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

[ShaOW!linDude]

Watched Cyber Ninja over 20 yrs ago. (On vhs no less.) I remember it being way more sci-fi than MA driven. Really disappointing.

[DragonClaws]

21 hours ago, ShaOW!linDude said:

Watched Cyber Ninja over 20 yrs ago. (On vhs no less.) I remember it being way more sci-fi than MA driven. Really disappointing.

Thats a shame, should I remove it from the list?, what do other people think?.

[Omni Dragon]

I wouldn't exactly call it a martial arts movie but the French 1902 movie; Le Voyage dans la Lune or A Trip to the Moon in English, might well have the first fight in a science fiction movie.

Seen in this video at about 9:10:

 

 

[TheFlyingPanda]

I think Cyber Ninja Is still worthy of this Category, there are ninjas that shoot lasers and all. I just watched The Guyver again (From Arrow Video) a few days ago and Cyber Ninja had as much or more martial arts in it. Of course Guyver 2 is better with the fight scenes. 

 

For Me Sci-Fi Martial arts films are always a Hit-or-Miss.

But I'm a sucker for the 80's or early 90's cheese 

[Omni Dragon]

On 5/21/2017 at 7:18 PM, DragonClaws said:

Tekken    (2009)
The King Of Fighters    (2010)
The Matrix    (1998)

Are we including animation or just live-action? Because, I've not seen them, but there has been some animation about Tekken and The King of Fighters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekken#Animated_films

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Fighters#Film_and_animation

Should the sequels to The Matrix be mentioned? (The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). And funnily enough it turns out there's an animation based on The Matrix (again haven't seen it).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Animatrix

On 12/20/2017 at 9:39 PM, Silver and Gold Dragon said:

I wouldn't exactly call it a martial arts movie but the French 1902 movie; Le Voyage dans la Lune or A Trip to the Moon in English, might well have the first fight in a science fiction movie.

Perhaps I was being overly conservative. A Trip to the Moon is often regarded as the 1st science fiction motion picture, though I've heard about earlier works. Perhaps I should have said; A Trip to the Moon probably has the first fight in a science fiction movie.

On 12/21/2017 at 3:58 AM, TheFlyingPanda said:

For Me Sci-Fi Martial arts films are always a Hit-or-Miss.

There does seem to be a disproportionate amount, of not so well thought out low budget "b-movies" or movies with a lack of budget and time to convey concepts well. It's been a while since I've seen it, and my memory is rather vague but The Matrix is probably the only movie I've seen that blends the 2 genres really well, but that said I do find things like Robotrix entertaining. I also think part of the problem might be that the martial arts (MA) and science fiction (SF) genres typically view their worlds in different ways. MA is rather an old ideology and SFs ideology is typically an extrapolation for worlds yet to be. A MA hero influences the world with his hands and feet, SFs with advance technology. SF is typically technology focused so MA in a sense is obsolete. Another thing is some of SF is anti-war and violence, and may regard such behaviour as primitive and barbaric (though this is more in SF novels than movies). MA is also more myth prone, though ironically I've known SF authors damn old world myth and superstition only to create new myths due to the nature of their works being fiction. My favourite MA movies have little to do with science and technology, and my favourite SF movies and have little to do with MA. Though I still think there's potential to merge the 2 genres in interesting ways.

 

[De Ming Li]

It seems like there's a lack of focus on science fiction in Hong Kong films, as opposed to Japanese. The Japanese had their kaiju craze in the 60's and 70's and onwards and all sorts of movies dealing with extraterrestrial beings while in the Hong Kong (and Taiwan) the main themes remain distinctly Earth bound and human. Anybody want to say why this was the case?

[DragonClaws]

On 23/12/2017 at 12:20 AM, Silver and Gold Dragon said:

Are we including animation or just live-action? Because, I've not seen them, but there has been some animation about Tekken and The King of Fighters.

I'm just going to stick to live action @Silver and Gold Dragon, I just feel the animated movie deserve their wn thread perhap?.

 

On 23/12/2017 at 11:54 AM, De Ming Li said:

It seems like there's a lack of focus on science fiction in Hong Kong films, as opposed to Japanese. The Japanese had their kaiju craze in the 60's and 70's and onwards and all sorts of movies dealing with extraterrestrial beings while in the Hong Kong (and Taiwan) the main themes remain distinctly Earth bound and human. Anybody want to say why this was the case?

