Rush    (2016)
Kung Fu Traveler2    (2017)
Kill Order    (2018)

 

Edited December 13, 2017 by tdb

[DragonClaws]

56 minutes ago, tdb said:

Movie list sorted alphabetically:

Much appreciated @tdb, I've used your alphabetical list and copied/pasted it into the first post.

Figured people would prefer it done that way, instead of listing the movies by year?.

[One Armed Boxer]

59 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

Much appreciated @tdb, I've used your alphabetical list and copied/pasted it into the first post.

Figured people would prefer it done that way, instead of listing the movies by year?.

Yep, great work @tdb.  I agree on alphabetical, but definitely really interesting to see them in order of year released.

What on earth was going on between '93 - '95 for there to be 16 sci-fi influenced martial arts movies!?  I guess that was the peak of this unique sub-genre.

[DragonClaws]

1 hour ago, One Armed Boxer said:

What on earth was going on between '93 - '95 for there to be 16 sci-fi influenced martial arts movies!?  I guess that was the peak of this unique sub-genre.

Will this still be the case as we add more titles?, sure there culd be more Japanese movies on the list?.

I posted the trialer for following film in the Ninja Movie Appreciation thread recently. Not sure if it features enough Martial Arts action, to qualify for this list?.

[tdb]

13 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

Will this still be the case as we add more titles?, sure there culd be more Japanese movies on the list?.

A couple of Japanese contenders:

Moon Over Tao (Makaraga) (1997)

Sword of Alexander (Taitei no Ken) (2007)

 

I don't suppose Zeiram (1991), Zeiram 2 (1994), Zebraman (2004) or Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010) would qualify?  And what about Dororo (2007) or Blade of the Immortal (2017)?

[DragonClaws]

15 minutes ago, tdb said:

I don't suppose Zeiram (1991), Zeiram 2 (1994), Zebraman (2004) or Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City (2010) would qualify?  And what about Dororo (2007) or Blade of the Immortal (2017)?

I havent seen any of these to comment @tdb, under the impression Blade Of The Immortal is more fantasy than Sci-Fi?.

Maybe someone else here can help you with the other titles?.

[tdb]

8 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

I havent seen any of these to comment @tdb, under the impression Blade Of The Immortal is more fantasy than Sci-Fi?.

Maybe someone else here can help you with the other titles?.

Yes, but the line separating fantasy and sf can be pretty porous and I've only seen six of the eight titles myself.

Edited December 13, 2017 by tdb

[DragonClaws]

11 minutes ago, tdb said:

Yes, but the line separating fantasy and sf can be pretty porous and I've only seen six of the eight titles myself.

Agreed, of the clips of BOTI I have seen, they are in a period setting. Being an immmortal character, I'm not sure if there scene's set in the present or future too?.

[tdb]

19 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

Agreed, of the clips of BOTI I have seen, they are in a period setting. Being an immmortal character, I'm not sure if there scene's set in the present or future too?.

That's one of the movies I haven't seen; maybe I'll rent it over the holidays.

Edited December 13, 2017 by tdb

[whitesnake]

Dororo was pure fantasy.  A baby is born legless, armless, faceless, because his father made a deal with 48 demons for power, sacrificing his son.  The baby is put in a basket and sent floating downstream.  He is found and raised by Gepetto an old man, who carves wooden arms and legs and other parts for him; with healing magic the wooden parts function like real parts.  His left arm has a swordblade in it.  He wanders the country slaying those 48 demons.  With each slain demon, a wooden part of him gets replaced by a real human part.  More at Wikipedia. 

Zeiram 1 - 2, Zebraman 1 - 2 are science fiction.  It's been several years since I've watched my copies of them, so I don't remember the fight scenes too well.  There are battles, but the fighting in Zebraman may be typical tokusatsu stuff, and I doubt the girl playing the alien bounty hunter in Zeiram was hired for her martial abilities.  Youtube - Iria vs. Zeiram - 

 

Cyber Ninja looks enough like a samurai film, with robots and cyborgs, to qualify as a martial arts sci-fi movie.  Youtube fight scene  - Mirai Ninja aka Cyber Ninja - 

 

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

13 hours ago, whitesnake said:

Cyber Ninja looks enough like a samurai film, with robots and cyborgs, to qualify as a martial arts sci-fi movie.  Youtube fight scene  - Mirai Ninja aka Cyber Ninja - 

Cool, I'll add it to the list, thanks @whitesnake.