Never considered this, and the more I think about it the more it makes sense.

[DragonClaws]

Another title to add to the ist, once its released?.

Thanks to @mpm74, for the head's up on this one, click on the link below, for more information and the movies trialer.

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

Recently picked up American Martia Arts/Sci- Fi actioners Serenity and UltraViolet. Hope to do a write up on these, in the coming months.

 

Mila Jovovich, in a scene from Ultraviolet(2006).

[whitesnake]

Here's another one, Dream Breaker (aka Po Mang You Xi), a "forthcoming [2018] cyber-punk actioner" from China.  Han Yan directs this movie about "a young woman who must fighter her way through a mysterious holographic game world designed by her late father to avenge his death".  Cast includes Chen Duling and Song Weilong. 

The news is from The Hollywood Reporter - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/first-look-chinese-director-han-yan-goes-cyber-punk-dream-breaker-image-987576   but I found it on City on Fire, which added the new trailer.

From the preview, it has sword fights, fists, guns.  I think the swords and fists make it look enough like a martial arts movie to be listed here.  Update - Dream Breaker gets a Chinese film release on Nov 9, 2018.  Replacement trailers - 

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2018 by whitesnake

[whitesnake]

Tiger Chen (Man of Tai Chi; Triple Threat) stars in Kung Fu Traveler (2017), from first-time director Zhang Xianfeng.  "In the film, aliens have invaded and overtaken the Earth.  Trying to escape defeat, a Chinese General (Chen) is accidentally sent back in time while trying to devise a way to defeat the alien invaders."  Aliens vs. armored humans in kung fu combat.  News here -

http://cityonfire.com/tiger-chen-does-the-timecop-thing-in-kung-fu-traveler/

Cinedigm is releasing Kung Fu Traveler on DVD on April 3, 2018.

Trailer here - Sorry, I listed Kung Fu Traveler above, but included the trailer for Kung Fu Traveler 2 instead.  Below is the trailer for Kung Fu Traveler, replacing the one for the sequel. 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2018 by whitesnake

[DragonClaws]

 

[DragonClaws]

Over the weekend I picked up the PM Entertainment production Private Wars, with James Lew among the cast. Not sure if its more suited to this thread, or @TheFlyingPanda Non Martial Arts Films With Great Martial Arts Faction?. Some corrupt company is trying to build the city of the future, and a bunch of local stand up citizens fight back.

[DragonClaws]

 

First poster for Scott Adkins Incoming, which according to IMDB, has now been completed?.

 

 

 

Can we expect some more futuristic Martial Arts thrills in this up-coming Gerard Butler, live action, comic adaptation?. From South Korean born Villianess director Byunh-gil Jung, and Tommy Wirkola.

Link- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210027/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_5

 

[AlbertV]

Here's one that isn't a complete martial arts movie but features martial arts...Hologram Man starring Joe Lara and Evan Lurie

 

Edited February 20, 2018 by AlbertV

[66 Mantis]

On 12/20/2017 at 11:11 AM, DragonClaws said:

Thats a shame, should I remove it from the list?, what do other people think?.

It's about as much of a martiial arts pic as a mid 80s Super Sentai series. But it's fun, so I vote to keep it in.

[66 Mantis]

I hate myself for forgetting it, but what was the name of that sci fi film that Shaw Bros. produced in the 80s? It was posted once on Facebook (including the trailer) and not mentioned again.

[AlbertV]

Bollywood has a trilogy of films that melds superhero,sci-fi, and martial arts: It started with Koi...Mil Gaya, about an alien who gives powers to a mentally challenged person, including fight skills. The sequel, Krrish, revolved around the first hero's son, who having inherited the powers of his father, uses them to become a superhero and then came Krrish 3 in which the superhero returns to face against a new threat. A fourth film is scheduled for 2020.

Hrithik Roshan stars in all three films as both father and son and for Krrish and Krrish 3, Tony Ching Siu-Tung is the film's action director and Roshan's martial arts trainer.

(sorry for the quality...it was the uploader)

(It's not a fight scene but Roshan doing a demonstration of the skills he learned from Ching...this is before he becomes the superhero Krrish)

 

[whitesnake]

Krrish 2 became Krrish 3, once they decided that Koi...Mil Gaya should really be Krrish 1, but to avoid confusion, they didn't change the name of the already titled Krrish.  So there is no officially-titled Krrish 2.  I've never seen Koi...Mil Gaya, but enjoyed the sequels very much, and look forward to Krrish 4.  In Krrish and Krrish 3, Priyanka Chopra (Quantico TV series) played the love interest, Priya Mehra.  

[66 Mantis]

On 2/20/2018 at 7:59 PM, 66 Mantis said:

I hate myself for forgetting it, but what was the name of that sci fi film that Shaw Bros. produced in the 80s? It was posted once on Facebook (including the trailer) and not mentioned again.

ah, found it; oh boy this looks like... something...

If you have a thing for Cherrie Chung (and honestly, who here doesn't) then it's worth seeing for her alone. Plus, it has light saber nunchaku...

 

Edited March 8, 2018 by 66 Mantis

[DragonClaws]

 

[whitesnake]

Wesley Wong (Pacific Rim: Uprising) will star "in the GenFilms SciFi original production, Qi: Spacetime Warriors, from renowned Hollywood action director and stunt coordinator and well known Jackie Chan cohort, Andy Cheng... Described as a first-of-its-kind, epic Chinese, Hollywood-style sci-fi, Qi: Spacetime Warriors sees Wong leading the way as Wang Long Sheng, a Taoist Monk destined to become a Spacetime Warrior and save the universe from ancient inter-dimensional threats eager to destroy the world."  Pre-production starts in December 2018, with filming starting in March 2019.  News from http://filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.com/2018/03/j-kerrys-qi-spacetime-warriors-casts.html

According to IMDB it will be a long movie (over 3 hours).  "Earth 2341 A.D. - In an extropian world of the future, a team of Spacetime Warriors from Earth joins forces with the Andromedan Galaxy to save our worlds from a common threat of another universe, while also attempting to rescue Princess Dha-loo-ma and hundreds of Earthlings from a distant dimension."  Qi: Spacetime Warriors movie poster (swiped from IMDB) -

 

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by whitesnake

[whitesnake]

The next movie from director Liam O'Donnell (Beyond Skyline) will be The Last Savage, "a cinematic love letter to the pulp adventures of Tarzan, the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, and the vicious beauty of the martial art Silat."  Plot - "A cataclysmic flood leaves a boy stranded on a remote island where he's raised by a family of tigers into Buas, a lethal savage.  But Peyton, a high-tech hunter arrives and kills his adopted family before bringing the captured Buas to The Rig, an overpopulated steel island built atop drowned skyscrapers.  There, Buas is forced to fight against surgically enhanced gladiators in a deadly arena.  Trained by Carver, a legendary warrior gone rogue, and Mel, a brash street racer, Buas must navigate the post-apocalyptic underworld to gain his freedom, get his revenge, and ultimately secure the future of mankind's survival."  News from cityonfire.com and filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.com  

 

[DragonClaws]

 

[whitesnake]

Asura is a 2018 Chinese "epic fantasy film based on Buddhist mythology".  This is the first in a movie trilogy.  "The story is set in Asura, the dimension of pure desire according to ancient Buddhist mythology.  The mythical realm is threatened by a coup from a lower heavenly kingdom and the story follows from there."  It is directed by Zhang Peng, who has served as second unit director on The Wrath of Vajra and Switch.  He was fight coordinator for Ant-Man, Pixels, Kickass, and 47 Ronin, as well as working as a stuntman in Wonder Woman.  The cast includes Lei Wu (or Leo Wu, who plays Nezha in Nezha - Life as Lotus (2018) with Michelle Yeoh as Nezha's mother); Tony Leung Ka Fai (All Men Are Brothers: Blood of the Leopard, Ashes of Time); Carina Lau (Ashes of Time, Dynasty Warriors); Zhang Yishang (Railroad Tigers), looking like a Chinese Daenerys; and Dong Qi (Monk Comes Down the Mountain).  Info from Wikipedia, IMDB, chinesemov.com and https://www.martialartsentertainment.com/asura-2018/ which also has more Asura photos. 

Since Dragonclaws' post seems to have lost its Asura trailer (unavailable), I'm adding the trailer here - from the Asura Film Official 2018 Youtube Channel - so it should be available for awhile.  The Channel also has the teaser trailer.  Trailer -   

 

The movie opens in China on July 13, 2018.  Here are some images from Asura

a movie poster - 

Zhang Yishang  - 

another poster -   

Edited June 27, 2018 by whitesnake